A decade after opening with fanfare in downtown St. Paul, the Lunds grocery store on 10th Street is reducing its hours by more than a third and reducing key offerings, including shifting from a butcher counter to self-service in its deli, meat and seafood departments.

The reduction in operating hours — a loss of five hours per day — represents a setback for a downtown short on options for produce and grocery store staples, especially at a time when downtown leaders, including the mayor’s office, have sought to increase population by converting underused commercial buildings into housing. Lunds, which opened in 2014 adjoining the luxury Penfield apartments, is the last remaining grocer in downtown St. Paul.

The new daily hours of operation — 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — will be effective July 15, according to Lunds officials. The store is currently open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Caribou Coffee inside the store will remain open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

News of the reduction in store hours and offerings has spread quickly on social media channels, leading to widespread speculation that Lunds was reacting to limited foot traffic in the evening hours, shoplifting, a shift to remote work among the customer base or increased competition from online delivery. Several self-described customers said the grocery was too pricey for the area, which includes a mix of market-rate housing, such as the Penfield apartments next door, and affordable, low-income and shelter housing.

“I’m in that Lunds nearly every day,” said a self-described customer on the platform X. “They have a cop stationed there and closed one entrance. I’m thinking this is more about poor sales than theft.”

“This store gets about a third of my grocery spend,” wrote another customer. “I don’t believe theft as much as the Lunds product line not matching the neighborhood. $120 turkeys at Thanksgiving for a moderate income area with mostly 1- and 2-person households was a poor merchandising decision.”

“The only downtown grocery store in St. Paul just cut its operations by 35%,” wrote yet another customer. “An absolute shame.”

A Lunds spokesman on Monday did not address the question directly but issued a written statement.

“We have a long tradition of serving our communities by providing a shopping experience with the highest levels of quality and service in stores that are clean, well-maintained, and safe for both our guests and our team members,” reads the statement. “In our ongoing efforts to ensure this tradition continues, we are making key operational updates at our Downtown St. Paul store … to maintain the viability of this location. … We are confident these changes will help us continue to provide exceptional service to our customers while also ensuring the store’s financial sustainability.”

Lunds officials said no team members will be laid off but “a limited number” of employees will be transferred to other Lunds & Byerlys locations.

The Lunds workforce is unionized. A spokesperson for United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 1189 could not be reached for comment Monday.

Store officials said there are no changes planned for the food bar offerings, which are already offered in a self-service format.

A divided St. Paul City Council voted in 2012 to take a $62 million gamble on the 254-unit Penfield apartments, where construction had stalled during the recession. After acquiring the site, the city backed its continued development, leading to a profitable sale to Jones Lang LaSalle in 2016. Lunds opened in 2014 in a 27,000 square foot commercial space on the building’s first floor.

An arson fire in March 2022 caused more than $500,000 in damage, but the store was able to soon reopen. A St. Paul with a lengthy criminal history was later convicted. He received probation.

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