After sitting mostly dark since early 2025, the former Walgreens at the corner of East 18th Street and Third Avenue in Oakland’s Eastlake neighborhood is finally getting a new tenant. Discount supermarket chain Grocery Outlet has signed a lease for the long‑vacant space, aiming to bring lower‑priced groceries back to a busy, transit‑served commercial strip where neighbors say affordable options have been thin on the ground.
County Filings Point To 301 E. 18th
Documents recorded with the Alameda County recorder on March 10 show new activity tied to 301 E. 18th St., according to The Mercury News. The outlet reported that the corner property was previously home to a Walgreens pharmacy near the intersection of East 18th and Third Avenue.
The Walgreens closure in early 2025 left residents without a nearby pharmacy, a gap that local coverage has been tracking since the doors shut. KALW documented neighbors’ concerns about losing bilingual pharmacy service and evening access to prescriptions, underlining how heavily some Eastlake residents relied on the store.
Chainwide Reset, Local Expansion
Grocery Outlet is not just tweaking its lineup, it is in the middle of a companywide reset. On March 4, the chain announced an “Optimization Plan” that calls for closing 36 underperforming stores and taking restructuring charges, according to the company’s Form 8‑K filed with the SEC.
Even as it trims weaker locations, the filing shows Grocery Outlet still expects to open about 30 to 33 net new stores in 2026 while it works to repair profitability. Regional reporting and industry coverage say most of the planned closures are outside the West Coast, with the company emphasizing continued investment in its home markets. The San Francisco Chronicle has reported on that balancing act between cuts and expansion.
What It Could Mean For Eastlake
In Eastlake, the prospect of a Grocery Outlet is raising cautious hopes that a long‑underused corner could finally see steady foot traffic again. Neighbors say the store could restore a lower‑cost option for staples and bring more everyday activity to a stretch that already benefits from strong transit access.
KALW previously spoke with residents who relied on the former Walgreens for immunizations and weekend prescriptions, and community advocates have pushed for more accessible food and health services close to transit. At the same time, both officials and neighbors say they want concrete details on store hours, any pharmacy plans and local hiring before they treat the supermarket as a done deal rather than a promising filing.
Next Steps
For now, county records suggest the lease is still in an early phase. Permitting and build‑out schedules have not been released, and the documents do not specify whether the Oakland store will be company‑operated or run by one of Grocery Outlet’s independent operators. The chain is headquartered in Emeryville, and its public filing lays out the broader restructuring work it is undertaking even as it lines up new locations like the Eastlake site.
For a closer look at the leasing record and the company’s wider plan, see coverage in The Mercury News and the company’s SEC filing.
