The former Safeway and current Haggen grocery store in downtown Ashland may find itself getting an eleventh hour reprieve from the chopping block.
It is one of four stores in Oregon being bid on by the Albertsons store chain.
Haggen is looking to divest many of its stores during bankruptcy proceedings and Albertsons has come to take its locations back.
Bellingham-based Haggen is auctioning off 95 stores. Many of the stores for sale were purchased from Albertsons and Safeway in December. Haggen struggled to convert many of the stores to their brand but filed for bankruptcy protection in September.
Albertsons is bidding for 36 of the stores that went to auction Monday. It’s offering a price for stores in Washington, Oregon and Arizona.
The four stores its bidding on in Oregon are in Ashland, Baker City, Eugene and Springfield. No SW Washington stores are part of the bid.
Albertsons was forced to sell the stores last year by the Federal Trade Commission when it merged with Safeway.
It’s unclear if it intends to keep the Ashland store open if it is successful in its bid. Albertsons already operates a store on the outskirts of town.
