East County Sweetbay to close

Grocery chain Sweetbay today announced it will close 33 underperforming stores in Florida, including the East County store location off State Road 70 and Interstate 75.

In Sarasota/Bradenton, four stores will be closed including those located at: 5201 33rd St. E., Bradenton; 8750 State Road 70 E., Bradenton; 3410 U.S. 301, Ellenton; and 501 N. Beneva Road, Suite #180, Sarasota.

A company press release states the stores will be closed by mid-February.

"While these decisions are difficult, especially given the impact on our associates, customers and communities, these actions will continue to enhance the performance of our overall store portfolio and further enable us to deliver profitable growth and accelerate shareholder value," the release states. "After these actions are complete, Sweetbay will have 72 stores in Florida."

About 2,000 associates will be laid off as part of the closures.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].