Wegmans is closing one of its largest grocery stores. The unusual location hurt business

NATICK, Mass. “The Wegmans supermarket chain is closing one of its largest and most unusual stores because it has not attracted enough business,” the company said.

The Natick, Massachusetts store will close at an undetermined date this summer, the Rochester, New York-based company said in a statement Thursday.

“Making these decisions is never easy. But we do it for the long-term benefit of our people, our customers and our communities,” Brien MacKendrick, the regional director of human resources, said in the statement. “Unfortunately, with this non-traditional location, we are unable to attract enough customers to make our business model work.”

The 134,000-square-foot (12,450 sq m) store opened in 2018 in a Natick Mall space once occupied by a JCPenney department store. It was the supermarket chain’s first two-level store in a large shopping center.

The store also had a full-service Mexican restaurant, until it closed in 2019.

The store has 365 employees and all are offered positions at one of the company’s five other locations in the Boston area. There are no plans to close any other stores in the state, the statement said. Wegmans has more than 100 stores along the East Coast.