Cincinnati-based Kroger has shut down production at its bakery on Cleveland Avenue in Columbus, laying off 411 employees.
In a press release today the grocery store chain says the bakery's equiment is outdated and too expensive to replace in a competitive environment. Staff will be paid for 60 days, and then receive severance pay. Kroger says there are no plans to close other Columbus area facilities.
The bakery is one of Kroger's oldest facilties, and began production in 1928. "Decommissioning" the former Ford auto assembly plant with take an estimated 2 to 3 months. There has been no announcement about what will happen to buildings just north of Columbus State Community College.
