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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />RESOLUTION NO. 8212 <br /> <br />Resolution of the Everett Mayor and City Council Rebuking Kroger’s Closure of the <br />Evergreen Way Fred Meyer and Abandonment of the Casino Road Community <br /> <br />WHEREAS, <br /> <br />A. Kroger, the parent company of Fred Meyer, has announced the closure of several stores <br />across the Puget Sound Region including the South Everett Fred Meyer store in the <br />Casino Road Neighborhood, impacting hundreds of good union jobs and abandoning <br />one of Everett’s most diverse and working-class communities; and <br /> <br />B. This closure will create a food and retail desert in the Casino Road Neighborhood, <br />depriving thousands of families of nearby, walkable, affordable grocery access and <br />dismantling an essential community anchor in a neighborhood already facing systemic <br />inequities; and <br /> <br />C. Kroger has publicly blamed rising thefts as the reason for this closure, despite the fact <br />that the City of Everett has invested heavily in the surrounding area at the company’s <br />request — including policing, infrastructure, and community resources — which has led <br />to a significant decrease in crime; and <br /> <br />D. The decision to close disregards collective efforts by workers, residents, and city officials <br />who have stepped up to deliver on commitments of support; and <br /> <br />E. Kroger has underfunded store operations and cut staffing, forcing workers into unsafe <br />conditions, worsening customer experience, and undermining store stability, instead <br />prioritizing stock buybacks and shareholder dividends; and <br /> <br />F. Kroger reported record profits of $2.7 billion in 2024 — nearly 77 percent higher than in <br />2019 — proving that the decision to shutter South Everett’s store is not about financial <br />necessity but about prioritizing record profits over the needs of working families; <br /> <br />