No Fred Meyer stores to be sold in Kroger-Albertsons divestiture deal, report says

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

No Fred Meyer stores are to be sold in a divestiture agreement announced last week by merging supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons, a company spokesperson told the Oregonian this week.

Kroger (NYSE: KR) and Albertsons (NYSE: ACI), the country's largest operators of traditional grocery stores, are in the middle of a $24.6 billion merger and agreed to sell more than 400 stores, including 104 in Washington, to satisfy antitrust concerns.

In Washington, Kroger operates the Fred Meyer and QFC chains and Albertsons owns stores under the Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen brands. The Oregonian reported Tuesday that Kroger does not plan to sell any Fred Meyer locations to C&S Wholesale Grocers, the third party in the companies' divestiture plan. The deal is valued at $1.9 billion.

Fred Meyer spokesperson Tiffany Sanders told the Oregonian that the agreement “includes the sale of the QFC banner name and some QFC stores but does not include the sale of any Fred Meyer stores at this time.”

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2023/09/14/fred-meyer-kroger-albertsons.html

It still would mean three of the five grocery stores in my neighborhood would be run by the same outfit.

[enid602]

1. Stores

The stores that get sold will probably be the lucky ones.

[LisaM]

2. I don't mind that my QFC might not be Kroger anymore.

When our Northgate QFC opened, it was an absolute jewel of a store, with a fireplace and a coffee shop and a bakery and lots of high end brands, many of them local. It had a large, well-trained and friendly staff.

When it became part of Fred Meyer it started going downhill, and then when it became part of Kroger it got worse. The final nail in the coffin was the liquor law, which created a sort of fenced off area for alcohol. The coffee shop and fireplace are long gone. The bakery items are nothing like they were. Many brands I like have been replaced by Kroger brand products. There are usually only one or two checkout lines, everything else is self checkout. You have to go through a turnstile to get in and one of the doors is locked at night. Worst of all, if I even buy a bottle of wine, they scan my driver's license!!

Kroger can't be gone soon enough in my book.

[LogicFirst]

3. Less than 4 miles from my house is a Fry's (Kroger) and a Safeway.

I wonder which one will be sold. 4.6 miles from my house is another Fry’s which is better because it has gas pumps.