These 124 Washington stores will be impacted by the Kroger-Albertsons merger

Supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons revealed Tuesday the full list of 579 stores they will sell off to ease antitrust concerns over their proposed giant $24.6 billion merger.

The list includes 124 stores in the state of Washington, the most of any state in this transaction. A distribution center in Auburn is also one of six that will be sold in the deal. (A PDF of all the stores, distribution centers and plants involved in this plan can be seen here.)

Of the 124 stores impacted in this plan, Seattle will see the most change as 16 stores will be affected. In addition, nine stores in Vancouver, Washington, are on the list. Tacoma, Bellevue and Bellingham each have five locations on the list as well.

In addition, 62 stores in Oregon will change ownership.

The combined companies announced earlier this year the plan to sell the stores across multiple states for $2.9 billion to C&S Wholesale Grocers, a New Hampshire-based company that includes the Piggly Wiggly Supermarkets chains as part of its portfolio.

Kroger currently operates Fred Meyer and Quality Food Center (QFC) stores and Albertsons owns Safeway and Haggen. However, the QFC and Haggen banners would be sold to C&S as part of the deal that has been revised multiple times. Kroger operates 55 QFC stores in Washington.

Previous coverage: Kroger, Albertsons alter their merger plans, include Haggen in new deal

C&S would also license the Albertsons banner in California and Wyoming and the Safeway banner in Arizona and Colorado. C&S would also get access to some private-label brands in the stores. Under the proposal, C&S would keep all of the stores open and honor any labor agreements.

“We are confident this expanded divestiture package will provide the stores, supporting assets and expert operators needed to ensure these stores continue to successfully serve their communities for many generations to come,” C&S CEO Eric Winn said in a statement earlier this year.

The companies have started notifying staff at affected locations, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen wrote in a memo to employees on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported. McMullen told impacted workers they will become employees of C&S Wholesale Grocers after the transaction closes. Until that time comes, those people at affected stores will remain as Kroger and Albertsons staff. C&S has committed to transferring pay and health plans and assuming all collective bargaining agreements, McMullen added, according to Bloomberg.

Reaction to the latest merger announcement

According to the trade publication Supermarket News, Kroger issued a statement following the list’s release, saying the divestiture plan “is critical to bringing the meaningful and measurable benefits of our merger with Albertsons to associates, customers and communities across America.”

“C&S committed to ensuring zero stores will close as a result of the merger, all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading benefits alongside bargained-for wages,” the statement added.

Kroger went on to praise C&S while noting that the company’s “strong operational focus coupled with its experienced management team and financial resources will position it to successfully operate divested stores for years to come.”

In response, a coalition of United Food & Commercial Workers local unions — UFCW 7, UFCW 324, UFCW 400, UFCW 770 and UFCW 3000 — released their own statement about the development.

“Today’s announcement changes nothing. The merger is not a done deal, far from it. We remain focused on stopping the proposed mega-merger for the same reasons we have stated since it was first announced over 20 months ago — because we know it would harm workers, it would harm shoppers, it would harm suppliers and communities, and it is illegal,” the statement begins.

Earlier union comments: History is doomed to repeat itself if Kroger-Albertsons merger happens

Ferguson has previously expressed fear about the merger

The unions’ statement also noted the previous rejection of the Kroger-Albertsons merger by the attorneys general in Colorado, Phil Weiser, and Washington, Bob Ferguson.

While Ferguson has not yet officially commented on the release the list of stores to be sold, he has been vocal about his concerns about a potential Kroger-Albertsons merger in the past.

“If Kroger and Albertson’s merge, they will – simply put – dwarf the competition,” Ferguson said when he filed a lawsuit on behalf of the state in January. “Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and that results in higher prices.”

Washington lawsuit: Kroger-Albertson merger ‘bad’ for consumers, attorney general’s office says

Ferguson has claimed C&S is a small operation he predicts would be quickly overwhelmed by competition from the newly combined Kroger-Albertsons stores.

He compared it to when Albertsons merged with Safeway in 2015. Under a divestiture plan, they sold 146 stores to regional supermarket chain Haggen, which went bankrupt a year later.

Also, before the store list became public, Ferguson issued a separate press release Monday to announce the resolution of a price-fixing antitrust lawsuit against companies who artificially raised the cost of chicken in Washington, he said part of the $37.7 million he was able to recover will be used to block the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger.

“The remaining funds will be used for future antitrust work, including the office’s challenge of the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons,” the release reads. “The attorney general’s Antitrust Division receives 100% of its funding from successful case outcomes.”

