PORT ANGELES — The auction of Haggen’s core stores, including one in Port Angeles, has been rescheduled for a third time, The Bellingham Herald reported.
The company has 33 stores that are expected to be in the auction, rescheduled for March 11, according to a court document filed Friday afternoon.
The company also operates several non-core stores in Oregon and Washington, although it is unclear whether those stores will be part of the auction.
The auction was scheduled for this coming Monday before the latest change. Previously, it was scheduled for January but then was moved to Feb. 5.
The newly rescheduled auction begins at 6 a.m. PST at the law offices of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York City.
The court document did not specify why Monday’s auction was postponed, nor did officials from the Bellingham-based grocer provide comment.
The sale hearing to approve the high bidder, which was scheduled to take place Monday, Feb. 29, also will be rescheduled for a later date.
The qualified bidders for the auction have not been publicly disclosed.
A variety of options exist for the future of the Bellingham-based grocer, depending on who emerges as the high bidder.
Options
An investor or buyer could come in and purchase the stores with the intention of keeping the brand, which is well-known in the Pacific Northwest. It is also possible that the Comvest Group, the Florida private investment firm that became the major stakeholder in the company in 2011, could enter the auction and be the high bidder.
It’s also possible a different grocer could be the high bidder and convert the stores to its brand, marking the end of the Haggen era.
The auction is part of the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
The Bellingham-based grocer purchased 146 stores in 2015 from Albertsons and Safeway to help satisfy a Federal Trade Commission requirement of shedding stores prior to the Albertsons-Safeway merger.
In November, Haggen auctioned off dozens of stores, retaining the Port Angeles store and 32 others.
The Haggen banner went up on the former Albertsons store at 114 E. Lauridsen Blvd. in Port Angeles in February 2015.
Store Manager Darrel Chard confirmed last December that the Port Angeles store was among those to be sold at auction.
He had no information about plans for the some 65 employees of the store.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
