Records show Kroger purchased the property in June 2025.
Kroger’s return to Southwest Michigan raises questions for current tenants of the Portage strip mall, including the beloved Chuck E. Cheese. Posts shared by locals on social media suggest other businesses may be forced to close.
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Strip Mall Sale:
In August 2025, residents of the greater Kalamazoo area learned that a once-household name in Michigan would soon return as the neighborhood grocery store, with Kroger purchasing the former Big Lots building on S. Westnedge in Portage.MLive reported the Cincinnati-based grocer purchased the 71,250-square-foot property for just over $10 million back in June of 2025.
The sale included the retail spaces located within the plaza at 6175, 6185, and 6207 S. Westnedge Ave., which are currently occupied by Chuck E. Cheese, Rent-A-Center, and the former Big Lots. Nearby 6195 S. Westnedge, Kalamazoo’s sole Chili’s Bar & Grill, was also included among the property bundle.
So, We Know What Was Sold– But Now What?
Upon learning the news of Kroger’s return I was excited at first, but I hadn’t considered the fate of the strip mall’s current tenants until I saw a post from my local Facebook group, Nosey Asses of Kalamazoo County asking:…