Mrs. Green's Markets to Restock Briarcliff Store, CEO Steps Down

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, NY — The company running Mrs. Green's Markets continues its rapid withdrawal from a two-year-old expansion plan by closing its stores in Tarrytown, Rye, Greenwich Village, Stamford and Fairfield.

And the company and its CEO have parted ways.

The company announced Tuesday it would instead focus on its "legacy" Westchester stores of Yorktown Heights, Briarcliff Manor, Mount Kisco, Eastchester, and Larchmont.

Those stores will be restocked, the company said. Mrs. Green's shelves have been increasingly empty for months.

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• Mrs. Green's To Close Winnetka Location After Less Than a Year

In October, Supermarket News reported a financial crisis; but, while the chain's parent company, Natural Markets Food Group, acknowledged challenges, it said the supply shortages and the store closures were not related.

Only 18 months ago, Mrs. Green's announced that it was opening its 17th and 18th stores far away from its Westchester home—in West Windsor, NJ and in Ontario, Canada. But closings started almost immediately. The Chicago store closed six months ago and the Katonah and Mahopac stores closed in 2015.More recently, the company closed two stores in Illinois and the one in West Windsor. At the time, company officials said the New Canaan, Connecticut store, which also closed, would reopen in six months.

In its statement Tuesday, the company said:

Mrs. Green’s Neighborhood Market, an industry leader in providing organic, locally-sourced produce, seasonal food, and healthy-living products, today announced a strategic focus on five core Westchester stores as well the closure of five under-performing locations.

As part of the new strategic direction, Chief Executive Officer Pat Brown will step down. Existing management has taken over his duties while the Company finalizes the search process for his replacement.

“Mrs. Green’s Neighborhood Market has been a part of the fabric of the Westchester community for three decades and this announcement demonstrates our long-term commitment to providing our customers with the locally-sourced produce and healthy-living products they love,” the Company said. “While the closure of any location is difficult – especially because our customers and communities have supported us – they are also necessary as we focus on our core, profitable stores.”

Over the next several weeks, Mrs. Green’s will begin the process of restocking its legacy Westchester stores of Yorktown Heights, Briarcliff, Mt. Kisco, Eastchester, and Larchmont. The company will close its two Connecticut locations in Stamford and Fairfield as well as newer locations in the West Village, Rye, and Tarrytown. The company will provide severance packages and transition services to impacted managers and associates.

“We thank Pat Brown and all of our hard-working associates for their commitment to the company, and look forward to working with our new leadership team as we get back to doing what we do best – providing our customers with healthy, locally-sourced produce,” the Company added.

About Mrs. Green’s Neighborhood Market

Mrs. Green’s Neighborhood Market is an industry leader in providing organic, locally-sourced produce, seasonal food, and healthy-living products in neighborhood markets. The company prides itself on its commitment to building a sustainable brand in the healthy lifestyle arena – focusing specifically on customers who care deeply about the foods they eat.

PHOTO: Mrs. Green's apology to customers at the Briarcliff Manor store/ Lanning Taliaferro