WASHINGTON — The Harris Teeter located on Potomac Avenue in Southeast D.C. is closing after almost 14 years.
The store has been open since May 2008 and is expected to close "on or before" Jan. 22, 2022, according to a news release from the company.
There are 121 workers currently employed at this Harris Teeter, located in the Jenkins Row shopping center. They were informed about the closing on Dec. 3.
The nearest Harris Teeter is located a mile away on Main Street Southeast; there are also nearby Harris Teeter stores on First Street Northeast and Kalorama Road Northeast.
Harris Teeter says it will assist employees "through the closing process." Workers will be allowed to transfer to other Harris Teeters in the area.
The nearest grocery store to the Jenkins Row Harris Teeter is a Safeway located half a mile away on 14th Street Southeast.
Before COVID-19, food insecurity was already a problem in the District. The pandemic has only exacerbated food insecurity problems. According to the office of Mayor Muriel Bowser, 11% of the District's residents are food insecure.
Bowser's office announced on Monday another round of food access grants to support Ward 7 and 8 businesses committed to providing affordable and healthy foods to residents. The Harris Teeter in Jenkins Row is located in Ward 6.
In 2018, WUSA9 joined an elderly woman on her monthly trip to the grocery store. She took monthly trips due to the limited number of supermarkets in her neighborhood.