Haggen begins conversion of former Safeway/Albertsons stores

[CalItalian]

List, by month, of rebannering to Haggen in California. Rebannering starts this Sunday, March 8th, in California.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar ... alifornia/

There are 79 of 83 locations listed. I figured out one of the missing locations, Santa Monica on Lincoln at Ocean Park. Just happened to be one that I was looking for the date for.
Second location missing is Carlsbad...the one in the article.

[storewanderer]

San Ysidro (350 W. San Ysidro Blvd.; former Lucky)

Interesting they acknowledge this as a Lucky and yet all of the Pavilions are labeled as "former Vons."

They are definitely going to need to do something different in this location...

[CalItalian]

One more article I found tonight on Haggen's first stores coming to California.
http://www.coronadonewsca.com/news/coro ... ceecb.html

[veteran+]

The store in Rancho Mirage is not a Vons..........it's a Pavilions!!!!

[CalItalian]

Oregon stores rebannering schedule (by month)
http://www.haggen.com/press-releases/ha ... -location/

[marshd1000]

As I write this, I have just returned home from shopping at the North Burien Albertsons for the last time. I was one of the last customers out of the door before they locked it and started the conversion to Haggen. I have some observations about the conversions so far.

First of all, if one is expecting a former Safeway or Albertsons to look like a Haggen store that was built by the company, you are not going to get that at this point. But you are going to get a store with a Safeway or Albertsons layout but the the traces of the former owners wiped out. The signage is colorful and kind of homey. It is a step up from many Albertsons. As for the Safeways, it is homey and appropriate but not corporate looking like Safeway. But it does go well with the floors left over from the Lifestyle package.

I have been to 3 conversions so far. I was at the former Monroe Albertsons the first day. Things were busy and it seemed to be running smoothly.

I was also at the former Shoreline Safeway, a week ago this past Saturday, its first day. Again it was busy and probably more so than normal. But it did not seem to be too bad.

On Friday I was at the Renton Highlands former Safeway. This was a newer larger former Safeway with the Lifestyle layout, etc. This looked almost like it could have been built by Haggen as it had exposed ceilings like the former Top Foods. It was very pretty. But this store had really LONG lines. They even took out the self check out, while Monroe still had theirs. It also seemed like there were less checkstands for such a large store. Haggen's Facebook page had several complaints about the long lines. This store was the first of the stores to also have had gas. So it seems like Haggen is partnering with Phillips Petorleum at this station as it is now a 76 station. This store also has a Starbucks, which is still there as Haggen has partnered with Starbucks in the past. But Jamba Juice is gone. I hope that the rest of the conversions go well, as I like Haggen and would love to see them as a alternative to Safeway-Albertsons, Kroger and Walmart.

From speaking to the assistant manager at the North Burien, soon to be Haggen (Albertsons), the former Albertsons are going to be a easier conversion becuase Haggen and Albertsons are using systems provided by Supervalu. Safeway is on a entirely different system. He also made it sound like Haggen will be getting rid of self checkouts at the acquired store evertually.

When talking to some employees at the Shoreline Haggen, it sounds like after the stores are all converted, that at some point the company will do a more extensive remodel to make it even more Haggen-like in appearance and offerings.

As for their private labels, of course there is their Haggen brand. In the original Haggens, I see that brand along with Full Circle organics, Topco, and Food Club with small amounts of Western Family. In the converted stores, I see Haggen, Full Circle, Essential Everyday, Equaline and other Supervalu brands. I know that Haggen NW is going to be supplied by Supervalu with some items supplied by Unified. Haggen SW is going to be supplied by Unified with some items supplied by Supervalu. But both divisions have Full Circle organics. So I am guessing the Unified handles that brand as I have seen it at the original Haggens.

One more observation, the Gig Harbor Safeway, which is almore brand new, is alrady quite Haggen like with a deli department with a salad bar and a Starbucks seating area that is about the size of the Market Street Cafe that newer Haggens have. So aside from possible issues with the checkstands, that store will have one of the better physical conversions!

