EAGAN, Minn. — An upscale family-run grocery store chain is permanently closing its market in Eagan this weekend.
Kowalski's Markets announced that after 16 years at its Diffley Road location, the supermarket is closing its doors "effective Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.," according to a news release.
Officials said the grocery store in that south metro location had "never been profitable."
The Eagan employees are being offered positions within the company at their current status of pay and benefits.
The nearest Kowalski's for Eagan customers will now be the "OG" location on St. Paul's Grand Ave, when founders, Jim and Mary Anne Kowalski, started their first store with a Red Owl in the early 1980s.
"We do not take this decision lightly," said Kris Kowalski Christiansen, Kowalski's Chief Executive Officer, in the news release. "We have done business in and partnered with the wonderful Eagan community for 16 years. The customers who made us a part of their lives were well-loved by our staff; many amazing friendships were forged during our time in Eagan. To everyone who called the Eagan market 'my Kowalski's,' my family and I say, 'thank you.'"
Meanwhile, Kowalski's will soon be expanding its footprint in malls.
The Woodbury-based grocery chain will have ten locations after the Eagan closure but will bump up to a dozen in two years when it moves into two Twin Cities indoor malls.
On April 30, the grand opening ceremony is scheduled for its brand-new Southdale Center location in Edina.
The store will take over 34,000 square feet of the former Herberger's department store building at the mall's southwest corner.
In 2025, Kowalski's is expected to move into Ridgedale mall in Minnetonka.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
