East Bay Andronico's Stores Among Chain's Sale To Safeway

BAYAREA, CA – A Bay Area supermarket with five locations and a loyal following in the region is being bought by Safeway, officials with the supermarket said Wednesday.

Andronico's Community Markets, with two stores in Berkeley, and one in Los Altos, San Anselmo and San Francisco, will transition to the Safeway name.

Officials with Safeway or Andronico's did not say when the deal will be complete or when the name of the stores will change.

Also unknown is the fate of Andronico's warehouse in San Leandro and the employees at that location.

The owner of Andronico's, Renovo Capital, which purchased the supermarket out of bankruptcy in 2011, sat down with Safeway officials to talk about a deal earlier this year.

One aim of the sale is to preserve union jobs and the stores will continue to operate in the same way, Andronico's officials said.

Company officials said more jobs may be created because of the deal. Employees' union pay and benefits will remain the same and workers will stay in their current roles.

"We're proud that Safeway has chosen our stores and our TeamMates to join their dynamic company," Andronico's CEO Suzy Monford said in a statement. "We're synergistic retailers who share a commitment to best quality, local and artisan foods, as well as in supporting union jobs within our communities."

“Andronico’s Community Markets have developed a well-respected brand and loyal customer base, and we are committed to keeping the local heritage alive. Our goal is to preserve everything great about Andronico’s, while adding Safeway’s innovations and great Own Brands products, including O Organics”, said Tom Schwilke, President of Safeway Northern California.

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--Bay City News contributed to this report/Image courtesy of Jackson L. on Yelp