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            The struggling Bellingham grocer says Gelson’s Markets, a high-end supermarket chain, has agreed to buy 8 Haggen stores in California. Smart&Final, a warehouse-like chain of grocery stores, agreed to buy 27 in California and one in Nevada.

Both are so-called “stalking horse” agreements, meant to establish a baseline that other bidders could top. 

The deals are subject to approval by the bankruptcy court in Delaware where Haggen is restructuring its ailing business to get rid of a big majority of the stores it bought earlier this year from Albertsons and Safeway. A total of 137 stores are slated for closure. 

Haggen wants a court hearing on Oct. 19 to go over the procedures, and invited interested bidders to indicate their interest no later than Oct. 26.

Haggen aims to hold an auction on Nov. 9.

Seattle Time Quotes 10-5-15
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Gelson’s to bid on 8 Haggen supermarkets

If Gelson’s can acquire the stores, it would benefit “thousands of shoppers who value quality products and exceptional service,” McDougall said, adding that his company would be happy to take on the displaced Haggen workers.

Founded in 1951, the Encino-based company operates 18 a total of grocery stores in Southern California. The acquisition would increase that to 26 locations. 

Livingston said it’s also possible that Gelson’s wouldn’t keep all of its existing stores open if it acquires the Haggen locations.

“They might close some of the stores they have now if the new ones are in better locations,” he said.

All told, Haggen will be closing 125 supermarkets. But selling all of them might be a tall order, according to Livingston.

“It will be hard,” he said. “No one will want all of those stores because some of them are jinxed. They have driven away customers who are now used to going someplace else.”

Los Angeles Times Quotes 10-5-15
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The Haggen grocery store chain will close its Liberty Lake store just months after entering the Eastern Washington market.

Haggen bought the former Safeway store at 1233 N. Liberty Lake Road and rebranded it in June. 

The Spokesman Review Quotes 10-5-15
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Two California supermarket chains have entered tentative deals to buy 36 Haggen stores in California and Nevada

Haggen is also trying to stir up bids for an additional 96 stores — including six in Washington and Oregon that Haggen had previously said would remain part of its 37-store Pacific Northwest core.

Those six, according to court documents, are in Burien, Puyallup and Federal Way, Wash., and Happy Valley, West Linn and Eugene, Ore.

The majority of Haggen’s stores are being wound down, with closures expected in late November if nobody buys them.

Greg Conger, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324 in Southern California, said that “we are pleased to see a good union employer like Gelson’s bidding on some of the stores.” He added that Smart & Final’s “anti-union bias is very well known,” and warned it is likely to do “everything they can to not keep any of the current employees for fear of their desire to remain union.” 

Seattle Time Quotes 10-5-15

Taken on: September 26, 2015

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Haggen

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