Sixty-Six Albertsons and Kroger Stores To Be Sold in California, Are Any in Pasadena?

It remains unknown if any stores in Pasadena will be specifically sold as part of Friday’s announcement by The Kroger Co. and Albertsons Companies Inc. of an agreement with C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC for the sale of select stores, banners, distribution centers, offices and private label brands.

The two chains operate a total of six grocery store locations in Pasadena.

Albertson’s operates Vons; there are two Vons locations in Pasadena, one at 155 California and the second location is at 2355 E Colorado Blvd.

Kroger operates three Ralphs stores, at 320 W Colorado Blvd, 160 N Lake Ave., and 3601 E Foothill Blvd., and Food4Less at 1329 N Lake Ave.

It is not known which — if any — of these Pasadena may be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers, and if sold, what plans C&S has in store for them.

The sale of some of the assets of both Kroger and Albertsons is part of a larger plan for the two companies to merge in early 2024. That plan remains subject to regulatory clearance and other closing conditions, a Kroger statement said.

The proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons Companies is expected to create a national footprint.

Many consumer advocates, unions, and independent grocers are against the deal.

The larger and more consolidated the grocery industry becomes, the less competition there is, which could lead to less selection and higher prices.

The CEOs of Kroger and Albertsons have defended the proposed merger, saying that the deal won’t hurt competition. They said this is the best way to compete with mega stores like Walmart and highly capitalized online companies like Amazon