Market Hall Foods on 4th in Berkeley will close at the end of May, the owners announced today, succumbing to shifts in customer habits and supply chain challenges after nearly three decades at the location offering groceries, prepared foods, a wide cheese selection, fresh pastas and more.
“Making the decision to close the store has taken much discussion and sometimes emotional deliberation,” co-owner Sara Wilson said in a statement. “[B]ut like all other retailers and food establishments, we have experienced post-COVID shifts in customer patterns. Historically, lunchtime was the 4th Street store’s busiest time, but more people are working from home now and not going out to lunch.”
The Rockridge Market Hall Foods (5655 College Ave., Suite 201) will remain open, and the last day for the West Berkeley location (1786 Fourth St.), originally opened in 1996, will be May 26.
Wilson’s statement also mentioned supply chain disruption resulted in higher prices and difficulty in consistently stocking certain goods and products. Meanwhile, wage and benefits costs increased while customer spending at the location dropped. The Rockridge location, the statement noted, has found more stable footing and sees more daily customers shopping for groceries.
The team at the Fourth Street location attempted to adapt and offer new items, such as increased grab-and-go options and a different selection of grocery items, but it did not result in substantially different results.
“All of us in the leadership group have come to believe that we will have more options for success by concentrating on our flagship store at Rockridge Market Hall,” Wilson said.
The closure of the Fourth Street location impacts 48 employees, and managers are working to find positions for as many of them as possible at the Rockridge location, according to the statement. Employee counseling is being offered and staff members who stay through the closing date will receive severance packages.
Additionally, the statement expressly states that the closure is not related to rent hikes.
“Denny Abrams, our landlord, and his nephew Elliot Abrams have been great to work with over these decades,” Wilson said. “Fourth Street is a Bay Area treasure, a unique shopping and dining destination to be enjoyed by all. We’re very sorry to leave our 4th Street home, but we’re looking forward to more focused areas of growth and exploration at our Rockridge location.”
Leading up to the final day on May 26, there will be a closing celebration at Market Hall Foods on 4th with more details to come.
Market Hall Foods, originally known as The Pasta Shop, opened in 1987 in Rockridge.
