A regional grocery chain is closing another Tacoma store, its second such closure in as many years.
A Fred Meyer representative confirmed with The News Tribune that it plans to close its James Center location, 6901 S. 19th St., Tacoma. It did not specify a closing date for its Fred Meyer Marketplace at the shopping center.
In an emailed statement, the grocer said that "Fred Meyer never takes the decision to close a store lightly, and after careful evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close our Tacoma store located at 6901 S. 19th St."
It added that "We remain committed to serving our Tacoma-area customers and look forward to welcoming them at our nearby Fred Meyer and QFC locations."
Its remaining stores in the area include the Fred Meyer Tacoma Stevens store, 4505 S. 19th St.; QFC Parkland, 11104 Pacific Ave., the Fred Meyer in University Place, 6305 Bridgeport Way W., and the QFC at 4101 49th Avenue NE in Tacoma.
Across the Narrows, another Fred Meyer Marketplace also remains in Gig Harbor, 5502 Point Fosdick Dr.
UFCW 367 represents workers for the Kroger chain. In a social media post Friday, the union stated that it would "bargain over the impact this decision will have on our members and support them throughout the process."
In March 2025, The News Tribune reported that James Center, anchored by Fred Meyer, was sold for $36.75 million to an LLC affiliated with Rosen Harbottle, a commercial real estate firm in Bellevue.
According to the UFCW 367 online post, it stated the union had "learned that Kroger has declined to renew their building lease," blaming an increase in rental costs.
The statement also said it had been told the store would "continue to operate until the day the lease expires, Jan 30, 2027."
This would be the second Tacoma Fred Meyer to shut down in recent times. In September 2025, it closed its longtime store on Tacoma's South End at 7250 Pacific Ave.