Colorado To Say Goodbye To King Soopers And Hello To Piggly Wiggly?
With Colorado King Soopers stores' parent company, Krogers, impending merger with Albertsons, 52 Colorado stores will be sold. The buyer? C&S Wholesale Grocers, the parent company of the famous Piggly Wiggly. Here we go.
King Soopers In Colorado To Change To Piggy Wiggly After Merger?
For as long as I can remember, King Soopers has been the go-to for my family for all of our grocery needs. I grew up in the Westminster and Thornton, Colorado areas, and Kings, for those areas, was the biggest game in town. "Colorado's hometown grocer" was more than just a slogan, it truly was where people in my neighborhood got all of their shopping done. Even now, as an adult, we're right across the street from our local King Soopers and are there probably 3-4 times a week. Now that King Soopers' parent company, Kroger, has merged with Albertson's/Safeway, are we about to lose our hometown grocer?
Over 50 Colorado Kroger/Albertson's Stores Have Been Sold
With the merger in place, it was announced that over 400 Kroger/Albertson's stores would be sold across the country, and a staggering 52 of those are right here in Colorado. The company that purchased those 400+ stores owns a very successful brand called the Piggly Wiggly, which was around Colorado in the 1920s and 30s, and still operates in 18 states across the U.S. Will a Piggy Wiggly return to Colorado be next on their list?
Is Piggly Wiggly Coming To Colorado?
Our news partners at Denver7 spoke with a C&S Wholesale Grocers representative regarding potential re-branding across Colorado, who said:
The agreement is set to close in early 2024, subject to regulatory clearance and customary closing conditions. At this time, no more information will be available.
While no confirmation has been made one way or the other so far, C&S will have the exclusive rights to Albertson's name in Colorado, and with that being a familiar brand here before, that would be way more likely. If you're a Piggly Wiggly fan, don't completely rule out a return, because as we know in the business world, anything can happen if money can be made. How would you feel about the King Soopers' name being retired and either Albertson's or the Piggly Wiggly making a return to the Colorado Market? To me, with all of the equity in that brand around Colorado, that would be crazy. But... nobody ever asks me. Speaking of places that Colorado has lost recently...