What’s next for the Kroger-Albertsons merger?

The two grocery chains first announced their proposed merger in October 2022.

However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced in late February that it has sued to block what would be largest proposed supermarket merger in U.S. history, alleging the deal is “anticompetitive.”

In a press release at that time, the FTC stated the proposed deal will “eliminate fierce competition” between the two brands, which would lead to “higher prices for groceries and other essential household items for millions of Americans.”

In addition, the FTC’s statement cites the thousands of grocery store workers who would be affected and how the merger would “immediately erase aggressive competition for workers, threatening the ability of employees to secure higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions.”

Meanwhile, Kroger and Albertsons said earlier this year, their own future is at risk if they don’t combine forces in order to compete in the changing retail landscape.

Additional Kroger coverage: Grocery store chain to pay nearly $50M to Washington to combat fentanyl crisis

“Blocking this merger would only serve to strengthen larger, non-unionized retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Amazon by allowing them to maintain and increase their overwhelming and growing dominance of the grocery industry,” a statement reads.

As Reuters noted in its previous coverage, U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson in Portland, Oregon, will preside over a hearing on the FTC’s bid for a preliminary injunction to block the merger on Aug. 26.

The 124 Washington stores to be divested in the Kroger-C&S plan

Once again PDF of the full list of stores impacted in Washington and across the U.S. by the Kroger announcement can be viewed here. The list of stores in the state of Washington affected is below:

