Will United Supermarkets All Become Albertson’s?

Amarillo and Texas Panhandle residents have many questions about the purchase of United Supermarkets by Albertson's.  Will Uniteds all be changed to Albertson's?  Will they jack up prices?  Will we still get that amazing Texas style service you expect when shopping at the stores after the transition is completed?  Most importantly, will they still do those awesome cash giveaways like United is famous for?

I don't have all the answers, but I have a few thanks to Amarillo Globe News.

AGN:

"The United chain will retain its United Supermarket, Market Street and Amigos banners, its executive management and staff, its Lubbock headquarters, distribution facilities and other entities under the deal.

Terms of the proposed transaction were not disclosed, but the pact faces an antitrust review before it can be closed.

United will make its own decisions, while benefiting from the larger Albertson’s company’s buying power and access to capital, CEO Robert Taylor said.

That fits with Albertson’s decentralized style of managing its 600 Albertsons stores, Wilcox said.

“A lot of companies try to centralize operations in one city,” Wilcox said. “Our office in Los Angeles is making decisions for Southern California. And our office in Phoenix is making decisions for Arizona and New Mexico.”

Decisions such as the right product mix for stores, therefore, can be tailored more for the markets where those stores are located, she said.

Albertson’s CEO Bob Miller has praised United’s “entrepreneurial spirit,” including its acquisitions of RC Taylor, which distributes tobacco, candy and general merchandise, and Praters, a manufacturer or prepared foods, such as meats, side dishes and fresh tortillas.

“United runs a fantastic operation and will maintain its own identity,” Miller said in a news release announcing the transaction."

So for those that are worried about the new acquisition, don't be.  If I'm reading this correctly, United Supermarkets will stay the same, just be under new ownership.  But it appears the process in which the supermarkets are ran isn't going to change.