So there you have it! I hope they can get over the hump in converting the Safeways! It will be interesting to see how they do! When any of you are in a converted store, please post your experience here!

[submariner]

I'm moving the conversion talk to it's own thread. To summarize, we've seen conversion dates for these Oregon and California stores:

Oregon:

March

• Lake Oswego (16199 Boones Ferry Road; former Albertsons)
• West Linn (1855 Blankenship Road; former Albertsons)
• Milwaukie (10830 SE Oak; former Albertsons)
• Beaverton (8155 SW Hall; former Albertsons)
• Tigard (14300 SW Barrows Road; former Albertsons)
• Tigard (16200 SW Pacific Hwy; former Albertsons)
• Clackamas (14800 SE Sunnyside Road; former Albertsons)
• Sherwood (16030 SW Tualatin Sherwood Road; former Albertsons)
• Springfield (5415 Main Street; former Safeway)

April

• Keizer (5450 River Road N; former Albertsons)
• Eugene (3075 Hilyard Street; former Albertsons)
• Eugene (1675 W 18th Avenue; former Albertsons)
• Grants Pass (1690 Allen Creek Road; former Albertsons)
• Klamath Falls (211 North Eighth Street; former Safeway)
• Klamath Falls (2740 S 6th; former Safeway)
• Grants Pass (340 NE Beacon Drive; former Albertsons)
• Ashland (585 Siskiyou Boulevard; former Safeway)

May

• Bend (61155 S Hwy 97; former Albertsons)
• Bend (1800 NE 3rd Street; former Albertsons)

June

• Baker City (1120 Campbell Street; former Albertsons)

California:

March

• El Cajon (13439 Camino Canada; former Vons)
• El Cajon (1608 Broadway St.; former Albertsons)
• San Diego (730 Turquoise St.; former Albertsons)
• San Diego (2235 University Ave.; former Albertsons)
• Chula Vista (360 East H St.; former Vons)
• Palmdale (5038 W Ave. North; former Albertsons)
• Laguna Beach (30922 South Pacific Coast Hwy; former Albertsons)
• Trabuco Canyon (21672 Plano Trabuco Rd.; former Albertsons)
• Tujunga (6240 Foothill Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• Yorba Linda (21500 Yorba Linda Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• Diamond Bar (240 S. Diamond Bar Blvd.; former Vons)

April

• Bakersfield (7900 White Lane; former Albertsons)
• Rancho Cucamonga (8850 Foothill Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• Rancho Mirage (36-101 Bob Hope Dr.; former Vons)
• Bakersfield (3500 Panama Lane; former Albertsons)
• Upland (1910 N. Campus Ave.; former Albertsons)
• Palm Desert (72675 Highway 111; former Vons)
• Chino Hills (4200 Chino Hills Pkwy.; former Vons)
• Bakersfield (8200 E. Stockdale Hwy.; former Albertsons)
• Atascadero (8200 El Camino Real; former Albertsons)
• Paso Robles (1191 E. Creston Rd.; former Vons)
• San Luis Obispo (771 Foothill Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• San Luis Obispo (1321 Johnson Ave.; former Albrtsons)
• Arroyo Grande (1132 W. Branch St.; former Albertsons)
• Los Osos (1130 Los Osos Valley Rd.; former Vons)
• Lompoc (1500 N. H St.; former Albertsons)
• Santa Barbara (2010 Cliff Dr.; former Albertsons)
• Goleta (163 S. Turnpike Rd.; former Vons)
• Santa Barbara (3943 State St.; former Albertsons)
• Newbury Park (2100 Newbury Rd.; former Vons)
• Goleta (175 N. Fairview Ave.; former Vons)
• Carpinteria (850 Linden Ave.; former Vons)
• Oxnard (920 N. Ventura Rd.; former Albertsons)
• Westlake Village (5770 Lindero Canyon Rd.; former Albertsons)
• Redondo Beach (2115 Artesia Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• Saugus (26518 Bouquet Canyon Rd.; former Vons)
• Thousand Oaks (1736 E. Avenida De Los Arboles; former Albertsons)
• Simi Valley (2800 Cochran; former Albertsons)
• Santa Clarita (27095 McBean Pkwy.; former Vons)
• Camarillo (2400 Las Posas Rd.; former Albertsons)
• Simi Valley (5135 Los Angeles Ave.; former Albertsons)
• Torrance (21035 Hawthorne Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• San Pedro (28090 South Western Ave.; former Albertsons)
• Woodland Hills (23381 Mulholland Dr.; former Vons)
• Los Angeles (8985 Venice Blvd., Suite B; former Albertsons)
• Lomita (2130 Pacific Coast Hwy.; former ALbertsons)
• Los Angeles (3443 S. Sepulveda Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• Burbank (3830 W. Verdugo Ave.; former Albertsons)

