Piggly Wiggly in Brookfield will officially close June 15 after months of rumored closure

The Piggy Wiggly grocery store in Brookfield's Elmbrook Plaza will officially close June 15, the store's general manager Earl Brunelle confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Thursday morning.

Brunelle said owner Tony Sendik decided to close the store and that the news would be posted in-store next week for customers.

Brunelle said he didn't know the reason and directed questions to Sendik, who was not immediately available for an interview. Brunelle said he knows payroll has been high, sales have been down, and the store is in an older building with lots of maintenance.

Employees at the grocery store, 2315 N. 124th St., learned of the decision in a letter posted in the store by Sendik and were previously told the store might close in May, an employee who declined interviews told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Rumors spread on social media and the neighborhood website Nextdoor App in early March that the store was going to close May 11, but store management and the owner did not answer requests for comment at the time.

The Brookfield grocery store became Piggly Wiggly in 2012. It was previously a Sendik's store.

National grocery store analyst David Livingston said the closure isn't a surprise but came with a lot of mixed messages over the past two months.

"Perhaps word got out too soon and (the owner) didn't want employees jumping ship too soon," Livingston said in a text message to a reporter, adding that retailers are already short staffed.

"This location hasn't turned out well for a grocer going back 40 years," Livingston said. Sales wouldn't get easier for the independent store with nearby competition like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, "the red bag Sendik's" stores, Target groceries and Kroger-fueled improvements in Pick 'n Save, Livingston said.

The Brookfield store closure is another loss for Southeast Wisconsin residents who like to "shop the Pig."

Malicki's Piggly Wiggly in Racine closed in March due to a lease dispute, WISN reported. The Piggly Wiggly store on Capitol Drive closed in January 2023, the Biz Times reported.

Sheboygan-based Piggly Wiggly Midwest did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This story may be updated.

Bridget Fogarty reports on Wauwatosa, Brookfield and Elm Grove. She can be reached at bfogarty@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brookfield's Piggly Wiggly grocery store to close June 15