Merger News

Kroger-Albertsons merger would sell 26 stores across Dallas-Fort Worth

Kroger store

Kroger

A proposed merger between two supermarket chains would affect 26 stores across Dallas-Fort Worth: The two chains are Kroger and Albertsons, who are attempting to merge into one company in order to compete with big guns like Walmart and Amazon.

The merger has been challenged by federal regulators, prompting two chains to create a plan in which they would sell off nearly 600 locations.

UPDATE 6-26-2024: Albertsons and Kroger have agreed to pause the acquisition until the outcome of a trial in the state of Colorado which begins September 30, according to BoiseDev.com. It could challenge an October 9 deadline that the two companies agreed upon; if the deal is not complete by then, either can walk away, and Albertsons would get a $600-million fee.
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Kroger, which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has 2,750 stores in 35 states, which includes brands like Ralphs, Smith’s, and Harris Teeter. Albertsons, which is based in Boise, Idaho, has operates 2,273 stores in 34 states, including brands like Safeway, Jewel Osco, and Shaw’s.

The two companies proposed the merger in 2022 in order to help them compete against mega-chains like Walmart, Amazon, and Costco. According to the Associated Press, if Kroger and Albertsons were combined, that would give them control of 13 percent of the grocery market versus Walmart's 22 percent.

In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit to block the merger, stating that it would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices. Inflation has already raised grocery prices by 11.4 percent in 2022 and another 5 percent in 2023.

A hearing has been set for July 31.

To prove that the merger would not result in a monopoly, Kroger and Albertsons have agreed to sell 579 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers, a supplier based in New Hampshire that operates a total of 23 supermarkets including 11 Grand Union stores in New York as well as owning the Piggly Wiggly brand.

In a statement, C&S said that it was "committed to ensuring zero stores will close as a result of the merger, all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading benefits alongside bargained-for wages."

The two chains originally proposed selling 413 stores in locations where their operations overlap, but have added another 166 stores for a total of 579 in Washington (124), Arizona (101), Colorado (91), California (63), Oregon (62), Illinois (35), Texas (28), Nevada (16), and Alaska (18).

Store brands affected would include Tom Thumb, Randalls, Market Street, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, QFC, Mariano's, Carrs, Harris Teeter, and Haggen.

Industry publication Supermarket News has the full list of stores across the U.S.

Of the stores in Texas that are affected, 26 are in North Texas; the other two are two Randalls stores in the Houston area.

The Texas stores impacted include:

Market Street — 985 W Bethany Dr, Allen
Albertsons — 6220 U S Hwy 287, Arlington
Albertsons — 301 SW Plaza Shopping Ctr, Arlington
Tom Thumb — 1701 W Randol Mill Rd, Arlington
Tom Thumb — 2755 N Collins, Arlington
Tom Thumb — 6333 E Mockingbird Ln, Dallas
Albertsons — 2321 W University Dr, Denton
Albertsons — 1155 N Main St, Euless
Market Street — 3800 Long Prairie Rd, Flower Mound
Tom Thumb — 4301 Cross Timbers Rd, Flower Mound
Market Street — 11999 Dallas Pkwy, Frisco
Market Street — 4268 Legacy Dr, Frisco
Tom Thumb — 4848 Preston Rd, Frisco
Tom Thumb — 5550 Fm 423, Frisco
Tom Thumb — 612 Grapevine Hwy, Hurst
Tom Thumb — 1000 Keller Pkwy, Keller
Market Street — 3145 E Broad St, Mansfield
Market Street — 6100 W Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney
Tom Thumb — 6800 W Virginia Pkwy, McKinney
Tom Thumb — 1501 Pioneer Rd, Mesquite
Tom Thumb — 3945 Legacy Dr, Plano
Tom Thumb — 1380 W Campbell Rd, Richardson
Tom Thumb — 3070 N Goliad, Rockwall
Tom Thumb — 551 Laurence Dr, Rockwall
Albertsons — 1201 N Saginaw Blvd, Saginaw
Tom Thumb — 101 Trophy Lake Dr, Trophy Club
Randalls — 2931 Central City Blvd, Galveston
Randalls — 14610 Memorial Dr, Houston

Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun