Local Haggen Grocery Stores Will Change in Under Two Months

Haggen stores is set to make another change, within two months, after announcing a sell off of its properties in the Pacific Southwest. A plan will be presented to a federal judge in Delaware by mid October.

The roll out in spring and summer of Haggen stores came with fanfare and inquisitive shoppers, many who had never heard of the chain out of Washington state. Some Vons and some Albertsons were flipped in the Central Coast region. While many customers realized the prices were different than the prior stores, Haggen said it was going to add many new products in the coming months. The plan collapsed and many stores in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona are available.

Customers speaking to NewsChannel 3 said they were concerned about the workers and their job security. They also wanted a new store that would fit the area and its unique mix of residents better.

Employees have been told they can look for other work at Vons or Albertsons if they are interested, without any legal challenges due to a non complete policy which has been lifted. Some say they want to stay at the store because of the customer base and a familiar work environment, once the new owners are announced.

Some questions have been raised about this agreement with Haggen, especially since it has not worked out as it was first presented to federal regulators looking at the business deal.

Several lawsuits over the plan and contracts involved have been filed.

More details on the Haggen store scale back will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Stores surveyed today were well stocked, clean, staffed and operations appeared to be normal.

A Goleta city representative said efforts will be made to cut red tape for the new grocery store operation, what ever it may be, to help with the opening as soon as possible.