Bay Area Safeway closures will end a 57-year run at a San Jose supermarket and shut down a Richmond bread plant affecting 92 workers. The two facilities have different employee arrangements, while reports differ on the Richmond closing date. The announcements also leave questions about the future of a major San Jose retail property.
Key Takeaways
- Safeway plans to close its 6150 Bollinger Road supermarket in San Jose on or around November 13, 2026
- A Richmond bread plant that opened in 1965 is scheduled to close in December, affecting 92 employees
- Safeway says all San Jose store employees will retain their jobs through reassignment to nearby locations
- The Orchard Farms Shopping Center property is being marketed for occupancy beginning January 1, 2027
- Publicly reported Richmond closure dates differ, with December 20 and December 30 both appearing in available accounts
Safeway is preparing to close two longtime Bay Area operations, with a San Jose supermarket scheduled to shut its doors in November and a Richmond commercial bakery facing closure in December.
The announcements affect separate parts of the grocery chain’s operations. San Jose customers will lose a neighborhood supermarket, while the Richmond shutdown involves food production and a workforce of 92 employees identified in a state labor notice.
Safeway has not publicly explained the specific reasons for either closure. Its parent company, Albertsons Companies, has confirmed different employment arrangements for workers at the two facilities.
San Jose Safeway Closure Ends 57 Years at Orchard Farms
The Safeway at 6150 Bollinger Road, near the Cupertino border, is expected to close on or around November 13, 2026. The store has operated for 57 years and serves as an anchor tenant at Orchard Farms Shopping Center.
A notice posted outside the supermarket confirms the planned closing date, according to NBC Bay Area.
Safeway has said employees at the location will retain their jobs rather than face layoffs.
“All associates will keep their jobs and be assigned to another store in the geographic area, consistent with the collective bargaining agreements,” a Safeway spokesperson told KRON4.
The company has not disclosed how many employees work at the Bollinger Road store or which nearby locations will receive them.
San Jose has 13 other Safeway supermarkets, according to KRON4. One of the closest is at 5146 Stevens Creek Boulevard, less than a mile from the closing location.
The Bollinger Road supermarket has also served nearby students. SFGATE reported that middle and high school students have used the location as a gathering place and that alternative diploma programs have incorporated grocery shopping into practical life-skills instruction.
The closure will also leave a substantial commercial property without its longtime grocery tenant.
Commercial brokerage Colliers is advertising the Orchard Farms space for lease, with occupancy available beginning January 1, 2027. The building measures approximately 35,578 square feet, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The listing identifies the property as a former Safeway but does not announce a replacement tenant.
Other Bay Area commercial districts, including San Francisco’s Mid-Market corridor, have also faced questions about the reuse of vacant retail spaces. No comparable plans have been announced for Orchard Farms.
The property’s next use remains undetermined in the publicly available leasing information.
Richmond Bread Plant Closure Affects 92 Employees
Safeway also plans to permanently close its commercial bread plant at 905 South 34th Street in Richmond, ending operations at a facility that opened in 1965.
The plant has produced bakery products for Safeway for decades. Its closure involves a different employment situation from the announced San Jose store shutdown.
An October 20 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification identifies 92 affected employees at the Richmond location.
State WARN-based listings identify December 20, 2026, as the effective date. SFGATE, which reviewed the October 20 notice, reported December 30 instead. The difference between those dates remains unresolved in the available reporting.
Albertsons Companies senior director of external communications Sarah Holland confirmed to SFGATE that a limited number of Richmond employees would be offered positions elsewhere.
The company did not specify how many workers would receive offers, what positions might be available or where those employees could be transferred.
The 92-worker figure reflects the workforce affected by the planned shutdown. It does not establish how many employees will ultimately be separated from the company after any transfers.
Unlike the San Jose supermarket, where Safeway has pledged reassignment for all associates, the Richmond announcement does not include a comparable commitment for the entire workforce.
The company has also not disclosed where its Bay Area stores will obtain the branded bread previously produced at the Richmond facility.
Safeway has not publicly identified a specific reason for shutting down the plant.
Earlier Bay Area Safeway Closures Add Context
The latest announcements follow several other Safeway store closures across the Bay Area during 2025 and 2026.
The chain closed its supermarket in San Francisco’s Fillmore District in February 2025, followed by locations in Pinole and Vallejo that spring. Another store at 231 West Jackson Street in Hayward closed in February 2026.
The circumstances surrounding those departures have varied.
In Hayward, Safeway cited the expiration of its lease. A state employment notice identified 76 affected employees, with the company planning to transfer them to other stores rather than eliminate their positions.
The Fillmore closure also removed a longstanding full-service supermarket from its neighborhood. Across San Francisco, vacant former grocery properties have prompted separate discussions about commercial reuse and access to food retailers.
Those earlier developments do not establish the reasons for the newly announced San Jose and Richmond closures.
The announcements also follow a quarterly financial report from Albertsons Companies.
On October 13, Albertsons reported that identical-store sales declined 0.8% during its fiscal second quarter, which ended September 12, 2026. Total net sales and other revenue decreased 0.1% to approximately $18.9 billion.
Digital sales increased 11% during the same period.
Chief Executive Officer Susan Morris announced a comprehensive review of the company’s operations and costs, citing the need to improve performance and simplify its organization.
The financial results provide companywide context but do not identify the factors behind the two Bay Area shutdowns.
For the Bay Area Safeway closures, the immediate developments remain the approaching November 13 supermarket closing, the December Richmond plant shutdown and the separate arrangements announced for affected employees.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the San Jose Safeway store close?
The Safeway at 6150 Bollinger Road in San Jose is scheduled to close on or around November 13, 2026. The supermarket has served the Orchard Farms Shopping Center area for 57 years.
How many employees are affected by the Richmond plant closure?
The Bay Area Safeway closures include a Richmond bread plant shutdown affecting 92 employees, according to an October 20 labor notice. Albertsons Companies has indicated that a limited number of workers will be offered other positions, although the exact number remains undisclosed.
Will employees at the San Jose Safeway lose their jobs?
Safeway says all employees at the Bollinger Road store will retain their jobs and be assigned to other locations in the geographic area. The company has not announced individual transfer destinations.
When is the Richmond Safeway bread plant closing?
State WARN-based listings identify December 20, 2026, while SFGATE reported December 30 after reviewing the notice. Both accounts place the shutdown in December, but the conflicting dates have not been publicly reconciled.
