Update: Albertsons, Sprouts taking over Haggen stores in Tri-Counties
This Haggen store in Santa Barbara is among 23 that are closing in the Tri-Counties.
Roxy’s Market’s bid for 2010 Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara may not come to fruition.
Co-owner Mike Lawler successfully bid $75,000 for the rights to the soon-to-be-vacant Haggen store on the Mesa, but the landlord told him on Nov. 17 that he is looking for a larger national chain.
Roxy’s has two smaller stores in Colorado and Montana. Lawler and his wife Roxy are uncertain whether they will look for other available locations in the region.
Albertsons and Sprouts are among the winning bidders for several of the tri-county Haggen stores being auctioned off in bankruptcy court, according to court documents.
Albertsons looks to take over stores at 1500 N. H Street in Lompoc and 163 S. Turnpike in Goleta. Sprouts Farmers Market successfully bid for the 175 N. Fairview location in Goleta and a Simi Valley store at 2800 Cochran St.
Albertsons operates more than 2,200 stores throughout 33 states while Sprouts has 200-plus stores across 13 states.
Commerce-based Super A Foods, which operates eight locations throughout Southern California, has also bid for 2400 Las Posas Road in Camarillo. Stater Brothers, which has 168 stores mostly throughout Southern California, bid for 660 E. Los Angeles Ave. in Simi Valley.
The potential sales will be finalized in a Nov. 24 hearing. Then, the grocers will have to work out deals with landlords.
Haggen already sold 36 of its stores in California and Nevada to Smart & Final and Gelson’s Markets for $92 million, according to court documents.
The high-end Encino-based grocer Gelson’s is buying one store in Thousand Oaks while Commerce-based grocer Smart & Final purchased nine stores throughout the Tri-Counties.
The Washington-based grocer filed for bankruptcy in September and is trying to shed most of its stores after it botched its widespread expansion.
Haggen scaled up from 18 to 164 stores as part of an antitrust deal between Albertsons and Safeway and the Federal Trade Commission that would allow the companies’ $9.2 billion merger.
It planned to hold on to 32 of its stores, but the company said it also plans to offer those in a separate January auction. Haggen could end up with five remaining locations.
Tri-County shoppers have even fewer options since Fresh & Easy announced in October it was closing all of its stores, including seven in the region.
• Contact Alex Kacik at akacik@pacbiztimes.com.
