King Soopers has delayed the reopening of its south Boulder store, which the company originally planned for late January, the grocery store chain announced Thursday.
The company did not immediately elaborate on the decision.
King Soopers announced in December the company planned to reopen the renovated store on Table Mesa Drive on Jan. 20, 10 months after the mass shooting that killed 10 people.
“This was a very difficult decision and after long consideration we have decided to pause for the right moment to come together and unite on this next chapter,” said King Soopers president Joe Kelley in a news release about the delay of the opening.
The company said Thursday more details about the delayed reopening would be "forthcoming."
But the news comes in the midst of a strike that began Wednesday morning involving thousands of King Soopers workers represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 over accusations of unfair labor practices. The strike, which started Wednesday, is scheduled to last three weeks.
When asked by a Denver Gazette reporter earlier this week whether the strike in progress would delay the Table Mesa store's reopening, a spokesperson did not respond to the inquiry.
In metro Denver, the union represents about 8,700 of the company's grocery workers. The strike affects 78 metro-area stores.
King Soopers announced last spring it planned to renovate the store. The company took feedback from employees and people in the community when redesigning the Boulder location, the company has said.
On March 22, 2021, a gunman killed 10 people, including a Boulder police officer, before officers took him into custody. The suspect faces dozens of charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons counts related to possessing banned high-capacity magazines. The 10 people killed were Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Teri Leiker, 51; Officer Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
Denver Gazette reporter Dennis Huspeni contributed to this report.
