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This story was originally published on Feb. 12, 2015.
By Oliver Lazenby
The Bellingham Business Journal
Haggen’s acquisition of 146 former Safeway and Albertsons supermarkets began at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12, when the grocery chain took ownership of Albertsons in Monroe, Washington.
The Bellingham-based grocery chain acquired the store as part of a $9.2 billion merger between Albertsons and Safeway. The Federal Trade Commission required Albertsons and Safeway to sell 168 supermarkets to settle charges that the merger would be “anticompetitive,” or reduce competition and lead to higher prices and less innovation.
Haggen acquired 146 of the 168 supermarkets. Associated Food Stores bought eight stores in Montana and Wyoming, Associated Wholesale Grocers/Minyards acquired 12 stores in Texas, and SuperValu acquired two stores in Washington.
The Federal Trade Commission approved the divesture on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, and the merger of Albertsons and Safeway was completed on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, according to a news release.
The 146 stores that Haggen is taking over are in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona. With the acquisition, Haggen will expand from 18 stores with 16 pharmacies to 164 stores with 106 pharmacies.
Haggen will convert stores from north to south, with a few exceptions, according to the news release. By July 2015, all 146 stores will be rebranded as Haggen stores.
Haggen released the following schedule for the 26 Washington stores it will convert:
February
· Monroe (19881 SR 2; former Albertsons)
· Port Angeles (114 E Lauridsen Blvd.; former Albertsons)
· Wenatchee (1128 N Miller; former Albertsons)
· Shoreline (15332 Aurora Ave. North; former Safeway)
March
· Walla Walla (450 N Wilbur Ave.; former Albertsons)
· Everett (7601 Evergreen Way; former Safeway)
· Snohomish (17520 SR 9 Southeast; former Albertsons)
· Renton (4300 NE 4th; former Safeway)
· Oak Harbor (31565 SR 20 #1; former Safeway)
· Silverdale (2222 NW Bucklin Hill Road; former Albertsons)
· Port Orchard (3355 Bethel Road Southeast; former Safeway)
· Redmond (3925 236th Ave. North; former Albertsons)
· Burien (12725 First Ave. South; former Albertsons)
· Gig Harbor (4831 Point Fosdick Dr. Northwest; former Safeway)
· Puyallup (11012 Canyon Rd. East; former Albertsons)
· Olympia (3520 Pacific Ave. Southeast; former Albertsons)
· Tacoma (111 S. 38th Street; former Albertsons)
· Tacoma (8611 Steilacoom Blvd. Southwest; former Albertsons)
· Tacoma (15805 Pacific Ave. South; former Safeway)
June
· Seattle (17171 Bothell Way Northeast; former Albertsons)
· Burien (15840 1st Ave. South; former Albertsons)
· Renton (14215 SE Petrovitsky Rd.; former Albertsons)
· Bremerton (2900 Wheaton Way ; former Albertsons)
· Milton (2800 Milton Way; former Albertsons)
· Federal Way (31009 Pacific Hwy South; former Albertsons)
· Liberty Lake (1233 N. Liberty Lake Road; former Safeway)
