SEATTLE — PCC Community Markets is returning to the downtown Seattle location that they shuttered in January, but will occupy just a portion of the old store's original footprint.
PCC shut down their 4th & Union location around eight months ago, saying the store was failing to turn a profit due to the cost of goods, inflation impacts, staff retention and public safety.
In a news release, the company said it was contractually obligated to a long-term lease at that location, and that the company's leadership team has worked for the past eight months in partnership with the landlord to find a way to reactivate the space.
Now, they are returning with a "small format food market," catering to downtown residents seeking hot, fresh prepared foods during their workday.
The location will carry a limited selection of grocery and pantry items.
The new location will occupy around 6,500 square feet of the space its former full-service grocery store used to operate in. The remaining space will be used to relocate the chain's office that serves the 15 stores that operate in the Puget Sound area - allowing the company to offload its current office space and reduce its overall rent burden.
“We continue to hear– from co-op members, our staff, and downtown residents – about a strong need in the city center for the kind of unique shopping and dining experience that only PCC offers. We are thrilled to be able to meet that need by returning with a new concept that promises significantly better economics than a full-service grocery store,” said Krish Srinivasan, PCC’s President & CEO.
The idea for the market sprung from the former PCC grocery location's strong performance in the deli and prepared foods department.
The chain did not announce an opening date for its first small-format store.