Richmond commmunity responds to sale of Ukrop's chain

Bobby Ukrop isn't ready to discuss the details of the sale of the Ukrop's chain yet, but University of Richmond community members have high expectations for the new stores.

In December, Ukrop announced in a press conference that the Dutch company Royal Ahold, which also owns Giant Food, would purchase 25 Ukrop's stores for $140 million and retain more than 5,000 Ukrop's employees, according to a Washington Post article.

Three other Ukrop's stores - in Fredericksburg, Roanoke and Williamsburg - have been or will be closed and their employees offered jobs in other Royal Ahold businesses or local area stores, according to articles in the Roanoke Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch and on NBC12.com.

Ukrop's spokeswoman Susan Rowe was contacted for further details but declined to answer questions. She stated in an e-mail that neither she nor Ukrop, CEO of the company, would talk about the sale until it was finalized in a few weeks.

The grocery stores will keep the Ukrop name, at least until the deal is closed, according to the NBC12 article, but speculation still swirls about whether the newly owned stores will start selling alcohol and operating on Sundays. Many also wonder whether the charm of the family-owned company will be lost under corporate leadership.

Alvin Johnson, a cashier in the Heilman Dining Center, said he was disappointed by the sale.

"I love Ukrop's," he said. "They have the finest products, the finest service. It hurts my heart to see them go. They're closed on holidays and Sundays. It reminds me of how good stores used to be."

Kathleen Cochran, a cashier at ETC who grew up a mile from the original Ukrop's store, said the chain had been horrible and had gotten worse during the last 10 years.

"You might as well just go to Kroger now," she said.

Senior Audrey Innella said she was sad Ukrop's had been sold to a bigger corporation.

"A lot of people I know want to know what's going to happen with the [Ukrop's] Grill and Joe's Market," she said while clutching her Ukrop's-bought drink.

Joe's Market, she was relieved to discover, was not sold to Royal Ahold.

Jeff Menne, a visiting faculty member of the English department, said he did not have a major response to the news about the sale.

"I moved here just under a year ago, and one of the tough things about Ukrop's was that it was closed on Sunday when I was working on campus and wanted a snack," he said. "It's also inconvenient because it doesn't sell alcohol. If we want to pick up dinner and wine, we just have to go to Kroger.

"I'm not going to two different places to get the things I want. Some things about Ukrop's could be better. Maybe that'll change with new management."

Contact staff writer Jordan Trippeer at jordan.trippeer@richmond.edu