Longtime grocery chain exits entire market after 49 years

For 49 years, O’Brien’s Market served shoppers in California’s Central Valley, building a family-owned grocery business known for fresh food, specialty departments, and neighborhood stores.

Now, the grocer is exiting the market entirely.

O’Brien’s Market is permanently closing one of its final two Modesto stores and trying to sell the other, according to two California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filings reviewed by TheStreet.

The closures could affect as many as 117 workers and bring O’Brien’s nearly five-decade run to an end.

The company said the decision comes as founder Chuck O’Brien retires, but it also pointed to broader challenges facing its business. 

O’Brien’s said it never fully recovered from some of the changes brought on by the Covid pandemic and that the current business climate forced it to make difficult decisions.

Its departure comes amid a broader reshuffling of California’s grocery landscape.

A review by TheStreet of California employment records, company announcements, government records, and previously reported closures identified at least 49 grocery locations in California that have announced or carried out closures so far in 2026, affecting or potentially affecting more than 4,600 workers.

O’Brien’s Market closes final California stores

O’Brien’s expects its store at 4120 Dale Road in Modesto to close to the public on or around Sept. 20, according to the WARN notice.

Employees are expected to continue working through the wind-down before their employment ends around Sept. 27.

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The company described the shutdown as permanent and said the entire location will close, affecting approximately all 67 employees. 

The workers are not represented by a union and do not have bumping rights.

The layoffs stretch across nearly every part of the supermarket. The largest groups include 16 deli clerks, 10 service clerks, and 8 checkers. The closure will also affect assistant managers, baristas, butchers, meat clerks, produce employees, and other workers.

O’Brien’s is also seeking a buyer for its other store at 839 W. Roseburg Avenue in Modesto.

The company said it was actively pursuing a potential sale but had not reached a final agreement when it submitted its WARN notice.

If a transaction is not completed, O’Brien’s expects the Roseburg store to also permanently close to the public around Sept. 26, with employees continuing through the wind-down until approximately Sept. 27.

Another 50 workers could be affected.

However, if the store is sold and the purchaser offers employees continued employment without interruption, they may avoid losing their jobs.

O’Brien exits after 49 years as California grocery market shifts

O’Brien’s departure ends a grocery business that has served the Central Valley for nearly half a century.

In a message to customers titled “Chuck’s Retirement,” O’Brien’s thanked its community, employees, and customers for supporting the business for 49 years and said the time had come to retire.

The company said the grocery industry changed substantially during those decades, with some changes within, and others beyond, its control.

The retailer specifically pointed to the Covid pandemic, saying it forced unprecedented changes across the industry.

While the company said it successfully kept employees safe, fed the community, and cared for customers, it acknowledged that in other ways, it never fully recovered.

“The current business climate has forced us to make some tough decisions,” O’Brien’s said, calling the decision to close both of its markets the most difficult one.

The company is holding a retirement sale and said it would continue restocking fresh groceries while winding down operations.

O’Brien’s exit follows a gradual reduction in its footprint. The grocer previously operated a Riverbank location, which it sold to Cost Less Food Company in 2024. That left its two Modesto stores, at Dale Road and Roseburg Avenue, as its remaining locations.

The latest closure announcement also drew an emotional reaction from customers on O’Brien’s Facebook page.

Commenters described the stores as neighborhood staples, praised its employees, and recalled traditions including wine tastings, deli sandwiches, and community involvement. One commenter expressed hope that O’Brien’s would succeed in selling the Roseburg Avenue location so employees there could continue working.

The reactions underscore the impact that the disappearance of a neighborhood grocer can have beyond the loss of another retail storefront.

At least 49 California grocery stores have announced closures in 2026

O’Brien’s exit comes during a particularly active period of grocery-store restructuring across California.

TheStreet reviewed California Employment Development Department WARN filings, company announcements, local government records, and previously reported closures.

As a result, it identified at least 49 grocery locations in the state that have closed or announced plans to close so far in 2026. 

A 50th location, O’Brien’s Roseburg Avenue store, could close if the company is unable to complete a sale.

Those closures have affected or will potentially affect more than 4,600 workers.

The tally is not a comprehensive count of every California grocery closure. Not every shutdown triggers a WARN filing, and the state does not publish a separate running total of supermarket closures. 

TheStreet supplemented state records with company announcements, official records, and verified local reporting.

The total is also heavily influenced by Amazon’s decision to discontinue its physical Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go formats. California WARN filings tied to that move cover 22 locations and 3,855 workers.

The company said it was closing its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go physical stores after determining it had not created a sufficiently distinctive customer experience or an economic model capable of scaling the formats.

Instead, Amazon is increasing its investment in Whole Foods Market and grocery delivery. The company also said some former Amazon Fresh and Go locations would be converted into Whole Foods Market stores.

Outside Amazon, TheStreet’s review identified California closures involving grocery operators, including Albertsons, Vons, Foods Co., Food 4 Less, Raley’s, Grocery Outlet, Lucky Supermarkets, New Leaf Community Markets, and O’Brien’s.

Kroger-owned Foods Co. and Food 4 Less have closed California locations as Kroger works through a broader plan to eliminate underperforming stores.

Lucky Supermarkets attributed the decisions to prolonged performance issues rather than a broader withdrawal from California, TheStreet reported.

Albertsons-owned banners, including Vons, also continue to trim their California footprints as the supermarket operator evaluates individual stores.

The reasons behind the closures vary considerably.

Amazon is replacing one physical grocery strategy with greater investment in Whole Foods and delivery. In contrast, Kroger and other chains are targeting underperforming stores, and other regional operators have reduced their footprints without abandoning California.

However, O’Brien’s Market is officially retiring from California after 49 years.

California grocery closures recently covered by TheStreet

The closures identified by TheStreet span national chains, regional grocers, and family-owned operators. 

The list below is based on California WARN filings, company announcements, official records, and verified local reporting.

Total: At least 49 definite closures or announced closures, with one additional O’Brien’s location potentially closing if a buyer is not found.

Sources: TheStreet review of California Employment Development Department WARN records, company announcements, official records, and verified local reporting.

Available WARN filings tied to the closures identified by TheStreet indicate that roughly 4,600 workers have been affected or potentially affected, while the actual total is likely higher because employee counts were not publicly available for several locations.

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