KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Merc Co+op announced this week that it is closing its grocery store in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, at the end of 2025.
The community-owned grocery store posted a statement to its website, adding that it notified the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, on Monday of its intentions to terminate its operating agreement.
It said it plans to close the grocery store at 501 Minnesota Avenue on Dec. 30. The decision, the company said, came down to “what’s best for the long-term viability of the co-op and the location’s financial performance.” The announcement comes about five years after the store opened.
Twelve people are currently employed at The Merc’s KCK location. The company said it is “committed to exploring every opportunity” to transition the affected employees to its existing Lawrence location “or placement elsewhere when the time comes.”
The company said the decision to terminate the agreement applies only to the Kansas City, Kansas, location.
“We will make every effort to provide the high level of service for which we’re known through our final day of business and will share more with our owners and shoppers as we’re able,” The Merc said in a statement. “We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our KCK community.”
The closure announcement comes about five years after the store opened. Unified Government officials who celebrated the groundbreaking back in 2019 said they put $7 million into the project.
