Nine years after the Kmart in Fort Collins closed, a new King Soopers opened in that location; 123,000 square feet of not only groceries. You won't find any "Blue Light Specials," but the ghost of Kmart does linger.

New King Soopers Opens in Midtown Fort Collins, Colorado

It was sad when Kmart finally closed its doors in 2016, at the corner of Drake and College in Fort Collins after years of struggling.

Then, the building sat dormant and lonely for years; then, King Soopers tore it down and started working on their huge project.

Grocery shopping
Customers shopping prudently for groceries (Canva.com)
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This new King Soopers is not far from the "old" Kings Soopers it replace, just to the north. That King Sooper opened in 1964; it did a fine job for decades, but the time had come to "put it out to pasture." The new "Kings" is twice the size of the older one.

I've seen newer King Soopers, but this one really stood out when I walked through; lots of room to get around, wide aisles, and very big selections on some items.

Items such as wine, beer and cheese. I don't think I'd ever seen so much cheese in one setting.

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Kmart ln Fort Collins
The former Kmart in Midtown Fort Collins sits dormant in 2017 (Credit: Google Street View)
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King Soopers bought the property where Kmart stood seven years before it actually closed

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Also with the new King Soopers in Fort Collins, you'll find items that you might have found at Kmart: Clothes, party supplies, cookware, household items, lots of makeup, etc. I kept looking to see if a a Icee stand would pop up; one did not.

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When checking out, you're going to find something new: belted self-check out stations. Most self-checkouts are for when you have just a few items; with these, you can scan your loaded basket and send the items down a little ramp to the bagging area.

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If the amount of people that showed up on that first day of being open (January 29, 2025) is any indication, Fort Collins is more than ready for this King Soopers.

Gallery Credit: Dave Jensen

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