Updated: FoodMaxx first grocery big box victim?

Back when the city of Tracy was mulling whether to approve — at about the same time — a WinCo supermarket, Walmart Supercenter expansion, and a Raley's, at least one consultant's study warned that there would be casualties among the city's existing grocers.

Today, we found that FoodMaxx will close up shop in October.

It's hard to tell if FoodMaxx's closure is a direct result of WinCo and Raley's coming to town (Walmart's plans are still in process) but I wouldn't be surprised.

Of course, that's the way free markets work. If you can't hang with the competition, you're toast.

But this still presents a problem for the city as far as urban planning goes. As in, what happens when the anchor of a strip mall, which FoodMaxx was, disappears? Do the smaller ships drift into oblivion when the anchor's pulled out?

Let's hope not.

::Update::
Turns out the FoodMaxx won't sit vacant for long. Word on the street is that another market will take over once FoodMaxx departs.

Good to hear the storefront won't sit empty long.