After months of speculation, several sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that Kroger recently signed a lease to take over most of the former Walmart at Perimeter Village in Dunwoody. The Cincinnati-based grocer is expected to open one of its large format "Marketplace" stores in place of the former Walmart which closed last July.
Sources suggest the grocer also intends to add a fuel center to the parking lot but those plans have yet to be reviewed or made public.
Kimco Realty, the owner of Perimeter Village, controls more than a dozen shopping centers around the greater metro Atlanta area with Kroger the primary anchor in seven of them including Embry Village in Tucker and Market at Haynes Bridge in Johns Creek.
Kroger and Publix are the two most dominant grocers in the Atlanta market - each controling more than 20% market share - but while Publix has been opening stores left and right, Kroger has been closing stores. In fact, two former Kroger stores - those in Brookhaven (Cambridge Square) and Buckhead (Buckhead Landing) subsequently reopened as new Publix stores.
The two grocers have very different models these days, with Kroger seemingly prioritizing fewer but larger (90,000-120,000 square foot) stores, while Publix seems to focus on more stores that are smaller by comparison, with most measuring 45,000-55,000 square feet.
Related: A Walmart that closed on Howell Mill Road in Buckhead is expected to reopen in 2026 as a new Wayfair store, while a smaller format "Walmart Neighborhood Market" that closed in East Cobb is expected to be replaced next year by "The Pickle Pad," a new pickleball franchise.)
Kroger closed four stores this year including those in Brookhaven, Lindbergh, Alpharetta, and Decatur. Interestingly, the Lindbergh Kroger, which was the newest store to have closed, was reportedly subject to high levels of crime and theft that were also key contributors to the Walmart closure.
The new Kroger would be situated across the street from where Publix opened a new roughly 25,000 square foot store at Perimeter Marketplace in January 2022. For its part, Kroger also operates an existing Dunwoody area store (officially in Sandy Springs) at Orchard Park shopping center (20190 Dunwoody Club Drive), about four miles from the would-be new store.
In Perimeter Village, Kroger would join fellow anchors Hobby Lobby, DSW, and World Market.
Are you excited about the prospect of having a new Kroger in Dunwoody? Where do you do the majority of your grocery shopping? What other types of businesses would you like to see open in Dunwoody?
Please share your thoughts below.
7 comments:
I think that would be a great location for Kroger. I primarily shop at Kroger or Ingalls.
Could've been a Wegmans.... sigh
Great news! Dunwoody needs a traditional old fashioned bakery too. something like Rhodes.
Perimeter Pointe would have been a much better site for a new Kroger Marketplace. Still disappointed Wegman's didn't actually happen in this center when it was rumored years ago. No clue how that Regal Theater has lasted as long as it has. It's always dead and it's clear zero dollars have been invested in keeping it up. Pieces of the channel lettering on the front of the building have been missing for years. This center is ripe for redevelopment. I would bet money that Dick's Sporting Goods (in the former Sports Authority, and before that HomePlace space) is the next to leave.
Georgetown Kroger is actually a bit closer to this location than Orchard Park. At night, Georgetown has a security guard and if this location does likewise, it should be ok. Also at Georgetown, an employee tends to keep an eye on people using the self check outs, whereas this was not the case at Walmart. I think this Kroger will do well. Publix has good bogo deals, but Kroger has frequent good digital coupon deals (you have to study it closely and be sure to 'clip' some of them).
That Kroger in Georgetown is terribly organized and it doesn’t feel clean to me. I avoid shopping there. I might pay a little more at Publix, but their stores are typically well-organized and clean.
It could’ve been a lot of things but since Wegmans hasn’t indicated any interest in Atlanta…
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