Albertsons LLC plans to close seven unprofitable Texas stores next month, including five in the Dallas area, one of the most competitive in the nation.
Liquidation sales start Wednesday, and the company expects the stores in Carrollton, Garland, Richardson , Plano and Southlake to close around Feb. 20.
"Over the last several years, we have put our best efforts into repositioning these stores to better compete in the market place. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do so," said Albertsons spokeswoman Christine Wilcox
North Texas has more Walmart Supercenters and Neighborhood Market stores than any other major U.S. market. Last year, Aldi entered the region with 29 stores. The no-frills, small-store grocer plans to add 12 stores this year and has inspired 99-cent milk wars in recent months.
Kroger has been aggressive, opening three of its 123,000-square-foot Marketplace stores, and it has several other stores in the works, including one near downtown Dallas.
Last year, Tom Thumb opened its first new store in some time in Rockwall and built a store in Dallas on the site of its former Simon David store.
Target, which was already a major grocer here with its SuperTarget stores, has remodeled 15 of its local Target stores to include more food aisles.
Still, the area has continued to attract entrants in recent years, including Lubbock-based Market Street, Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market, and two chains from Colorado, Natural Grocers and Sunflower Farmers Market.
San Antonio-based H.E. Butt Grocers, which operates Central Market stores here, has circled the area for several years. It opened an H-E-B store in Burleson last year.
In November, Albertsons reopened a store in Watauga after other grocers closed in the area. But the chain has mostly been contracting. Even after the closings, the Idaho-based supermarket chain will operate 80 supermarkets in Texas, including 54 in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has the largest market share in the area, and Kroger is No. 2.
Albertsons expects some of the 550 people employed at the seven targeted stores to be placed in positions at other locations.
"Those we are not able to place may be eligible for severance benefits," Wilcox said.
Albertsons will be marketing the leases to prospective tenants, Wilcox said. The Tyler and San Angelo store leases expire soon.
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