IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
A grocery store chain in the Pacific Northwest will open 83 stores in California in locations that are occupied by Albertsons or Vons.
Haggen, based in Bellingham, Wash., bought 146 of 168 stores that both chains were ordered to sell as the result of a merger agreement that was reached earlier this year, according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Besides the California stores, Haggen will also take over stores in Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon.
Several of its stores will be located in Rancho Cucamonga and Chino Hills. The conversions are expected to be completed by May.
The move will be a major expansion for Haggen, which was purchased four years ago by a private equity firm in Florida.
After the stores are converted, Haggen will operate 164 stores and employ more than 10,000 people, Currently it has 18 stores and employs about 2,000 people, the report stated.
