Kroger and Albertsons have identified 62 stores they are planning to sell in Oregon if a proposed $25 billion merger between the two grocery companies is approved.
The merger announced in 2022 calls for hundreds of stores to be divested in a merger representing 20% of the country's grocery market, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Kroger and Albertsons operate 176 stores in Oregon including 51 Fred Meyer and 4 QFC stores under the Kroger company and 25 Albertsons and 96 Safeway stores under the Albertsons brand.
In February, the Federal Trade Commission announced it was suing to block the proposed merger, filing a complaint in the U.S. District Court in Portland.Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Oregon was joining the FTC and eight other states in the case, saying Oregon, the FTC, and other states believed the consolidation could bring lower wages for employees and higher grocery prices for shoppers.
Following the pushback, Kroger and Albertsons announced in April that they would sell 166 more locations than originally planned if they received regulatory approval. C&S Wholesale Grocers, which operates 23 Piggly-Wiggly and Grand Union retail supermarkets, agreed to buy 579 stores from the companies. This week, the company identified those stores.
Of the 62 stores that would be sold Oregon, one Safeway is in Salem and an Albertsons and Safeway are in Eugene. A third of the stores that would be sold in the state are in Portland (21).
Which Safeway store in Salem would be sold if the Kroger, Albertsons merger is approved?
Safeway — 3380 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem
Which Safeway and Albertsons stores would be sold in Eugene if the merger with Kroger is approved?
Albertsons — 55 Division Ave., Eugene
Safeway — 145 E 18th Ave., Eugene
List of Kroger, Albertsons stores in Oregon that would be sold if merger goes through
Safeway — 6055 SW 185th Ave., Aloha
Safeway — 3250 Leif Erikson Drive, Astoria
Safeway — 20535 SW Tualatin Valley Highway, Beaverton
Albertsons — 61155 S Highway 97, Bend
Safeway — 2650 NE Hwy 20, Bend
Safeway — 1051 SW First Ave., Canby
Safeway — 12032 SE Sunnyside Road, Clackamas
Safeway — 230 E Johnson, Coos Bay
Safeway — 590 NE Circle Blvd., Corvallis
Safeway — 20151 SE Highway 212, Damascus
Safeway — 700 Highway 101, Florence
Safeway — 2836 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove
Safeway — 95 82nd Drive, Gladstone
Albertsons — 1690 Allen Creek Road, Grants Pass
Safeway — 115 SE Seventh St., Grants Pass
Safeway — 1640 Williams Highway, Grants Pass
QFC — 6411 SE Milwaukie Ave., Portland
Safeway — 6901 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
Safeway — 4515 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland
Safeway — 13485 NW Cornell Road, Portland
Safeway — 1100 NE Broadway, Portland
Safeway — 3930 SE Powell Blvd., Portland
Safeway — 1030 SW Jefferson St., Portland
Safeway — 1303 NW Lovejoy St., Portland
Safeway — 2800 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland
Safeway — 8145 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland
Safeway — 18425 NW West Union Road, Portland
Safeway — 8330 N Ivanhoe St., Portland
Safeway — 5920 NE Martin Luther King Blvd., Portland
Safeway — 1001 SW Highland Drive, Gresham
Safeway — 1455 NE Division St., Gresham
Albertsons — 7500 W Baseline, Hillsboro
Safeway — 2525 SE Tualatin Valley Highway, Hillsboro
Safeway — 2177 NW 185th Ave., Hillsboro
Safeway — 888 NE 25th Ave., Hillsboro
Albertsons — 5500 S Sixth St., Klamath Falls
Safeway — 14840 SE Webster Road, Milwaukie
Safeway — 1140 N Springbrook Road, Newberg
Safeway — 2220 N Coast Highway, Newport
Albertsons — 19007 S Beavercreek Road, Oregon City
Safeway — 13434 Colton Place, Oregon City
Albertsons — 5415 SW Beaverton Highway, Portland
Albertsons — 451 NE 181st Ave., Portland
Albertsons — 5850 NE Prescott St., Portland
QFC — 4756 NW Bethany Blvd., Portland
QFC — 7525 SW Barnes Road, Portland
QFC — 5544 E Burnside St., Portland
Safeway — 4320 SE King Road, Portland
Safeway — 3527 SE 122nd Ave., Portland
Safeway — 1705 S Highway 97, Redmond
Safeway — 795 Lower Columbia River Highway, Saint Helens
Safeway — 37601 Highway 26, Sandy
Safeway — 401 S Roosevelt Drive, Seaside
Safeway — 20685 SW Roy Rogers Road, Sherwood
Safeway — 520 Mt Hood St., The Dalles
Safeway — 1815 Fourth St., Tillamook
Safeway — 25691 SE Stark, Troutdale
Safeway — 22000 Salamo Road, West Linn
Safeway — 8255 S Wilsonville Road, Wilsonville
What's next for the Kroger, Albertsons merger?
The Oregon Health Authority convened a community review board to provide input to the agency on the proposed merger and whether OHA should approve a deal. Representatives of Kroger, Albertsons and C&S answered prepared questions from the agency during a public hearing in April addressing concerns about the merger's impact on access to care.
According to OHA’s review, Kroger-owned pharmacies in Oregon provided prescriptions for 22% of all people in the state in 2020-2022. Albertsons-owned supermarkets have 106 retail pharmacies in Oregon stores and provide telehealth services in the state. From 2020-2022, Albertsons-owned pharmacies, some of which are under the Safeway name, provided prescriptions to 25% of those who had prescriptions filled in Oregon.
The OHA estimated the merger would mean Kroger and Albertsons would go from each holding about 15% of the prescription drug market in Oregon to holding nearly 30% of the retail prescription drug market in the state. The next largest pharmacy provider, referred to as "competitor A," would hold 13%.
Both companies currently own more than 150 retail pharmacy locations in 29 counties. People living in these counties represent nearly 99% of the statewide population, OHA said. The planned sale of stores could significantly impact Oregonians, OHA concluded in its preliminary review conducted before the announcement of additional divestitures.
On June 13, the community review board issued its recommendation to OHA, unanimously recommending OHA disapprove of the proposed transaction.
OHA will take the recommendation, public comment, various reports, and information from different entities to make its own decision either approving, approving with conditions, or disapproving of the merger.
The federal lawsuit to block the proposed merger is also ongoing.
James Powel, USA Today Trending News reporter, contributed to this story.
Dianne Lugocovers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her atdlugo@statesmanjournal.comor on Twitter@DianneLugo
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Kroger-Albertsons merger: 62 stores in Oregon would be sold