Haggen will close two of its Tucson stores, less than three months after entering the market.
The stores — formerly Safeway locations — at 10380 and 8740 E. Broadway are slated for closure in the next 60 days, company officials announced on Friday.
The Haggen store that’s in a former Albertsons at 1350 N. Silverbell Road will remain open.
More than 20 Haggen stores will be closed or sold in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The company employs more than 10,000 people in those five states.
Most of the stores being closed were formerly Safeway and Albertsons stores acquired by Haggen earlier this year.
The Bellingham, Washington-based grocer has struggled since taking on the new stores, when the company grew from 18 stores to 164.
Company officials did not say how many jobs would be affected, but said the stores will continue to operate during the process of closing down.
The three other Arizona store closures are in Anthem, Flagstaff and Prescott Valley.
“Haggen’s goal going forward is to ensure a stable, healthy company that will benefit our customers, associates, vendors, creditors, stakeholders as well as the communities we serve,” Bill Shaner, Haggen CEO Pacific Southwest, said in a news release. “By making the tough choice to close and sell some stores, we will be able to invest in stores that have the potential to thrive under the Haggen banner.”
Additional stores “will be sold or closed in the future as part of Haggen’s right-sizing strategy,” the Seattle Times reported Friday.
Due to its difficulties breaking into markets where it was virtually unknown, the grocer had already undertaken hundreds of layoffs and work-hour reductions last month in California, Arizona and Nevada.
