Fred Meyer, the superstore chain owned by Kroger, plans to exit the sale of guns and ammunition at its 132 locations.
“Fred Meyer has made a business decision to exit the firearms category,” the company said in a statement. “The company is currently working on plans to responsibly phase out sales of firearms and ammunition.”
“The company made the decision early last week after evaluating changing customer preferences and the fact that there have already been efforts to steadily reduce this category in Fred Meyer stores over the last several years due to softening consumer demand,” the statement said.
“More recently Fred Meyer has been transitioning away from gun departments as a result of the ongoing work to optimize space in Fred Meyer stores,” the company said.
“The firearms category represents about $7 million annually of Fred Meyer’s revenue―and sales continue to decline,” the retailer’s statement added.
Earlier this month, the chain announced it would not sell guns or ammunition to people under 21, citing the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, which left 17 dead.
Fred Meyer has stores across Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
