Albertsons filed its IPO in late 2015 intending to raise $100 million, which it plans to use to pay down debt.

Operations

The company has more than 600 stores and more than 60,000 employees.

It also offers has a prescription savings plan called MyRxCare that offers $3.99/month pricing on range of medications, and a generous discount on most other prescriptions.

Geographic Reach

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operates stores in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Financial Performance

Albertsons' stores rang up an estimated $23 billion in sales in 2013.

Strategy

Albertsons hews to a decentralized operating strategy that empowers local management to build stronger brands across diverse market areas.

Streamlining it operations, in 2014 the company agreed to sell a number of stores in California to the Haggen Food & Pharmacy grocery chain. Haggan agreed to buy more than 83 Albertsons, Pavilions and Vons stores, 28 of which are located in Los Angeles County.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Albertsons is one of two divisions of AB Acquisition, which is owned by the New York-based private equity Cerberus Capital Management and four real estate companies. In 2015 AB Acquisition also acquired another greatly diminished grocery operator, Safeway, and merged the two in an $8 billion deal to create a nationwide grocery store company with 2,230 stores under 16 names, nearly 30 distribution facilities, and about 20 manufacturing plants.

In a move that reversed the downward slide in its store count, Albertsons greatly expanded its presence in Texas with the purchase of 50 supermarkets and three distributions centers (among other assets) from family-owned and Lubbock-based United Supermarkets. The deal (the terms of which were not disclosed) closed in October 2013. United operates as an independent unit of Albertsons. Albertsons, which has about 75 stores in Texas, should benefit from United's strong reputation in north and west Texas. The acquired stores continue to do business under the United, Market Street, and Amigos banners. The purchase is a reversal of sorts for Albertsons, whose recent history has been marked by retreat from some markets, including California and Utah, and big cutbacks in others, such as Colorado, Florida, and Texas.

In March 2013 the company acquired all of the remaining Albertsons grocery stores in California, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming, and Utah that were formerly owned by SUPERVALU. The purchase included 877 stores in all.