Negotiations for the proposed $25 billion dollar mega-merger between Kroger and Albertsons have now resulted in a list of stores to be sold off. Both the Pavilions on Jefferson Boulevard and the Vons at 3188 Sepulveda Blvd. in West Los Angeles are on the list of stores to be sold to C & S Wholesale Grocers.The merger, which is still not approved, and will only go forward if federal regulators confirm Kroger’s purchase of the Albertsons chain.
Many of the stores slated to be sold off are in Southern California, and the area could be greatly impacted by the shift in the corporate landscape. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 leader Kathy Finn said that the proposed merger would “impact California … more than any other state.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the sale of hundreds of stores and facilities was valued at $2.9 billion in April. In February of 2024, the Federal Trade Commission announced it was suing to block the merger, arguing that it would “obliterate competition,” leading to higher prices and lower-quality products for millions of Americans.
C & S Wholesale Grocers website states that they “supply more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with over 100,000 different products. C&S also proudly operates and supports corporate grocery stores and services independent franchisees under a chain-style model throughout the Midwest, South and Northeast.” The stores in southern California would see that corporation expanding out to a new region.
While Culver City has an abundance of grocery stores – Sprouts, Erewhon, Smart & Final, Costco, two Trader Joe’s locations and two Target stores that offer groceries – some surrounding areas in LA County are sometimes defined as ‘food deserts’ where there are no grocery stores for miles.
The “little” Vons at 4030 Centinela Ave. is not on the list of stores being proposed for sale.
Judith Martin-Straw
