Houchens Decides Not to Open Grocery Store in Edmonton

By PJ Martin

Editor, The Herald-News

 

Last week, the Herald-News was informed by Edmonton Mayor Doug Smith that Houchens Food Group has decided not to move forward with plans to open a grocery store in Edmonton.

Smith told the Herald-News, “They are not coming.”

Smith stated that the call was received over a week ago from a representative of Houchens informing the city that the company had decided not to open a store in Edmonton. Smith said he was present when the call was received and asked a couple of questions.

A few days later, Smith said he personally spoke with the local Houchens representative, who confirmed that the company would not be moving forward with the Edmonton store.

Rumors about the proposed grocery store had circulated throughout the community for several days. Until last week, the rumors had not been publicly confirmed.

According to Smith, when they asked the reason for the decision, the Houchens representative cited negative comments being made by area residents about the proposed store. Also, they didn’t feel right using taxpayer money (the grant) when it was likely the store couldn’t sustain operations long-term.

“That was the only reason they gave us,” Smith said.

The proposed grocery store was tied to the city’s Fresh Market/Grocery Store Grant Program. Following the announcement on Sept. 17, Houchens has 30 days to sign a contract for the grant. That deadline is Oct. 17.

While Smith said he received direct confirmation from Houchens, other government officials are saying they have not received notification.

The Herald-News spoke with Barren River Area Development District Director of Community and Economic Development Russ Hurd, who stated that a release concerning the store announcement was sent to Houchens approximately three weeks ago for review, but he has not received a response.

Hurd also said BRADD had not received notification from Houchens that the company was backing out of the proposed project. However, BRADD was only employed to oversee the application process, scoring, and announcing the grant winner.

Mayor Doug Smith spoke with the Herald-News last Wednesday, stating that he had spoken with the local Houchens representative by phone and it was again confirmed that the store would not be locating in Edmonton.

Metcalfe County Judge/Executive Larry Wilson stated on Facebook that he had received no formal announcement that Houchens had withdrawn their application, and he is contacting various Houchens representatives to look further into the matter.

The reason the city was notified first could be that the Fresh Market/Grocery Store Grant originated and was administered by the city, and the county then joined it to offer additional grant money.

We may or may not receive a press release from Houchens Food Group in the coming weeks. The Herald-News has attempted multiple times to contact Houchens’ representatives for additional information, but we have received no reply.

Houchens Food Group does own the ACE Hardware in Edmonton, and we have also confirmed that they hold a five-year lease on the empty building that previously housed IGA. Workers have been repairing that parking lot this week; however, there are two other businesses there.

This is a sad outcome for residents, with some continuing to hold onto hope that a grocery will eventually locate here.

Thank you for reading the Herald-News. We will provide further updates as they become available.