Wegmans Shuts Down Chase-Pitkin Home and Garden Centers Amid Big-Box Competition

Chase-Pitkin Home and Garden Centers, unable to withstand competitive pressure from retail giants Lowe's and Home Depot, is ceasing operations. The Rochester-based parent company, Wegmans Food Markets Inc., announced the closure of two stores—on Chambers Road and near Syracuse—by the end of March. Ten additional Rochester-area locations and two more in Syracuse will also close, though a timeline remains undetermined.

The Big Flats store closure alone will eliminate 122 jobs, but local officials remain optimistic about the prime location's redevelopment potential. Big Flats Town Supervisor Mary Ann Balland anticipates a new tenant within weeks. Chase-Pitkin President William Strassburg noted the chain had performed well locally, but the broader competitive landscape proved insurmountable. In just three years, the Syracuse market went from two Home Depot stores to four, plus three Lowe's locations with more planned. Rochester now hosts seven Home Depots and four Lowe's, with another underway.

Wegmans, operating 69 grocery stores across five states with over $3 billion in annual sales, concluded that Chase-Pitkin's 14-store footprint—generating $200 million in revenue last year—could not scale effectively against national competitors with thousands of locations. The chain employs 1,660 part-time and 507 full-time workers, all of whom will be offered positions at Wegmans or provided severance packages.

Chairman Robert B. Wegman stated the decision followed thorough analysis: the home improvement sector is dominated by a few massive national players, and Chase-Pitkin simply lacks the scale to compete and grow sustainably.