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Friday, September 17, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Raley's to open first LV store
The grocery store chain will soon begin converting Albertson's markets to its own brand.
By Hubble Smith
Review-Journal
The first of 19 Raley's Supermarkets and Drug Centers in Las Vegas opens Saturday at 8150 S. Eastern Ave. as the Northern California food chain begins its takeover of former Albertson's stores here.
In the next few weeks, Raley's will be closing the remainder of Albertson's stores for three days each so employees can "re-merchandise" the stores with Raley's private labels and fresh produce, meat, bakery and deli items.
The familiar blue Albertson's signs are being replaced with Raley's bright red signs on a rolling schedule that should be completed by Oct. 7. A grand opening for Raley's flagship store at 4015 S. Buffalo Drive is slated for Oct. 8.
Raley's, which has been in a long-term growth mode for several years, leaped at the opportunity to enter the Las Vegas market when the Federal Trade Commission ordered Albertson's to divest its Southern Nevada stores after its acquisition of Lucky.
"We've been looking for ways to grow this company for the last five years, and the two principal markets we had specific interest in were Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, two growing markets," said Michael Teel, president and chief executive officer of Sacramento, Calif.-based Raley's.
The company first approached Albertson's about snapping up stores in Raley's current market, particularly in the San Francisco area, but the FTC wouldn't allow it. That's when Albertson's offered its stores in Las Vegas and New Mexico.
Teel would not disclose the purchase price of the stores by privately held Raley's, which was founded by Tom Raley in 1935 with his first store in Placerville, Calif.
The company now has 150 stores and 17,500 employees in four divisions, including Bel Air Markets, Food Source and Nob Hill Foods, and had $2.5 billion in revenue last year, according to Carolyn White, a spokeswoman for Raley's.
The transition will be quite seamless for the 1,600 Las Vegas employees, who had to re-apply for their jobs with Raley's, with few personnel changes, White said.
Raley's reached a mutual agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers union in Las Vegas to honor existing contracts.
"We entered into negotiations early on to make sure we had all of our bases covered," Teel said.
As part of its commitment to the community, Raley's donated all private label merchandise and perishable goods from the changeover to the Community Food Bank of Clark County for distribution to the hungry. The donation is estimated at $2 million.
From Albertson's to Raley's
Review-Journal
The following former Albertson's stores will be closed for three days for re-merchandising of inventory and changing of signs to Raley's beginning on the dates listed:
-- 3160 N. Rainbow Blvd., Monday
-- 9200 W. Sahara Ave., Monday
-- 3864 W. Sahara Ave., Monday
-- 1570 N. Eastern Ave., Wednesday
-- 4821 W. Craig Road, Wednesday
-- 2545 S. Eastern Ave., Wednesday
-- 120 S. Rainbow Blvd., Wednesday
-- 8570 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Sept. 27
--1255 S. Lamb Blvd., Sept. 27
-- 2475 E. Tropicana Ave., Sept. 27
-- 4790 E. Flamingo Road, Sept. 29
-- 1421 N. Jones Blvd., Sept. 29
-- 1955 N. Nellis Blvd., Sept. 29
-- 6150 W. Flamingo Road, Sept. 29
-- 4015 S. Buffalo Drive, Oct. 4
-- 55 S. Valley Verde Drive, Oct. 4
-- 260 E. Lake Mead Drive, Oct. 4
-- 2771 N. Green Valley Parkway, Oct. 4
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Printable version of this story
A worker for Ad Art puts up the new Raley's sign on a former Albertson's store at 8150 S. Eastern Ave. It's the first of 19 Albertson's stores in Las Vegas being taken over by Raley's.
Photo by Jerry Henkel/Review-Journal
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