87-year-old retail grocery giant lays off 100s in store closings
Albertsons (ANGLEA leading U.S. food and drug retailer is pulling back from the high-risk North Texas market as part of a broader restructuring.
According to recent Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filings listed by USA TodayThe grocery giant will close two locations in Tarrant County by the end of April, resulting in 138 layoffs.
This adds to a series of location closures for the grocery retailer covering California and Washington, D.C. These new locations contribute to the shrinking of the company’s physical footprint after it closes 20 stores in 2025 to survive as an independent entity.
while Euless And Fort Worth closure While it may seem like a local story, they underscore the rising trend of digital productivity as merger ambitions cool in a highly competitive market.
Under company poster Known names like Safeway, Vons, Acme, Pavilions, Shaw’s and Tom Thumb have a combined strength of more than 2,200 stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia.
A planned $24.6 billion merger between grocery giant Kroger and Albertsons in 2024 collapsed due to antitrust concerns and concerns that it would reduce the bargaining power of workers.
This deal was a missed lifeline for financially stressed Albertsons. costcoWalmart and Texas-based HEB continue to find it extremely difficult to survive in this market.
More Layoffs:
Market manipulation by dominant retail energy buyers like Walmart is also adding to the pressure; which “contributes to higher food prices for American consumers.” National Association of Convenience Stores.
This is forcing local retailers like Albertsons to prepare for a harsh reality where names like Walmart have captured nearly 23% of the U.S. grocery market with a valuation of over $1 trillion, followed by Kroger, which accounts for more than 10% of the market, TheStreet reported.
In the company’s third quarter earnings call In January 2025, then-CEO Viveik Sankaran announced that increasing digital sales was a key part of the revival strategy.
“We have continued to invest in growth through four digital platforms to engage customers. These platforms are designed to drive sales, engage more deeply with our most loyal customers, increase customer lifetime value, and create digital space and robust data for the Albertsons Media collective,” said former Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran.
