Albertsons stores in Silverdale
and East Bremerton, and a Safeway in Port Orchard will soon be
operated by Haggen Food.
The Bellingham-based grocery and pharmacy chain announced an agreement Friday to acquire 146 existing stores. The deal is part of the divestment process necessitated by a Federal Trade Commission review of the Albertsons/Safeway merger.
In Kitsap County, Haggen will take on the Albertsons stores at 2222 NW Bucklin Hill Road and 2900 Wheaton Way, as well as the Safeway at 3355 Bethel Way.
The Gig Harbor Safeway at 4831 Point Fosdick Drive was also included in the deal, which still requires FTC approval.
You can see a map of all the stores acquired by Haggen here.
All the acquired stores will switch over to the Haggen brand during the first half of 2015, according to the announcement.
The deal means Haggen will expand from 18 stores with 16 pharmacies to 164 stores with 106 pharmacies. Its staff will grow from 2,000 employees to more than 10,000 employees.
All Albertsons and Safeway employees at the acquired stores will be given the opportunity to stay on with Haggen, according to the announcement. Management teams will be kept in place.
“We want to retain these existing teams while allowing our growing company to build on their past successes,” John Clougher, Haggen CEO for thePacific Northwest, said in the announcement.
Founded in 1933, Haggen is Washington’s sixth largest private company. The chain touts its work supporting local producers, and “creating a lasting and sustainable local food economy.”
See the full announcement here.
Wonder if the gas rewards will stay?
Not at all happy that GH Safeway is included in this deal!
I hope all the Safeway employees in Port Orchard stay. I enjoy them and the gas rewards, and the convenience of a nearby store, where you do not have to walk a mile to get your groceries..hope this is a good deal for those employees as well.
I would like to see an article about why this transpired, in layman’s terms.
I am wondering:
Why did the FTC require them to divest?
What will happen to the employees of these stores now, and will they be unionized stores?
What role is Comcast Partners playing in this deal?
Keep the staff at the Safeway in Port Orchard!!!!!!!!!!! They are awesome.
Get rid of the Albertsons staff as they totally die-reguard the customers and are totally rude