The Livingston Parish News reported this week that the Albertson’s in Denham Springs will be closing in the fall, citing as their source Mayor Gerard Landry. Their last day will be in September, and management did not give Mayor Landry a reason for their decision, though he suspects it’s due to increasing competition for local grocery business in recent years thanks to the Walmart Neighborhood Market further south on Hwy 16, and Rouses Supermarket at Juban Crossing.
The 60,000 sq ft building previously housed a Winn-Dixie.
Reaction to the news on social media was primarily that of surprise and concern. Many shoppers mentioned how they would miss Albertson’s sale prices. Some were worried about having to transfer prescriptions to other pharmacies. Some shoppers said they would simply drive to Baton Rouge to shop at Albertson’s (the College Drive location is probably closest to the interstate), which obviously isn’t good news in terms of sales tax revenue for Denham Springs, but you can’t fault shoppers for wanting to shop where the prices are lower, factoring in the additional gas money.
My concern is for the impact of this on the local economy. If shoppers take their business out of the parish, this will impact our tax revenue. And let’s not forget the store employees who will be out of work just a few months before Christmas. Hopefully the other area Albertson’s stores will be able to absorb some employees who would be willing to make the drive, but this will still leave many people scrambling to find work.
It would be great if another grocery store were to come in and claim the location (hello, Winn-Dixie?).
