Midway Cub Foods closing

The upcoming closing of the Cub Foods Midway store on Aug. 30, 2025 has sparked a wide range of responses from City Hall to area neighborhoods. If there is agreement on one thing, it’s that the closing is a huge disappointment for shoppers and proponents of redevelopment at the struggling Midway Marketplace.
The Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC) Development Committee hosts a meeting to discuss Cub’s closing, at 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7 in Room 240, West Hall, Hamline University. The meeting will also be online. Check the district council’s Facebook page for details.
In a statement headlined “Cub Foods Closure: A Moment of Loss – and a Call to Vision,” HMC calls the closing “a significant loss for our neighborhood – impacting food access, local jobs, and the stability of a corridor already in transition.”
HMC stated that the council is committed to working with everyone involved to ensure that the future of the store site reflects the community’s real needs as aspirations.
Over the past several months HMC and Union Park District Council (UPDC) members have been in contact with Midway Marketplace owner Kraus-Anderson to talk about Cub and the shopping center’s future. Retaining Cub was seen as a way to attract additional businesses to the center.
Midway Chamber of Commerce is also involved. “Losing Cub Foods is a major loss for the Midway,” said Chamber Executive Director Chad Kulas. “The Midway Chamber will continue talking with Kraus-Anderson and the city of St. Paul to help find new tenants and uses for the site.”
Kraus-Anderson didn’t respond to requests for comment. Kraus Anderson has owned the shopping center since 2019.
Bill McGuire, lead developer of the United Village mixed-use development around Allianz Field, spoke bluntly about Cub as he urged those present to support the store.
“The last thing the community needs is to have that store close,” McGuire said at a February meeting. “It will be a black eye on the community (if it closes.)”
Cub has its roots in Stillwater. The chain was owned by SuperValu for many years. SuperValu was acquired in 2018 by UNFI, which is based in Rhode Island. UNFI didn’t respond to requests for comment about the Midway Cub although it has made general comments about understanding the impact its stores have on their communities.
The closing has sparked mixed reactions. Some have said they didn’t feel safe shopping there. Others defended the need to shop locally and support local workers. There were also complaints about locked up products, stolen shopping carts and the lack of shopping baskets. While Super Target, Aldi and Fresh Thyme offer grocery options along University Avenue, Cub’s variety and longer hours will be missed by many.
A small but hardy band of Hamline-Midway residents braved the heat July 26 for a protest to save Cub, waving signs and chanting, “Ho ho, hey hey, Midway Cub has got to stay.”
“It’s not like nobody shops here,” said Luc Janssen. Others in the group agreed, saying that losing Cub will especially be a hardship for neighbors who don’t own motor vehicles.
Fiona Carson cited the loss of 96 union jobs when Cub closes. “It feels like choices are being made for us,” she said. The small group is skeptical of future redevelopment, saying they question whether it will actually benefit the neighboring community.
Janssen pointed to an outdated Midway Marketplace sign that include the shuttered At Home and Herberger’s stores and said, “We have a sign that’s like a tombstone for the businesses that used to be here.”
Cub parent Supervalu filed a notice with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announcing the closing and the layoff of 96 workers. The original closing date of Aug. 2 has been pushed back to Aug. 30, although the Cub Pharmacy is expected to close earlier.
Most Midway Cub workers are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers. Layoffs won’t official start until Sept. 22. Some workers came over when Midway Rainbow closed in 2017 to make way for Allianz Field.
Cub is an original tenant of Midway Marketplace, which opened in 1995. Its large block was previously occupied by a Montgomery Ward store and a large regional Ward’s shopping center.
The shopping center’s other major tenants included a new Montgomery Ward, Kmart, Mervyn’s California, Borders bookstore and Petco. Walmart replaced Kmart in 2004. But its lease included a caveat, sought by SuperValu, that it not be a full-service grocer. SuperValu in 2010 sued Walmart, contending it had expanded its grocery offerings in violation of its lease.
Area elected officials expressed disappoint. Mayor Melvin Carter’s administration began meeting with Cub months ago and became concerned when store officials failed to attend a meeting about public safety.
Police reports indicated that there have been more than 250 calls to the store so far in 2025. About 400 calls were made last year.
Ward One Council Member Anika Bowie’s ward includes Midway Marketplace. She called the decision to close the store “deeply disappointing.”
Bowie said city officials made every effort to keep Cub open, even returning stolen shopping carts. She personally paid for 100 new shopping baskets and worked with the St. Paul Police Department on area public safety issues.
Bowie indicated frustration with store security policies. “Despite these efforts, Cub leadership confirmed that their security officers are instructed not to intervene during active shoplifting for liability reasons. Their store policy posed major red flags and I’ve made it clear that the City of St. Paul expects our businesses to fully enforce the law to protect employees, customers, and the integrity of our community businesses.”
Interim Ward Four Council Member Matt Privratsky also expressed disappointment. He urged Cub’s ownership to do “absolutely everything” it can to support the workers.
While noting that area residents have other food options, Privratsky said that losing a union grocer is difficult for families who want to shop and live their values at the same time.
Nearby in Minneapolis, the Uptown Cub Foods at 1104 Lagoon Ave. abruptly closed on Saturday, June 14 with no reopening date.