Albertsons drops 225 Safeway administrative workers in productivity move
Albertsons Cos. is laying off 225 Safeway administrative employees at an office in northwest Phoenix, Arizona.
The company indicated that the affected workers at the facility were informed of the job losses in a notice to local officials.
Albertsons Cos. operates roughly 130 supermarkets under the Albertsons or Safeway banners in Arizona. The corporation had been pursuing a merger with Kroger Co., which operates Fry’s Food Stores in Arizona, until a federal judge and another in Washington state blocked the deal.
Both companies are among the 10 largest nongovernmental employers in the state, with Kroger counting more than 19,800 employees and Albertsons/Safeway employing 14,500 people, according to the Arizona Republic 100 special report published in September.
Albertsons didn’t respond directly to questions or details about the layoffs. A company spokesperson issued a statement that the corporation remains in a strong financial condition but “cannot stand still and must constantly recalibrate our company to compete in a rapidly changing market.”
The statement didn’t explain what types of positions were eliminated or the timing of the layoffs but, rather, it cited the need to find new sources of productivity and the need to invest for growth.
“After many years of productivity efforts across several parts of our company, we recently turned our attention to our general and administrative expenses and made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our corporate and division-support workforce. No store-level associates were impacted.”
According to the statement, “This decision was not made lightly, and we appreciate the contributions of impacted associates. We are providing comprehensive support to all impacted associates, including severance packages with extended benefits, career support services and additional resources during this transition.”
The layoffs were disclosed in an Arizona WARN or Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification issued Jan. 14.
Reach the writer at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.