ST. GEORGE — The recent move by the parent company of Smith’s Markets to sell off many of the Albertsons stores it had acquired has not cleared up the ultimate fate of the two Albertsons stores in Southern Utah.
The Kroger Co. announced on Sept. 8 that it was selling 413 Albertsons Companies Inc. stores to the parent company of the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain, C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC. The sale, Kroger said, is driven by the ongoing merger between Kroger and Albertsons, which was announced nearly a year ago.
Both companies said the stores being sold include 12 locations in “Montana, Wyoming and Utah.” Until now, C&S has not owned any Utah locations.
Albertsons Companies operates six stores in Utah. All four of the locations in Northern Utah operate under the Lucky Market brand, while the two other locations in Washington County – in St. George and Washington City – are under the Albertsons name.
As part of the deal, it was announced C&S would be allowed to continue to use the Albertsons name in Arizona, California, Colorado and Wyoming. That does not include stores in Utah, meaning any Washington County stores acquired would have to change their branding.
Lauren La Bruno, the vice president of change management communications and community relations for C&S, wouldn’t say in an e-mail with St. George News which Utah stores it was receiving in the sale, citing the ongoing regulatory process for the Kroger-Albertsons merger.
But she did say the Utah stores it will acquire will see a boost in customer and community outreach.
“Our retail footprint expansion aligns with our ongoing efforts to always look for ways to continue delivering a strong customer service experience as our industry evolves,” she said. La Bruno added more details on which stores it is acquiring will come closer to when the sale is expected to close in late 2024.
Kroger did not respond to a request for comment from St. George News but says on its website that Albertsons stores not sold to C&S outside Arizona, California, Colorado and Wyoming will retain the Albertsons brand.
If not sold to C&S, either or both of the two Washington County Albertsons locations will be under the same overall ownership as the two Smiths locations in St. George as well as Smiths locations in Cedar City and Mesquite, Nevada.
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