HEWLETT, NY — After 45 years, King Kullen is closing down its location on Peninsula Boulevard in Hewlett, the grocery chain said in a statement to Patch Wednesday.
The grocery chain opened its first storefront in 1930, ballooning to eight locations within its first two years of operation and then 17 by 1936. On its website, King Kullen cites a Smithsonian institute designation of King Kullen as “America’s first supermarket,” citing the fact that it had separate departments, self-service, discount pricing, chain marketing and volume dealing.
In more recent years, the King Kullen has faced tougher times, closing locations in Levittown and Glen Cove as big box stores pop up across Long Island. While the Hewlett store is closing, the grocer said there aren’t plans for any layoffs or additional store closings right now.
“King Kullen will close its Hewlett store on May 21. All employees will be offered positions at other stores,” King Kullen told Patch. “King Kullen is honored to have served the Hewlett community for 45 years. At this time, there are no additional scheduled store closings.”
With the closure of the Hewlett location, King Kullen’s presence on Long Island will drop to 28 stores: 24 King Kullens and 4 Wild By Natures. The closest King Kullens to the current Hewlett location are located in Valley Stream and Rockville Centre.
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