Kings Food Markets closing two New Jersey stores is now official, and 122 workers are caught in the middle. Albertsons-owned Acme Markets will shut its Hillsdale and Whitehouse Station locations no later than Jan. 2, 2027, according to Patch.
The company says it is a lease issue. As a result, shoppers in two towns now have a few months to figure out where their weekly groceries come from next.
Which Two Stores Are on the List
Two stores are on the list. One is at 381 Washington Ave. in Hillsdale, in Bergen County. The other is at 531 US Highway 22 East in Readington Township, Hunterdon County, which most people know as Whitehouse Station, per Hoodline.
The Whitehouse Station store has operated since 1997. Meanwhile, the Hillsdale location runs a full deli, bakery, meat, seafood and catering operation. That is a lot of neighborhood habit to unwind in a few months, and these Kings store closings will be felt in both towns.
Kings Grocery Stores Shutting: 122 Workers Named in the WARN Notice
A state WARN notice went to New Jersey on Friday, Oct. 2, listing 122 employees, WMTR reported. The layoffs would take effect on or before Jan. 2, 2027.
One note on the numbers. An early NorthJersey.com report cited 168 affected workers, but its follow-up used 122. Most outlets also say 122, so that is the figure we are using.
Not all 122 will necessarily lose their jobs. Albertsons spokeswoman Dana Ward said, “Our goal is to place as many associates as possible in other stores,” according to NJ101.5. The company is working with the affected associates and their unions. So far, no one has reported how many people the company will actually transfer.
Why the Kings Food Markets Closing Is a Lease Decision
The stated reason is simple. “With the lease for these locations coming to an end, we made the decision to focus our resources on other locations,” Ward said, per Patch.
She added that the company regularly evaluates its store portfolio and real estate footprint “to ensure we are best positioned to serve customers and operate efficiently.”
That is standard retail language, but it also means Albertsons looked at these two leases and decided not to renew. Because of that, the Kings Food Markets closing reads as a business call, not a surprise. The company has not said whether either site will be re-leased, or to whom. Corporate reshuffling is hitting other industries too, as the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger into Skydance shows.
A Pattern for Albertsons in New Jersey
This is not the first New Jersey closure this year. Albertsons shut an Acme store in Edgewater in August after losing that lease to ShopRite, Ward told NorthJersey.com.
Albertsons runs 2,240 stores under 22 banners as of June 2026, per NJBIZ. NJBIZ also ties the pruning to the company reevaluating its footprint after the failed Kroger merger. In fact, Kings itself came to Albertsons after a 2020 Chapter 11 filing, in a $96.4 million acquisition, per Daily Voice.
The takeaway is that a grocery chain with thousands of stores keeps trimming leases it does not want. A single closure looks small. However, a string of Kings supermarket closures in one state tells you where the company is heading. Job losses like these are also a reminder of how hiring can swing the other way, as with Morgan Stanley’s 3,800-job Dallas hub.
What Comes Next for Shoppers and Workers
Both stores close by Jan. 2, 2027. The company has not announced exact closing dates, any liquidation details or future tenants.
For shoppers, Hillsdale still has other supermarkets nearby, and NorthJersey.com has put together a list of alternatives. For workers, the next few weeks will show how many transfers actually happen. Watch for those numbers, because they will show how big this layoff really is.
