We followed up with Everett Police after Kroger announced on Monday August 18th the Fred Meyer store at Casino and Evergreen Way in Everett, Washington was going to close in October due to” a steady rise in theft and a challenging regulatory environment that adds significant costs,” as cited in an email to us. We asked for numbers yesterday from the Everett Police Department and here is what their Public Information Officer sent us this morning.
With regard to “challenging regulatory environment” the minimum wage in Everett for a large business the size of Fred Meyer did go up to $20.24 an hour starting on July 1, 2025 following approval by Everett, Washington voters of Initiative Measure 24-01, passed with 59% support in November 2024. No specifics were cited by Kroger in their statement yesterday.