EVERETT — Supermarket giant Kroger cited store theft as one of the reasons for closing the Fred Meyer store at 8530 Evergreen Way in Everett, the company said in a statement on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, crime statistics released by the Everett Police Department tell a different story.

The Evergreen Fred Meyer reported 12 cases of shoplifting in 2024, down from 24 in 2023. In 2020, the store reported 68 cases of shoplifting.

Through July of this year, six incidents of shoplifting were reported.

In addition to Everett, a Fred Meyer in Kent will also be shuttered, said Kroger spokesperson Tiffany Sanders in a statement.

Richard Smith, a spokesman for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000, said the union was told the closures were planned for either Oct. 16 or Oct. 17. Sanders s

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