Bristol Farms has closed on a deal to bring a 40,000 square foot store in Palm Desert, California, in a location that used to be occupied by Albertsons. The store is expected to be open by the end of the year.
Albertsons, of course, now owns the 12-store Bristol Farms. There has been some controversy in California, mostly generated by the unions, when Bristol Farms has gone into former Albertsons locations, with organized labor saying that unionized Albertsons is shifting employees to the non-union Bristol Farms – though this shouldn’t be an issue in this case since Albertsons bailed out of the location almost three years ago.
Albertsons, of course, now owns the 12-store Bristol Farms. There has been some controversy in California, mostly generated by the unions, when Bristol Farms has gone into former Albertsons locations, with organized labor saying that unionized Albertsons is shifting employees to the non-union Bristol Farms – though this shouldn’t be an issue in this case since Albertsons bailed out of the location almost three years ago.
- KC's View:
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One of the ongoing questions that we hear while out on the hustings – and one to which we don’t have an answer – is whether Bristol Farms will be sold off when Supervalu finally takes ownership of Albertsons.
The general feeling is that this is a probable scenario, since Bristol might flourish better on its own and a sale might allow Supervalu to retire some of the debt created by the acquisition of Albertsons. Our response to the question is usually that while we don’t know what will happen, we’re willing to place bets on Bristol CEO Kevin Davis, one of the savviest guys in the business.