May

• Redondo Beach (615 N. Pacific Coast Hwy.; former Albertsons)
• San Pedro (1636 W. 25th St.; former Albertsons)
• Redondo Beach (1516 S. Pacific Coast Hwy.; former Albertsons)
• Ladera Ranch (25636 Crown Valley Pkwy.; former Vons)
• Laguna Niguel (30252 Crown Valley Pkwy.; former Vons)
• Irvine (3901 Portola Pkwy.; former Vons)
• Corona Del Mar (3049 Coast Highway; former Albertsons)
• Tustin (17662 17th St.; former Vons)
• Mission Viejo (28751 Los Alisos Blvd.; former Vons)
• Poway (14837 Pomerado Rd.; former Albertsons)
• Tustin (550 E. First St.; former Albertsons)
• Mission Viejo (25872 Muirlands Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• Long Beach (6235 E. Spring St.; former Albertsons)
• Del Mar (2707 Via De La Valley; former Albertsons)
• Santee (9870 Magnolia Ave.; former Albertsons)
• El Cajon (2800 Fletcher Pkwy.; former Vons)
• La Mesa (3681 Avocado Avenue; former Vons)
• Rancho Bernardo (12475 Rancho Bernardo Rd.; former Albertsons)
• Carlsbad (955 Carlsbad Village Dr.; former Albertsons)
• San Diego (10633 Tierra Santa Blvd.; former Albertsons)
• San Marcos (671 Rancho Santa Fe; former Vons)
• San Diego (5950 Balboa Ave.; former Albertsons)
• Coronado (150 B Ave.; former Albertsons)
• San Ysidro (350 W. San Ysidro Blvd.; former Lucky)
• San Diego (14340 Penasquitos Dr.; former Albertsons)
• San Diego (7895 Highland Village Place; former Albertsons)
• Chula Vista (505 Telegraph Canyon Rd.; former Vons)
• San Diego (422 W. Washington St.; former Albertsons)
• San Diego (10740 Westview Pkwy.; former Albertsons)
• La Mesa (5630 Lake Murray Blvd.; former Vons)
• Chula Vista (870 Third Ave.; former Vons)

[submariner]

I'll also try to get down to the Carlsbad store next week to check out how Haggen's "Northwest Fresh" translates to Southern California...

[storewanderer]

Another interesting thing they are doing is holding meetings for local vendors to show management their products as they convert stores in a given area. Many store chains talk local but I've never seen one do a mass broadcast like this saying local vendors come to this location at this date and this time to talk to us about selling your item to us. Usually all of that involves talking to the local store, then talking to HQ, then arranging product samples, messing around with slotting, space issues, etc. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if Haggen can cut out a lot of the red tape and get local vendor products into the stores in an easier way. Inviting the local vendors into the stores to demo their items would be another good step.

I am curious about self checkouts remaining in former Albertsons but not former Safeways. Both have the same NCR self checkouts. it must be an equipment lease/ownership issue. Haggen had self checkouts in the Top Foods but they were on a platform I have not seen anyone else out west use except CVS. I have also seen that platform used at Wegmans, Giant MD, and maybe someone else in the east. It seems to be an older platform.

[submariner]

I am curious about self checkouts remaining in former Albertsons but not former Safeways. Both have the same NCR self checkouts. it must be an equipment lease/ownership issue.

I think you're correct here. It's generally the same reason Albertsons LLC stores immediately discontinued their use when the original breakup occurred.