Co-op announces plans to close stores
The Big Horn Co-op retail stores in Greybull and Basin, along with those in Buffalo, Powell and Worland, will close at the end of December as part of a restructuring announced last week by the cooperative’s board of directors.
In a December 4 press release, the board announced a shift in focus toward its energy and agronomy products, which have been the most profitable part of its operation in recent years.
Only one retail location — the farm store in Riverton — will remain open beyond this year. So, too, will the Co-op’s convenience store in Worland, its tire store in Powell and its cooperative headquarters northwest of Greybull at the intersection of U.S. Highway 14-16-20 and Wyoming Highway 310.
The Co-op will continue to offer bulk fuel, propane and all agronomy services in locations.
Pumps at all locations will remain open as unmanned pumps for use with cardtrol or credit cards.
Multiple attempts to contact Peter Kukowski, president of Big Horn Co-op’s board of directors, for additional information were unsuccessful.
Randy Carlholm, who has served as the Co-op’s chief executive officer for the past two years, said the retail location closures would affect “approximately 15 to 20” employees.
“We are offering a severance package for them and have other positions open in our energy and agronomy locations, so those employees will receive preference if they choose to apply for those positions,” Carlholm said. “We are also scheduling workforce development and career counseling.”
Carlholm said the board’s decision to close some retail locations is a bid to preserve the company in its entirety to see another 100 years.
“We are owned by farmers and ranchers, and the most important and profitable segments of our business are our agronomy and bulk energy, delivering fuel and the agronomy inputs to our farmers,” he said.
Carlholm said he and the board have been “looking at (the possible closure of the retail stores) for almost two years now,” and the decision to proceed with the closures was a difficult one for everyone involved.
“The American public, and especially in our area, their shopping habits have changed,” Calholm said. “People don’t go to brick-and-mortar stores. With the increases in prices we have seen over the last few years, with the inflation rate and everything, fuel prices were up, and people were worried about buying food groceries and buying fuel to get back and forth to work.
“Some of the non-essential items, they just aren’t purchasing anymore. If they are, they’re doing it online. The Amazons of the world, they make it easy to price compare and, as a small co-op, we do not have the purchasing power larger organizations have like Tractor Supply and Bomgaars. We don’t have that kind of purchasing power. We don’t have the same ability to negotiate.”
While the Co-op’s headquarters northwest of Greybull will remain open, Carlholm said it’s “already seen a significant reduction in staff.”
As for the future of the retail locations that are closing, Carlholm said all of them are running their normal holiday sales, and what’s left of their inventory may end up being funneled through the Co-op’s Riverton store. “It’s going to depend on how much is left over and what the product mix is,” he said.
Moving forward, Carlholm said the board of directors is “looking through its options” with respect to the fate of those retail stores. “Each location is different,” he said, adding, “Each will be decided on a location-by-location basis.”
History
According to its website, Big Horn Co-op’s history dates to March of 1923, when farmers in the Big Horn Basin joined together to form a cooperative to market dry edible beans, yellow blossom clover, and turkeys. Initially located in Basin, the co-op soon expanded to include locations in Powell and Lovell.
“Over the years, the co-op shifted its focus to the supply market, opening a feed mill in Lovell and a location in Greybull to begin delivery of petroleum products. The co-op continued to grow, purchasing Fremont County Co-op’s store and fertilizer plant, opening a hardware store in Greybull and purchasing Valley Co-op in Worland, which included a convenience store, tire shop, mechanic’s shop, propane division and a fertilizer division.
“In 2003, the co-op purchased an alfalfa seed processing plant west of Greybull and converted it into office space, a central warehouse distribution center and the primary maintenance shop for the co-op. In 2011, the Johnson County Co-op in Buffalo was purchased and renovated to house a c-store, farm and ranch store, warehouse and fertilizer plant.
“In 2017, a new fertilizer plant was opened in Basin, and in 2021, the Co-op rebuilt the Worland C-store.”
In 2023, Big Horn Co-op celebrated 100 years in business.