Tag Archives: albertsons

Haggen will add two Kitsap stores in March

uADctk7I9w75ZHwNOYGZDVpyjeaWD5LHfsF0IZXYwj4An Albertsons store in Silverdale and a Safeway in Port Orchard are set to become Haggen stores in March.

A Gig Harbor Safeway will also make the transition to Haggen next month. The East Bremerton Albertsons store won’t switch to the Haggen banner until June.

The Bellingham-based grocery chain recently agreed to acquire 146 grocery stores as part of the divestment process required for the Albertsons and Safeway merger. Haggen released a tentative schedule for converting its 26 new Washington stores Wednesday.

Changes at the stores will include signage and product lines. Major remodels are not planned. See my Q&A on the Haggen acquisition here.

The full store conversion schedule released by Haggen is posted below:

Continue reading →

Haggen set to rebrand acquired stores

2epQv8vHOVOam1zxJDpHWyjpUVVbrg5NDVAQb1mtk0oHaggen signs could soon be up at three Kitsap County grocery stores.

Supermarket News reports Haggen is set to begin rebannering 146 Alberstons and Safeway stores it recently acquired. Citing an unnamed source, SN says the brand switchover will begin next week with a store in Monroe.

Haggen expects to have all stores rebannered within four months. Fully reconfiguring the stores to Haggen’s model could take more than a year, according to the report.

Bellingham-based Haggen is taking over Albertsons stores in Silverdale and East Bremerton, and a Safeway in Port Orchard.

The acquisition was part of a required divestiture for the Albertsons/Safeway merger.  The companies completed the merger Jan. 30.

You can read my Q&A on the Haggen deal here.

Answering questions about the Haggen deal

We learned late last week that the Albertsons stores in Silverdale and East Bremerton, and the Safeway in Port Orchard were among 146 locations being acquired by Haggen. (See a map of locations here).

The news generated a lot of interest and questions from readers, particularly those whose neighborhood stores are changing hands.

While we don’t have a lot of detail on how this deal will shake out, I can at least answer some basic questions. Feel free to post yours in the comment section below:

Q: Why have I never heard of Haggen?

uADctk7I9w75ZHwNOYGZDVpyjeaWD5LHfsF0IZXYwj4A: Haggen has been around since 1933 but most of its 18 locations are up north in Whatcom and Skagit counties. If you haven’t live up that way you may not have bumped into one.

On top of that, the chain was actually shrinking rather than growing before this blockbuster deal was made.

It’s still Washington’s sixth largest private company (remember behemoths like Amazon and Microsoft are publicly traded).

Q: Who owns Haggen?

A: The Haggen family did until recently. Now the majority owner is a Florida-based investment group called Comvest. Comvest has funneled more than $2 billion into 140 companies, according to its literature. Continue reading →

Haggen acquiring three Kitsap grocery stores

4uTvBZXjt8BZtsvzlOcN0pAdBVwipyaR6w1xSpIDPpwAlbertsons 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.

U.S. Bank will open inside Poulsbo Safeway

The new Poulsbo Safeway store will likely include a U.S. Bank branch.

U.S. Bank National Association filed an application with federal controllers Wednesday for an office at the 10th Avenue Store. The Poulsbo Safeway is set to open in May.

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank has offices in the Silverdale Albertsons and Bremerton Fred Meyer, as well as an ATM in the Poulsbo Albertsons.

Albertsons and Safeway finalized a merger earlier this month. We’ll be taking a closer look at what that might mean for the Poulsbo grocery stores and other Kitsap locations.