Cuts won't affect Clovis grocery store

Albertson’s grocery store on Prince Street survived a cut list of 100 stores expected to be closed by its new owner, according to the store’s manager.

Bill Bargman expressed optimism about the change in ownership.

“We see better things to come for our customers,” said Bargman, who has managed the store for 12 years.

The grocery store employs 75.

The Clovis store is one of 661 stores bought by a group of investors led by privately-owned Cerberus Capital Management, according to a news release from the group.

The bulk of the stores targeted for closure are in California and Texas, according to company officials.

There are no plans to close any of the 27 Albertson’s in New Mexico, including the one on Prince Street, company spokeswoman Chris Wilcox said.

Cerberus’ purchase includes Albertson’s and Super Saver stores and combination store-pharmacies that operate as Osco and Sav-on in the Dallas/Fort Worth region and in the Florida, northern California, Rocky Mountain and southwestern region, the Cerberus release said.

Robert Miller is chief executive officer of the Boise-based company.

“Being part of a smaller, privately held organization, we can accomplish things at the local level that were not practical before,” Miller said in the news release. “We will have a more targeted focus on what is right for the customer and be able to make those decisions much more quickly and closer to them.”

Albertson’s was founded in 1939 by Joe Albertson in Boise, according to Wikipedia. At its peak, it operated more than 2,500 grocery stores and 700 drug stores in 37 states, according to Wikipedia.