• Haggen: 1406 Lake Tapps Pkwy. E in Auburn
• Safeway: 101 Auburn Way S in Auburn
• Albertsons: 2108 W Main St. in Battle Ground
• Safeway: 904 W Main St. in Battle Ground
• QFC:  201 NE State Route 300 in Belfair
• QFC: 10116 NE 8th St. in Bellevue
• QFC: 2636 Bellevue Way NE in Bellevue
• QFC: 3550 Factoria Blvd. SE in Bellevue
• QFC: 15600 NE 8th St. Ste K1 in Bellevue
• QFC: 1510 145th Pl. SE in Bellevue
• Haggen: 2814 Meridian in Bellingham
• Haggen: 1401 12th St. in Bellingham
• Haggen: 210 36th St. in Bellingham
• Haggen: 2900 Woburn St. in Bellingham
• Safeway: 1275 E Sunset Dr. in Bellingham
• Safeway: 21301 Highway 410 in Bonney Lake
• QFC: 18921 Bothell Way NE in Bothell
• QFC: 22833 Bothell Everett Highway in Bothell
• Safeway: 20711 Bothell Highway in Bothell
• Safeway: 1401 NE McWilliams Rd. in Bremerton
• Safeway: 138 SW 148th St. in Burien
• Haggen: 757 Haggen Dr. in Burlington
• Safeway: 17023 SE 272nd St. in Covington
• Safeway: 27035 Pacific Highway S, in Des Moines
• Safeway: 510 Grant Rd. in East Wenatchee
• QFC: 22828 100th Ave. W in Edmonds
• Safeway: 400 N Ruby St. in Ellensburg
• QFC: 1009 Monroe Ave. in Enumclaw
• QFC:  2615 Broadway in Everett
• Safeway: 4128 Rucker Ave. in Everett
• Safeway: 5802 134th Pl. SE in Everett
• Safeway: 2109 SW 336th St. in Federal Way
• Haggen: 1815 Main St. in Ferndale
• Albertsons: 11330 51st Ave. NW in Gig Harbor
• Safeway: 4831 Point Fosdick Dr. NW in Gig Harbor
• Safeway: 10105 224th St. E in Graham
• QFC: 540 NW Gilman Blvd. in Issaquah
• Safeway: 735 NW Gilman Blvd. Ste B in Issaquah
• Safeway: 1451 Highlands Dr. NE in Issaquah
• Safeway: 6850 NE Bothell Way in Kenmore
• QFC: 13304 SE 240th St. in Kent
• Safeway: 13101 SE Kent-Kangley Rd. in Kent
• QFC: 11224 NE 124th St. in Kirkland
• QFC: 425 Urban Plaza Ste 100, in Kirkland
• Safeway: 12519 NE 85th St. in Kirkland
• Safeway: 10020 NE 137th St. in Kirkland
• QFC: 4775 Whitman Ln. SE in Lacey
• Safeway: 4700 Yelm Highway SE in Lacey
• Safeway: 717 State Route 9 NE in Lake Stevens
• Safeway: 2930 Ocean Beach Highway in Longview
• QFC: 7500 196th St. SW Ste B in Lynnwood
• Safeway: 19500 SR 99 in Lynnwood
• QFC: 22131 SE 237th St. in Maple Valley
• Safeway: 26916 Maple Valley Rd. in Maple Valley
• Haggen: 3711 88th St. NE in Marysville
• Safeway: 1258 State St. in Marysville
• QFC: 8421 SE 68th St. on Mercer Island
• QFC: 7823 SE 28th St. on Mercer Island
• Safeway: 16304 Bothell-Everett Highway in Mill Creek
• Safeway: 19651 SRE 2 in Monroe
• QFC: 22803 44th Ave. W in Mountlake Terrace
• Safeway: 315 E. College Way in Mt Vernon
• QFC: 11700 Mukilteo Speedway in Mukilteo
• QFC: 6940 Coal Creek Pkwy. SE in Newcastle
• QFC: 460 E North Bend Way in North Bend
• Haggen: 31565 State Route 20, #1 in Oak Harbor
• Haggen: 1313 Cooper Point Rd. SW in Olympia
• Safeway: 4280 Martin Way E in Olympia
• QFC: 1890 Irondale Rd. in Port Hadlock
• Albertsons: 1434 Olney Ave. SE in Port Orchard
• Safeway: 3355 Bethel Rd. SE in Port Orchard
• Safeway: 370 SW Sedgwick Rd. in Port Orchard
• QFC: 515 Sheridan St. in Port Townsend
• Safeway: 708 Shaw Rd. in Puyallup
• Safeway: 611 S Meridian, in Puyallup
• QFC: 15800 Redmond Way in Redmond
• QFC: 8867 161st Ave. NE in Redmond
• QFC: 23475 NE Novelty Hill Rd. in Redmond
• Safeway: 15000 NE 24th in Redmond
• QFC: 4800 NE 4th St. in, Renton
• Safeway: 200 S 3rd St. in Renton
• QFC: 2902 228th Ave. SE, Sammamish
• QFC: 17847 1st Ave. S in Seattle
• QFC: 1600 W Dravus St. in Seattle
• QFC: 2500 SW Barton St. in Seattle
• QFC: 1401 Broadway in Seattle
• QFC: 2707 Rainier Ave. S in Seattle
• QFC: 1531 NE 145th St. in Seattle
• QFC: 11100 Roosevelt Way NE in Seattle
• QFC: 4500 Wallingford Ave. N in Seattle
• QFC: 9999 Holman Rd. NW in Seattle
• QFC: 500 Mercer St. in Seattle
• QFC: 4550 42nd Ave. SW in Seattle
• QFC: 417 Broadway E – No. 2 in Seattle
• QFC: 5700 24th Ave. NW in Seattle
• Safeway: 8340 15th Ave. NW in Seattle
• Safeway: 2622 California Ave. SW in Seattle
• Safeway: 7340 35th Ave. NE in Seattle
• QFC: 990 E Washington St. in Sequim
• Safeway: 600 Franklin St. in Shelton
• QFC: 600 NW Richmond Beach Rd. in Shoreline
• Haggen: 1301 Ave. D in Snohomish
• Safeway: 1119 13th St. in Snohomish
• Safeway: 2509 E 29th Ave. in Spokane
• Safeway: 14020 E Sprague Ave. in Spokane
• QFC: 27008 92nd Ave. NW in Stanwood
• QFC: 11104 Pacific Ave. S in Tacoma
• QFC: 4101 49th Ave. NE, in Tacoma
• Safeway: 1624 72nd St. E in Tacoma
• Safeway: 2637 N Pearl St. in Tacoma
• Safeway: 3842 Bridgeport Way in Tacoma
• Safeway: 705 Trosper Rd. SW in Tumwater
• Safeway: 500 Cleveland Ave. SE in Tumwater
• QFC: 3505 SE 192nd Ave. in Vancouver
• Safeway: 6701 E Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver
• Safeway: 6711 NE 63rd St. in Vancouver
• Safeway: 408 NE 81st St. in Vancouver
• Safeway: 2615 NE 112th Ave. in Vancouver
• Safeway: 6700 NE 162nd Ave., Ste 500 in Vancouver
• Safeway: 13023 NE Highway 99, Ste 1 in Vancouver
• Safeway: 3707 N Main St. in Vancouver
• Safeway: 14300 NE 20th Ave. in Vancouver
• Haggen: 17641 Garden Way NE in Woodinville
• Safeway: 5702 Summitview Ave. in Yakima

Contributing: Heather Bosch, KIRO Newsradio; The Associated Press

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.