5 days Ago By Veronica Nocera
Eighty-two people working at Safeway will lose their jobs when the company shuts down one of its northeast Oregon stores in May. Safeway told state workforce officials it will close its sole Baker City store, located at 1205 Campbell St., on May 25.
Employees received word of the layoffs late last month. The store is across the street from an Albertsons store; Albertsons has owned Safeway since 2015. Albertson did not immediately respond to an email regarding the reason for the closure.
Some associates may continue to work at the store after its public closure in May to finish closing operations, according to the notice, but what comes after is uncertain. “While there may be opportunities for continued employment at other company locations,” the notice read, “the limited number of nearby locations may unfortunately result in separation from the company.” Rival grocery chain Kroger mounted a bid to buy Albertsons and Safeway starting in 2022.
As part of that deal, the companies would have sold off redundant stores to preserve competition in markets where they overlap. A judge last year, however, blocked the sale , finding it would likely result in less competition overall. — Veronica Nocera covers retail and recalls news for The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Is a business in your area opening or closing? Reach Veronica at [email protected] ..
