Little Caesar’s, located next to Family Video, will close its doors Sunday.
The store’s owner Brad Loney, who operates three stores, said the decision to close the Little Caesar’s in Newton was a financial one.
“The store in Newton was obviously the lowest performing store that we had,” Loney said. “It came as a very difficult decision.”
Loney said it was a difficult decision because he was a longtime resident of Newton. When he first opened the store, he believed it was going to be a good addition to the community.
“Unfortunately, the volume with the population base and the volume of pizzas that the store sold, it was difficult to maintain the hot and ready model that Little Caesar’s is,” Loney said.
He also said it was difficult to keep pizzas fresh and limit wait time for customers.
Since the decision to close the store, not a single employee has left. Loney said he has a very dedicated crew in Newton and about half of the current staff is the staff that has been there from day one.
“They’ve stuck with us all the way through to the end,” Loney said.
The crew still has to disassemble the store and clean the space for the property’s owner, Family Video.
Loney’s two other stores are located in Fort Dodge and West Des Moines. The equipment in the Newton Little Caesar’s will be sent to Clive where Loney plans to open another store.
Staff writer Dave Hon may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 425, or at dhon@newtondailynews.com.