The grocery retailer will close 60 stores over 18 months as Q1 sales dropped slightly, affecting 5 percent of its 1,239 store locations.

Supermarket giant Kroger announced Friday, June 20, that it plans to close 60 stores over the next 18 months. The Cincinnati-based retailer didn't specify what locations in its 35-state footprint would be shuttered. The company operated 2,731 stores at the beginning of its fiscal year, indicating the cuts represent about 2% of all of its locations.

Kroger will offer roles in other stores to all associates currently employed at affected stores,” the company said in an earnings report