Grocery operator Haggen said that it would exit the Pacific Southwest market and realign its business around 37 core stores and a stand-alone pharmacy in the Pacific Northwest, as part of its bankruptcy protection process, Reuters reported yesterday. The Bellingham, Wash.-based company filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month, blaming its takeover of 146 stores from rival supermarket chain Albertsons, and had said it planned to reorganize around its profitable locations. The core stores include 37 stores that were part of the Albertsons acquisition, and specific locations were not disclosed. Haggen operates in California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Nevada. The company said that it was seeking bankruptcy court approval to carry out store-closing sales.
