Albertsons

After buying back the majority of its former stores it sold to SuperValu in 2006, AB Acquisition announced it would change its name to Albertsons Companies Inc. in 2015.

[15] On November 30, 2023, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen announced that the companies had satisfied the informational requirements of the Federal Trade Commission, and the deal was expected to close in early 2024.

[16] However, in January 2024, Washington state sued to block the proposed $25 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons, warning that if approved it could raise prices and harm consumers.

[17] In February 2024, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser also filed a lawsuit, saying consumers told him they feared it "would lead to stores closing, higher prices, fewer jobs, worse customer service, and less resilient supply chains.

The store was filled with perks that, at the time, were brand new: free parking, a money-back guarantee, and even an ice cream shop.

A brick monument stands on the northwest corner of 16th and State Streets in downtown Boise, commemorating the original store.

New stores were opened in neighboring towns to the west: Nampa, Caldwell, and Emmett, before America's entry into World War II in late 1941.

[21] in 1964, Albertsons expanded to southern California by acquiring All American Markets, a small chain based in Orange County.

[28] This branch was constructed in front of the parking lot of Albertson's full-size grocery store at the city's Parkcenter Boulevard.

A few of the locations with Express Gas Stations include Gresham,[29] Hillsboro,[30] and Portland[31] in Oregon; Houston[32] in Texas; and Casper[33] and Cheyenne[34] in Wyoming.

To make the acquisition, Albertsons was forced by anti-trust concerns to divest 146 stores, primarily in California, Nevada, and New Mexico, to Certified Grocers: Raley's, Ralphs, Stater Bros., and Vons.

[37] On July 18, 2001, Larry Johnston, the new chairman and CEO of Albertson's, announced it would close 165 "underperforming" stores spread across 25 states, cut jobs, and reduce its newly created operating divisions.

After stabilizing the company's finances and consolidating divisions in 2004, Albertsons acquired Shaw's Supermarkets and Star Market from Sainsbury's for $2.5 billion.

Added to those problems were significant changes in consumer buying patterns, including new competition from large discounters such as Walmart and Costco that impacted sales.

In the Dallas–Fort Worth division, in 2007, the distribution center was sold and outsourced to Associated Wholesale Grocers,[59] and Albertsons would exit both Oklahoma[60] and Austin.

[65][66] The Plant City distribution center was sold to Gordon Food Service[67] though the Florida Division continued to be located there.

[76] In June 2007, Albertson's LLC decided to discontinue its Preferred Savings Card Program, choosing instead to offer discounted items to all of its customers.

[88] While its website consolidation appeared to take place as expected, its applications received bad reviews[89]—but the biggest consequence was the mistaken deletion of their previous Facebook page and loss of over 200,000 fans.

[94] On March 6, 2014, Cerberus (parent company of Albertsons) announced it would purchase Safeway for $9.4 billion in a deal expected to close in the 4th quarter of the year.

[98] After several months of rumors, the combined operation announced it would go public as Albertsons Companies, Inc. (the new name of AB Acquisition LLC).

However, the company postponed the listing due to market conditions, particularly after Wal-Mart warned of more challenged sales earlier that day.

[105] A week later Haggen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and began the process of closing all but a few dozen 'core' stores in the Pacific Northwest.

The lawsuit aims to prevent Albertsons from winding down operations and preparing store closures during regulator review of the merger.

[140] In February 2024, the FTC sued to block the acquisition stating that the deal would negatively impact consumer prices and workers' wages.

[141] In February 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and attorney generals in eight states filed an anti-trust lawsuit to stop the merger.

[145][146][147] In December 2024, "a federal court issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday against the proposed merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, siding with the Biden administration.

… The $25 billion deal would have merged the country's second and fourth-largest grocers by market share, with Kroger trailing only Walmart and Albertsons sitting behind Costco.

In response to the failed merger, Albertsons filed a lawsuit against Kroger in the Delaware Court of Chancery, alleging willful breach of contract and seeking billions of dollars in damages.

Following these events, Albertsons announced plans to accelerate its "Customers for Life" strategy, increase its quarterly cash dividend by 25%, and authorize a $2 billion share repurchase program.

Other Albertsons brands over the years have included A+, Good Day, Janet Lee (named after the executive vice-president's daughter), Master's Choice, and Village Market.

The cheese department of an Albertsons in Seattle (1955)
An Albertsons that converted from Buttrey Food and Drug in Missoula, Montana
A typical Albertsons in Boise , Idaho , in June 2007 (Store #162)
A typical Albertsons-Savon store in Dallas , Texas , in October 2005 (Store #4297). This store was later sold as part of FTC-ordered divestment, and later became Minyard Sun Fresh Market, but has since closed.
An Albertsons Express that closed due to Hurricane Katrina , located in New Orleans, Louisiana
Albertsons in Weatherford, Texas in May 2017 (Store #4176)
An Albertsons that turned into Haggen before shuttering in Tigard , OR
Checkouts at an Albertsons during COVID-19
Albertsons grocery store logo
Jewel-Osco locations in purple, ACME in red, Shaw's in orange, and Albertsons in blue (1995–2007)