Come May, the two Albertsons stores in Bend will be converted to Haggen grocery stores.

Haggen, a grocery chain based in Bellingham, Washington, announced Friday that it has begun acquiring 146 Safeway and Albertsons grocery stores across the West Coast and is beginning to turn them into Haggen stores. These stores include both Albertsons locations in Bend, located on South Highway 97 and NE Third Street.

The conversions will be staggered over the next six months and will move south from Washington with a few exceptions, according to Deborah Pleva, communications consultant for Weinstein PR, the firm representing Haggen.

Pleva said the Bend stores will both be converted in late May. According to Pleva, each Albertsons will close at 6 p.m. on the evening of the transition.

Haggen will take ownership of the stores at 12:01 a.m. the next day. Pleva added that the stores should be closed for a day and a half to two days.

“It’s a pretty quick turnaround,” she said.

All of the current employees at the grocery stores will have the opportunity to become Haggen employees, Pleva said.

“That was a key part of the agreement, being able to retain current employees,” Pleva said. “They know the area and they know the customers, so we’re glad to have them on board.”

The sale was initially announced in December, when Albertsons and Safeway agreed to sell off stores as a condition of their merger mandated by the Federal Trade Commission.

— Reporter: 541-617-7818,

shamway@bendbulletin.com