The closures affected two Kingwood stores at 4540 Kingwood Drive and 600 Kingwood Drive, as well as three others in The Woodlands, Spring and Clear Lake, according to a statement from Christy Lara, director of public relations for Randalls.
The five Houston-area stores were chosen because they were underperforming, Lara said. Seventeen Randalls locations remain across the Houston area, she said.
The closure of two Randalls grocery stores in Kingwood has sparked discussion among business owners in the shopping centers of how the loss of the anchor stores could affect business and what companies will fill the vacancies.
Cynthia MacKinnon, owner of the Lash Lounge at the corner of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway, said she is concerned of how Randalls closing could affect foot traffic in the center.
“A lot of people that come in will be like, ‘I was in Randalls and saw your salon,’ because they can’t see us very well from the road,” MacKinnon said.
However, Cyrese Jezek, owner of longstanding boutique Cyrese & Co. in the same center, said she felt confident that Weingarten Realty, the leasers of the property, will fill the space soon.
“I think we’ll get something—hopefully [something] bigger and better that’ll bring in more people,” she said.
Weingarten Realty did not respond for a request for comment by press time.
Correction: The original version of this article misspelled Weingarten Realty. The post has been updated with the correct spelling.
