Baxter Cub Foods to close; Brainerd Cub, Pequot Supervalu to reopen as Super One

BRAINERD — Hundreds of employees will be laid off in the Brainerd lakes area as the sale of a grocery store chain is expected to result in the closure of Cub Foods in Baxter.

S&R Quisberg Inc. owns Cub Foods in Brainerd and Baxter and Supervalu in Pequot Lakes. The company announced Tuesday, July 15, it would be selling the majority of its assets and reached an agreement to sell the three grocery stores to Miner’s Inc., which will consolidate and rebrand the stores as Super One Foods.

Approximately 235 employees will be laid off as a result, starting Sept. 25.

The Brainerd Dispatch reported that according to a Miner's statement, “as part of the agreement, and due to the market area’s need for consolidation and efficiency, S&R Quisberg Inc.’s Cub Foods store in Baxter, Minnesota will close in September.”

Super One will offer employees an opportunity to interview for positions, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The State Rapid Response Team, which helps guide employees through transitions like layoffs or closures, said the union contract does not include any "bumping rights." This means seniority is not a factor in the rehiring process.

Miner's Inc. is based in Hermantown and owns and operates 31 stores under the Super One Foods and Woodland Marketplace Foods brands, according to its website. The family business originated in 1943 by Tony and Ida Miner in Grand Rapids.

A majority of the employees at the three affected locations are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663. Impacted positions include those working as cashiers, deli workers, cleaning staff, pharmacy employees, customer service representatives, managers, meat department employees, pricing staff, bakery workers, produce employees, grocery employees, administration, the general manager and florist.

In late 2023, union employees of both Quisberg Inc. and Miner's Inc. took part in the largest grocery store strike in decades in Minnesota, lasting four day around Christmastime. About 660 employees took part at five Brainerd lakes area stores, including the three involved in the sale and the Super One stores in Baxter and Crosby.

During the bargaining, the owners described tactics by the union's new leadership as damaging. The union, meanwhile, said employees experienced intimidation and interrogation related to union activity.

Employees and the businesses ultimately reached a contract agreement, with Miner’s employees winning average wage increases of over 17%, and members at Quisberg’s receiving average wage increases of over 21%. It also included improved paid time off and bereavement leave, according to the union.