Employees of the Hope Street Seabra received a bit of a surprise when then reported for work on Monday, March 4 — and it was not long before word got out.

Their store would be closed at the end of the month, soon to be replaced by a new branch of Clements’ Marketplace, the popular, family-run chain of markets with a flagship store in Portsmouth and another in Plymouth, Mass. The company also owns Lee’s Market in Westport.

Seabra employees were reportedly offered applications to apply to work for Clements.

Reached for comment, Matthew Ponte, the Director of Marketing and Communications for Clements’, said that specific plans, such as store layout and whether they will stock the Portuguese groceries that Seabra was known for, remain up in the air.

“We’ll be making those decisions in meetings over the next few weeks,” he said, adding that he would post updated plans and announcements on the Clements’ website at clementsmarket.com and their social media.

Efforts to reach Seabra management for comment were unsuccessful.

Clements' was established in 1980 under the name Portsmouth IGA. A family run business, it was owned and operated by Donald and Barbara Clements. After a tractor trailer pulled down the side of their street sign, they decided to change the name to Clements’ and the new name was introduced on the company's 10th anniversary.

In 2006 Donald and Barbara turned over day-today operation to their daughter Tracy Anthony, who remains at the helm of the growing market chain.