Not good news for fans of the last Albertson’s grocery store left in Shreveport, but your grocery store options may be shrinking before too long, if a merger between two corporate giants is allowed to go through. The merger between Kroger and Albertson’s could possibly have an impact on jobs and food options right here in Shreveport.
Albertson’s closed the Bossier City location in September of 2017, impacting 76 local workers, not all of whom were able to transfer to other jobs within the company. That closure left one Albertson’s location in Shreveport, on the corner of E. Kings Highway and Southfield Road.
Now, Kroger Co. is planning on buying out the Albertson’s name, and according to one report, part of the merger would include shedding over 400 stores, mostly in the western part of the U.S.
In September ’23, Kroger and Albertson’s announced a sell-off of 413 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers, which operates stores under the names of Grand Union Supermarkets, and Piggly Wiggly Supermarkets.
Will Louisiana be Affected?
Several stores across both states are going to be impacted in the divestiture plan published by Kroger. According to the information about the merger, 28 stores in Texas and 2 stores in Louisiana will be affected.
The full map of the two companies stores across the country can be seen below.
With 44 locations, Texas is Albertsons’ second-biggest state as far as number of stores, and over half of those, 26 locations, are slated to be closed.
Albertson’s has 7 locations in Louisiana: 1 in Alexandria, 7 in Baton Rouge, 1 in Broussard, 1 in Hammond, 3 in Lafayette, 2 in Lake Charles, and 1 in Shreveport.
Kroger and Albertson’s each operate more than 2,000 stores across the country, and the merger between the merger will not close until after January 17, 2024.
However, even though the two chains have agreed on a merger, it’s still not a done deal. Government regulators who were questioning the deal could still try to block it, resulting in legal action that might delay the deal.
As of this writing, neither company has actually listed which 28 Texas stores or which 2 Louisiana stores will be closed.
A Kroger spokesperson said in an email statement the company could not disclose which stores would be divested because the sale is still in the regulatory process. “We anticipate being able to share these details closer to closing,” the statement said.
All gas stations and pharmacies associated with the divested stores will remain with the supermarkets and continue to operate.