Medford Shaw’s Closing

The Medford Shaw’s at 61 Locust St., across from the Meadow Glen Mall, is closing, a company spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

The Shaw’s in Webster, which is in central Massachusetts, is also closing, according to Steve Sylven, a Shaw’s and Star Market spokesman.

The two Shaw's "have not been profitable for quite some time," according to a Shaw's statement (see below).

The Medford employees were told the grocery store would close by Feb. 20. A manager at the store referred all comments to corporate.

Shaw’s and Star Market closed six stores in southeast Massachusetts and Rhode Island this summer and six more in New Hampshire at the same time.

Shaw's does not have any current plans to close additional stores at this time, according to the statement.

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Sylven emailed the following statement Tuesday:

“Today, Shaw’s and Star Market announced it will be closing its stores in Medford and Webster, Massachusetts. We strive to ensure the success of all our stores, however, it is occasionally necessary for us to close those that are not meeting company goals or that do not fit into our long-term strategy. As a company and as responsible business owners, we need to position ourselves to be profitable. The stores identified have not been profitable for quite some time, and despite the best efforts of the company and our associates, we have not been able to reposition them to better compete in the marketplace and don’t anticipate being able to change this trend.

The decision to close a store is always difficult—given the impact on associates and customers—it was made only after careful evaluation and was guided by what is best for the company’s ongoing success and future growth. By closing underperforming locations, it will allow us the opportunity to reinvest in our existing store base and build a stronger company.

While we continuously evaluate the viability of our stores, we do not have any current plans to close any additional stores at this time. This is not reflective of the overall health of Shaw’s and Star Market. The company has, and will, continue to make investments into our business as we look to regain our position as the preeminent grocer in New England. For example, we recently announced plans to build a brand new store in Boston and we will continue to look for opportunities to improve and strengthen our store portfolio. Part of that requires making the difficult, but necessary decisions like closing stores to ensure the long-term viability of Shaw’s and Star Market.”