Haggen grocery store brand would change hands in latest Kroger and Albertsons merger proposal
Your favorite neighborhood grocery store, Haggen, may change ownership in an agreement between The Kroger Co. and Albertsons Companies Inc., and C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC.
Kroger and Albertsons proposed a merger in 2022, followed by plans to sell over 400 stores to C&S in response to federal regulators’ concerns, according to previous reporting by McClatchy.
Kroger and Albertsons released a new and expanded divestiture plan on Monday, April 22 that now includes the Haggen brand in a package of stores that would be purchased by C&S.
“We have reached an agreement with C&S for an updated divestiture package that maintains Kroger’s commitments to customers, associates and communities, addresses concerns raised by regulators, and will further ensure that C&S can successfully operate the divested stores as they are operated today,” Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen stated in the news release.
McMullen also said the proposal ensures that no stores will close as a result of the merger and “all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading health care and pension benefits alongside bargained-for wages.”
“Our proposed merger with Albertsons will bring lower prices and more choices to more customers and secure the long-term future of unionized grocery jobs,” McMullen stated.
The new plan includes 579 stores that would be sold to C&S, including Haggen, Fred Meyer, Safeway and QFC banner names. In Washington state, 124 Albertsons and Kroger stores will be sold to C&S.
