Kroger has confirmed that it is closing two Houston locations by September 30th. The locations are 9325 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77024, and 2300 Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77080, which are within about 3 miles of each other and have a similar shared heritage. The Kroger of the Villages (Katy Freeway) originally opened as a Safeway back in 1974, and the Gessner at Hammerly location opened in 1970, as one of the first Safeways in Houston. After about 15 years, Safeway decided to replace the old Hammerly location and built this new building, which opened in 1987, making it one of the final and most unique examples of a Texas division Safeway to exist. This topic was covered in Anonymous in Houston’s 2023 article on these two stores. The stores both became AppleTree locations, and the Katy Freeway store was given a remodel to resemble its counterpart. It would be the only AppleTree to receive that level of exterior remodeling. The stores enjoyed a good run, as some of the more successful AppleTree locations, and were sold to Kroger along with a handful of other stores in Houston. Upon receiving these stores, Kroger made very few changes. The Spring Branch location has retained its unique layout, and the Memorial location has retained many of the upgrades gained in AppleTree’s remodel. Kroger is closing 60 stores nationwide, and has already closed two Houston-area locations this year.
both safeways/apple trees & kchn am is on shadow wood @ the beltway