A regional grocery chain is abruptly closing most of its stores and laying off thousands of employees, report says

• Lucky's Market is closing most of its stores, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday.
• Kroger said in December that it planned to divest its stake in the grocer, which has about 40 stores in 10 states.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The regional grocery chain Lucky's Market is closing most of its stores and laying off thousands of employees in a matter of weeks, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The 17-year-old company has about 40 stores in 10 states, though most are in Florida, according to its website.

Lucky's plans to close 32 of those stores by February 12 and lay off about 2,500 employees, according to the Sun Sentinel's report. Other states where the company has stores include Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, and Wyoming.

Affected employees were informed on Tuesday morning that they would be losing their jobs, according to the report.

A Lucky's Market spokesperson did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls seeking comment on Tuesday.

The decision to close dozens of stores comes after Kroger announced in December that it planned to divest its stake in Lucky's, which advertises the tagline "organic for the 99 percent."

Kroger invested an undisclosed amount in the grocery chain in 2016.