Denver Health Food Store to Close Due to 'Retail Theft and Safety Issues'

A Denver, Colorado, grocery store is shuttering its doors due to “retail theft and safety issues,” company officials announced Wednesday.

The Natural Grocers located in the crime and drug-ridden city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood will close on October 31, the Colorado-based health food chain said in a press release. 

“We have been actively working to address the theft and safety issues impacting our store at Colfax and Washington for some time,” said Kemper Isely, the company’s co-president.

“Despite our investment in security and loss prevention strategies over the years, these factors have continued to challenge our ability to operate our store safely and sustainably, and we have made the difficult decision to close our doors at this location,” she explained before pledging the store’s commitment to continue serving downtown Denver customers at their other locations.

One local shopper, Brian Corbin, told NBC’s 9 News that he was shocked at the impending closure. 

“I understand that they’re probably losing money, if that was true, but that’s still kind of hard,” Corbin said. “You don’t want to ruin it for the rest of the community who does use it. We’re all really needing it.”

City Councilman Chris Hinds also lamented the loss of Natural Grocers at 1433 Washington Street.

“It’s such a shame, because, you know, so many people in Cap Hill and in the surrounding neighborhoods don’t own cars at all,” the progressive councilman told the outlet. “About a third of households in these densest neighborhoods in the center city don’t own cars at all. And so having access to fresh and healthy food is very important for everyone, but particularly people who don’t have cars. So having Natural Grocers exit is certainly a sad day.”

Hinds added that if he was alerted to the safety and theft issues at the location beforehand, it is possible that they could have remained open. 

“Certainly would have tried as best I could to help or certainly get the right connections, should Natural Grocers have reached out,” he said.

The Denver Police Department’s Crime Map shows that 237 crimes were reported in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in September alone, including a larceny at the Natural Grocers on the morning of September 27.