Rouses in Long Beach Announces it Will be Closing

Rouses store number 43 in Long Beach announced Friday that it will be closing its doors. The company issued a statement Friday morning that it would be closing its doors and invited customers to visit its many other locations across the Gulf Coast.

The closing comes three months after the opening of Froogles, a smaller grocery store that advertises a smaller mark up on prices, and is widely considered to be less expensive than local competitors. News 25 spoke to a Rouses customer earlier to see if this closing would impact his shopping habits.

James Land, F.S.U. Sales Representative, says, "I don’t think so, I mean, there are three other grocery stores within a five to ten mile radius, so people have plenty of options, that’s for sure."

Employees say that it was an increase in rent and not an increase in competition that lead to the close.