Tag Archives: grocery stores

Albertsons bids on Port Orchard Haggen

Haggans01_15364108_ver1.0_640_480Haggen stores in Port Orchard and Gig Harbor could be bought back by Albertsons, according to court documents.

Haggen is auctioning off dozens of stores this week as part of a bankruptcy reorganization, and Albertsons has emerged as a bidder.

Documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware Friday show Albertsons entered bids for 12 stores in Washington, including former Safeway stores in Port Orchard and Gig Harbor.

Albertsons submitted a baseline bid of $200,000 for the store in Port Orchard, and $500,000 for Gig Harbor.

No baseline bids were entered for Haggen stores in East Bremerton or Silverdale, which were formerly Albertsons.

Eighteen Washington Haggen stores will be auctioned Wednesday, according to documents. A hearing will be held Nov. 24 to review the auction results.

Albertsons is bidding on stores it was forced to divest to meet antitrust requirements as it completed a merger with Safeway this year.

Haggen scooped up 146 of those stores, including three in Kitsap County and one in Gig Harbor. The Bellingham-based grocery chain filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September and later announced it would sell or close all but 37 “core stores.”

Haggen stores in Kitsap are slated to close by the end of November and have begun to liquidate inventory. Many Haggen employees have already been rehired at Albertsons and Safeway stores, with permission from the Federal Trade Commission.

Supermarket News and the Seattle Times have more on the Haggen auctions this week. You can read all of my Haggen blog posts here.

UPDATE: Supermarket News reported Tuesday that Haggen will auction off all its stores. This includes the “core stores” Haggen initially said it would keep, and the chain’s original stores in the Bellingham area.

Central Market clerk bags third in “Best Bagger Battle”

Ryan Hoskins-Central Market
Ryan Hoskins

A Central Market clerk bagged third place Tuesday night in a statewide grocery bagger competition held in Spokane.

Ryan Hoskins, a longtime employee of the Poulsbo store, took home a $1,000 prize from the “Best Bagger Battle,” sponsored by the Washington Food Industry Association.

The 10 participants were judged on a “rigorous criterion of speed, style, technique, and uniform bag weight,” according to a news release.

The overall winner was Candice Lastimado of Admiral Metropolitan Market in West Seattle, who will compete in a national bagger competition in Las Vegas.

The Washington Food Industry Association was founded in 1899 and represents the state’s independent grocers.

Your weekly update on the Haggen saga

Haggen2_15364115_ver1.0_640_480Nary a day passes without some fresh revelation on the travails of Haggen, the Bellingham grocer that grew from 18 locations to 164 by gobbling up stores divested in the Albertsons/Safeway merger.

To recap, Haggen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. Haggen also sued Albertsons for $1 billion, claiming the grocery giant sabotaged its expansion. Haggen operates three Kitsap County stores in Bremerton, Port Orchard and Silverdale.

Business reporters have been sifting through the bankruptcy filings to gain some insight into the future of the troubled grocer. Here are some recent Haggen headlines:

  • Despite the lawsuit, the Seattle Times reports Haggen is seeking approval for Albertsons to hire back employees from the stores it divested. There was a one-year ban on Albertsons hiring employees from its former stores.

Union responds to Haggen bankruptcy

Haggans01_15364108_ver1.0_640_480A deal that promised to put tiny grocery chain Haggen on the fast track to becoming a regional power has instead resulted in a train wreck.

The Bellingham-based grocer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday, saying it would sell off assets and reorganize around its profitable stores.

The move came after Haggen announced it would close or sell 27 of the 146 stores it acquired from Albertsons and Safeway (the closures didn’t include any of the three Kitsap County Haggen stores). Haggen also sued Albertsons for $1 billion claiming the grocery giant sabotaged Haggen’s expansion effort.

All of this leaves Haggen’s roughly 11,000 employees in an uncertain position. It’s likely more stores will be sold off as part of the reorganization.

Hours have been cut at some Puget Sound stores, the Seattle Times reported. The company owes employees $10 million in unpaid salaries, accrued wages and overtime pay, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

According to statements circulated Thursday by employee union UFCW 21, Haggen workers found out about the bankruptcy filing from news reports.

Below are two statements from UFCW 21 responding to the Haggen bankruptcy. The first was distributed to the media, the second was sent to employees by union president Todd Crosby:

“For years, hard-working men and women in grocery stores at Haggen’s have shown their commitment to their job, their co-workers, the community, and this union family.  

“As difficult as this bankruptcy process is, our message to Haggen is simple – we expect Haggen to do what is right by their hard-working employees and their families. Haggen’s must never forget that these incredible men and women who do the work are the heart and soul of their stores. 

“They are not numbers, but real people whose work and dedication should be honored. Looking ahead, our union family will do everything in our power to protect the livelihoods of every member who is and has been dedicated to meeting the needs of every Haggen’s customer.”

And the message from Crosby:  Continue reading →

First Kitsap Haggen stores open March 7

Unknown-1We finally have dates for the first Haggen store openings in Kitsap County.

The Silverdale Albertsons and Port Orchard Safeway will be the first to make the transition, reopening under the Haggen banner on March 7.

According to a news release, the two stores will close temporarily beginning on the evening of March 5, in preparation for the change (pharmacies will remain open).

Both stores are tentatively scheduled to reopen as Haggens at 4 p.m. March 7.

The two stores were among 146 Albertsons and Safeway locations acquired by Bellingham-based Haggen. The acquisition was part of a divestiture required for a recently-approved merger of Albertsons and Safeway.

Haggen is also taking ownership of the East Bremerton Albertsons and Gig Harbor Safeway. (See a map of acquired stores here).

The East Bremerton Albertsons isn’t scheduled for a rebrand until early June. The Gig Harbor Safeway will close March 8 and reopen as a Haggen March 10.

Haggen will hold a community meeting from 5-6 p.m. March 19 at the Port Orchard Pavilion, 701 SW Bay Street. According to the news release, the meeting is aimed at giving farmers, food producers, nonprofit leaders and residents a chance to talk to company representatives.

Haggen plans to select five area nonprofits to donate to in conjunction with each store opening. The company will donate $1,000 to a single organization on the first day the store opens, and 2 percent of sales to four additional organizations for four consecutive Saturdays.

You can read my Q&A on the Haggen acquisition here, and feel free to keep throwing questions at me in the comment section.

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.

Town & Country buys Bellevue market

Matthews Vert Ext Jan 15 3Town & Country Markets is expanding into east King County with the purchase of a Bellevue-area store.

The Kitsap County-based grocery chain announced the aquisition Monday of Matthew’s Fresh Market in Lakemont. Town & Country bought the store from founder Craig Mavis, who is retiring.

According to the release, Town & Country has few immediate changes planned for Fresh Market, and most of the store’s 51 employees will keep their positions. A new store name has not been picked.

Town & Country Markets owns and operates five other stores in the Puget Sound area: Central Markets in Poulsbo, Shoreline and Mill Creek; Ballard Market; and Town & Country Market on Bainbridge Island.

You can see the full announcement here.