If you’ve walked into your neighborhood Safeway lately and felt a strange vibe—maybe the shelves look a bit thin or the staff seems on edge—you aren't imagining things. The news about colorado safeway stores closing has been a rollercoaster of "will they, won't they" for the last two years. Honestly, it’s been exhausting to follow. Between the multi-billion dollar merger drama and sudden "strategic consolidations," the Colorado grocery landscape is shifting under our feet.
The big question everyone keeps asking is: is my store on the list?
For a long time, the answer was tied to a massive $24.6 billion deal between Kroger (who owns King Soopers) and Albertsons (who owns Safeway). That deal is officially dead. It was blocked by federal and state judges in late 2024. But here’s the kicker: even though the merger failed, Safeway is still closing stores. In late 2025, the company announced a wave of shutdowns across the state that had nothing to do with the merger and everything to do with "performance" and corporate restructuring.
The 2025 Colorado Safeway Stores Closing List
When the dust settled in November 2025, ten specific Colorado locations shut their doors for good. This wasn't just a Denver thing. It hit the Front Range and the Eastern Plains hard.
These are the locations that were officially shuttered:
- Denver: 1653 S. Colorado Blvd.
- Aurora: 12200 E. Mississippi Ave.
- Englewood: 201 E. Jefferson Ave.
- Northglenn: 500 E. 120th Ave.
- Fort Collins: 3657 S. College Ave.
- Loveland: 860 Cleveland Ave.
- Colorado Springs: 5060 N. Academy Blvd. and 1425 S. Murray Blvd.
- La Junta: 315 West 2nd St.
- Lamar: 906 E. Olive St.
Basically, if you shop at any of these, you've likely already seen the "Store Closing" signs or the empty parking lots. The closures in Lamar and La Junta are particularly brutal. In those towns, Safeway was often the only full-service grocery store besides Walmart. When a store like that leaves, it’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a crisis for seniors and people without cars.
Why Did the Merger Fail?
You might remember the talk about Piggly Wiggly.
To get the government to approve the merger, Kroger and Albertsons promised to sell off 91 Colorado stores to a third party called C&S Wholesale Grocers. They claimed this would keep competition alive. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser wasn't buying it. He sued to block the merger, arguing that C&S didn't have the "infrastructure" to actually run a retail grocery empire.
He was right to be skeptical. History shows that when big chains spin off stores to "preserve competition," those smaller spin-offs often fail within a few years. Just look at what happened with the Haggen/Albertsons merger years ago. It was a disaster.
💡 You might also like: Dollar to Polish Money: Why Timing Your Exchange Is Harder Than You Think
The courts ultimately agreed. By December 2024, the merger was scrapped. Kroger even had to pay Albertsons a $600 million "breakup fee." That's a lot of groceries.
Is More Trouble Coming for Safeway?
Now that it's 2026, the drama hasn't totally stopped.
Safeway's parent company, Albertsons, is now operating as a standalone entity again. But they’re not in the same position they were before the merger talks started. They've spent millions on legal fees. They’ve consolidated their "Denver" and "Intermountain" divisions into something called the Mountain West Division.
Corporate-speak usually means one thing: "We're looking to cut costs."
"These closures will enable us to continue investing in our store network and better align with evolving customer needs." — Official Safeway Statement, September 2025.
Translation? They're closing the underperforming stores to save the profitable ones.
The union that represents these workers, UFCW Local 7, has been vocal about this. They’ve pointed out that many of these stores were actually profitable or served "food deserts" where people have no other options. The union argues that the company is prioritizing Wall Street investors over Colorado families. It's a classic corporate-versus-labor standoff.
Theft and "Shrink" Problems
There is a gritty side to this that doesn't always make the press releases.
Talk to any manager at the now-closed Northglenn or Aurora locations, and they’ll tell you about "shrink." That’s the industry term for theft. Some of these locations were hit hard by shoplifting and security issues. When the cost of security guards and lost inventory outweighs the profit from a gallon of milk, corporate HQ starts looking at the "Close" button.
How to Navigate the New Grocery Map
If your go-to store was on the colorado safeway stores closing list, you’re probably looking for a new place to get your eggs and bread.
Here is the reality of the 2026 market:
- King Soopers Dominance: With Safeway pulling back, King Soopers (Kroger) is more dominant than ever. This is great for selection but can be tough on your wallet if there's no competition nearby to keep prices in check.
- The Rise of the Discounters: Stores like Aldi and Grocery Outlet are slowly eyeing the Colorado market. They aren't everywhere yet, but they thrive in the gaps left by Safeway.
- The "Food Desert" Reality: If you live in Lamar or La Junta, you’re likely looking at a 60-mile drive to the next full-service grocer if Walmart doesn't have what you need.
Actionable Steps for Displaced Shoppers
- Check Your Pharmacy: This is the most important one. If your Safeway pharmacy closed, your prescriptions were likely transferred to a nearby Safeway or a Walgreens. Call ahead to confirm where your files went before you run out of meds.
- Transfer Your Rewards: If you have "Gas Points" or "Just for U" rewards, use them at a remaining Safeway location. They generally don't transfer to King Soopers or other chains.
- Support Local: In towns like Loveland and Fort Collins, look for independent grocers or farmers' markets. They are often more stable than national chains because they aren't beholden to a merger deal in Ohio or Idaho.
The landscape is still changing. While the "91 stores being sold" scare is over, the era of the neighborhood Safeway being a permanent fixture is also gone. Keep an eye on your local news, because when these companies "evaluate performance," they don't usually give more than a few months' notice before the doors lock for good.
To stay ahead of further changes, monitor the Colorado Department of Labor’s WARN notices. These are public filings that companies must submit at least 60 days before a mass layoff or store closure. It is the most reliable way to know if your local store is next on the chopping block before the official announcement hits the windows.