Vol. 23 No. 10
Oct. 2015 BelleWood acres finds success in diversifying [Page 24]
The Buzz Pot is legal, but workplace drug policies haven’t changed Whatcom County employers aren’t relaxing their policies towards marijuana, experts say. But more people are failing drug tests. DRUG POLICY, 12
Interviews with port commissioner canditates Two candidates—Bobby Briscoe and Gary Jensen—are on the ballot for Port of Bellingham Commission District No. 3. ELECTION, 8
Why did Haggen file for bankruptcy in Delaware?
An employee pushes shopping carts outside a Haggen store at 2814 Meridian St., in Bellingham. [OLIVER LAZENBY PHOTO | THE BELLINGHAM BUSINESS JOURNAL]
HAGGEN’S BOOM AND BUST
Many corporations file for bankruptcy in Delaware because they think the outcome will be better in the “First State.”
How the Bellingham-based grocer’s massive expansion went sour On November 4, 2014, two months after John Clougher became Haggen’s CEO, Haggen executives attended a meeting at Albertsons headquarters in Boise, Idaho. They were negotiating a $300 million dollar deal, according to court documents filed long after the deal went bad. The deal would be huge for Haggen—it added 146 former Safeway and Albertsons stores to the Bellinghambased company’s portfolio of 18 Washington and Oregon supermarkets. For Albertsons, the sale was a small but necessary part of a $9.4 billion merger with its rival Safeway. Albertsons’ bid to become one
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BY OLIVER LAZENBY The Bellingham Business Journal
DELAWARE, 21
of the country’s biggest supermarkets dependAt the time, he didn’t imagine Haggen could ed on it successfully selling 146 West Coast grow by 146 stores and become a major West supermarkets to Haggen. The Federal Trade Coast grocery player. That opportunity found Commission, concerned that the Albertsonshim. Safeway merger would reduce competition “It’s a great opportunity. Opportunities and hurt shoppers in 130 market areas across come when they come,” Clougher said in the West Coast, ordered Albertsons to sell off December 2014 after Haggen announced the 168 total stores before it would allow the deal. Haggen was coming out of a rough patch. Haggen, PAGE 22 The company had closed 10 stores in a twoyear period before the meeting. But in September 2014, just after taking over as CEO, Clougher told the Bellingham Business Journal that sales numbers were up and Haggen was ready to grow again, though he didn’t “feel the need for any visionary changes,” he said. WE SELL AND BUY: