Haggen to acquire and convert Redmond Albertsons along with a plethora of other stores in five states
Published 2:44 pm Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Next month, Pacific Northwest grocery chain Haggen will take ownership of the Albertsons at 3925 236th Ave. N. in Redmond.
The local establishment will be one of 26 stores (Albertsons and Safeways) in Washington to be converted to the Haggen banner in February, March and June. The first will be the Albertsons in Monroe at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday. Overall, Haggen plans to acquire and convert 146 stores in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona in the first half of 2015.
The acquisitions are part of the divestment process brought about by the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) review of the Albertsons LLC and Safeway merger. The FTC approved the divesture on Jan. 27 and the merger of Albertsons and Safeway Inc. was completed on Jan. 30.
“This momentous acquisition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rapidly expand the Haggen brand across the West Coast,” said John Caple, chairman of the Haggen board of directors and partner at Comvest Partners, a private investment firm that owns the majority share of Haggen. “Now that the deal has closed, our team is focused on seamlessly converting these 146 stores to the Haggen brand over the next five months.” Haggen will expand from 18 stores with 16 pharmacies to 164 stores with 106 pharmacies; from 2,000 employees to more than 10,000 employees; and from a Pacific Northwest company with locations in Oregon and Washington to a major regional grocery chain with locations in the states listed above.
The 83 stores in California will be converted from March to May. The 20 Oregon stores will transfer to the Haggen brand throughout the months of March, April and May. The Nevada and Arizona stores will be the last to convert in the late spring. Each week, between one and 12 stores will be converted. The conversion schedule is subject to change.
John Clougher, Haggen CEO Pacific Northwest, said, “We’re excited about the changes we’re making to enhance these stores, and we’re confident customers will like the new look, the new offerings, and their new full-service grocery destination.” The amount of time it will take to convert each store will vary. Some stores can be converted within two days after the change of ownership, while others will take longer. Both interior and exterior signage will change at all locations. Clougher noted that the store offering will also change.
“Haggen has built its 81-year-old business on providing excellent, locally sourced, fresh produce and high quality meats and seafood. That focus will definitely be reflected in the new stores,” he said of the business founded in Bellingham in 1933.
As the stores are transformed into the Haggen brand from the Albertsons, Safeway, Pavilions or Vons brands, each store’s employees will be invited to become Haggen employees.
“Retaining the existing store employees was an essential part of the acquisition and we hope they all accept our invitation to join the Haggen family. These are great teams and these new employees will be an incredible asset to our growing company. Plus, these familiar faces will help ease the brand transition for long-time customers,” said Bill Shaner, a supermarket industry veteran who will also serve as a CEO of Haggen Pacific Northwest.
