Oak Harbor’s Safeway store will become a Haggen store as part of a larger deal involving 168 grocery stores across eight states.
The nearby Albertson’s store in Oak Harbor will likely remain unchanged, according to a spokesman for the company.
Haggen announced Friday that all Safeway employees will have the opportunity to work for the Haggen store once the transition is complete. The purchase is subject to approval by the Federal Trade Commission.
Albertson’s LLC is currently in the process of acquiring Safeway through a merger. As part of a divestment process, the 168 Safeway and Albertson’s stores have been sold to four buyers.
Haggen, a Bellingham-based company, is purchasing 146 Albertson’s and Safeway stores in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona.
Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley said he welcomes Haggen, but he — like many people — is concerned about the fate of the Albertson’s.
“We as a society like competition,” he said. “Why? Because it usually means better prices.”
Haggen is purchasing the Oak Harbor Safeway, but the Albertson’s isn’t on the list. Brian Dowling, a spokesman for Albertson’s, said that means it will remain the way it is.
The purchase of the grocery outlets will be a big step for a Pacific Northwest company. Haggen will expand from 18 stores with 16 pharmacies to 164 stores with 106 pharmacies; from 2,000 employees to more than 10,000 employees, according to the company.
“With this pivotal acquisition, we will have the opportunity to introduce many more customers to the Haggen experience. Our Pacific Northwest grocery store chain has been committed to local sourcing, investing in the communities we serve, and providing genuine service and homemade quality since it was founded in 1933,” said John Caple, chairman of the Haggen board of directors and partner at Comvest Partners, a private investment firm that owns the majority of shares of Haggen.
After the close of the transaction in early 2015, Haggen will convert all of the acquired Albertsons and Safeway stores to the Haggen banner in phases during the first half of 2015. Haggen plans to retain the current store management teams, the company reported.
