Dillons Stores in Springfield have reduced their hours and closed their pharmacies in anticipation of the company closing all of its grocery stores in the city. Pyramid Foods, which owns Price Cutter stores, has entered into a real estate agreement to acquire all four Springfield Dillon’s locations. Dillon Stores' exit from the Springfield market is effective in January, 2015.
Dillons spokesperson Sheila Lowery calls the decision to pull out of Springfield a “regrettable but necessary step.” She says it came after a regular assessment of the company’s supermarket operations.
Hours at the four Springfield stores, 1707 W. Battlefield, 1831 W. Kearney, 1260 E. St. Louis and 2843 E. Sunshine, are now 6 am to 9 pm.
According to a news release from Dillons Stores, pharmacy customers will be able to find their transferred prescriptions at nearby Walgreens stores.
Pharmacy customers at the St. Louis Dillons will find their prescriptions at the Walgreens at St. Louis and National; W. Kearney St. pharmacy customers will find their prescriptions at the Walgreens at 1525 W. Kearney. Prescriptions for the E. Sunshine pharmacy have been sent to the Walgreens at Sunshine and Ventura and prescriptions for the W. Battlefield pharmacy have been sent to the Walgreens at 2951 S. Campbell.
A spokesperson for Pyramid Foods, Donna Pirotte, says details about future plans for the stores and their employees will be more forthcoming closer to January.
Sheila Lowery says all of Dillons approximately 400 associates will remain employed through January. According to Lowery, Dillons is working with Missouri’s AFL-CIO Dislocated Workers Program to offer help to employees who might lose their jobs.
In a news release, Price Cutter president Erick Taylor says Dillons announcement to exit all four Springfield stores “is disappointing.” He says once Dillons approached his company with their intent of leaving the market, he felt it was his responsibility to Price Cutter’s 2600 employees to keep the company looking forward and explore the opportunity to purchase the Dillon’s real estate.
He says they are “currently assessing new store concepts, conducting market research and evaluating community needs.” He says no decisions have been made at this time.
