Original source text
Albertsons® Companies, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) today announced a new regional operating model and the next step in its Merch United merchandising model, two connected changes designed to simplify how the company operates and position teams to respond more quickly to customer needs.“We call it the ACI Edge. It combines the scale and capabilities of a national retailer with the accountability and local focus that have long distinguished our banners,” said Susan Morris, Chief Executive Officer of Albertsons Cos. “By consolidating 11 divisions into four regions and centralizing center store merchandising, we can make faster decisions, improve in-stocks and move accountability closer to our stores, where fresh, service and local execution matter most to customers.”
The new operating model will move the company from 11 divisions to four regions. Each region will include local markets focused on strengthening customer connections, supporting stores and driving results in their communities.
The California Region will include the Southern California and Northern California markets. The West Region will include the Mountain West, Portland and Seattle markets. The South Region will include the Southwest, Southern and United markets. The East Region will include the Jewel-Osco, Mid-Atlantic and Shaw’s markets.
The company is also advancing Merch United by centralizing center store merchandising, bringing customer insights, supplier relationships, strategy, product, placement, promotion and price under a single enterprise team while continuing to combine national scale with local expertise. Merch United combines the buying power, data and analytics of a national retailer with the customer focus and local insights of Albertsons Cos.' market teams.
“Center store centralization is an important next step in Merch United and in how we build a stronger, more connected merchandising organization,” said Michelle Larson, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer of Albertsons Cos. “By bringing center store work together at the enterprise level, we can better leverage our scale, strengthen supplier partnerships and create more capacity for our regional and market teams to focus on fresh, local and the customer needs that make each community unique.”
Fresh merchandising decisions will remain in the markets and continue to be guided by the Merch United strategy, local customer preferences and market needs. Regional and market teams will continue to play an essential role in serving customers, supporting stores and delivering locally relevant experiences.
There are no plans to realign stores or districts as part of this transition. The company’s banners will continue serving customers with the local identity, history and community connections that have made them trusted shopping destinations.
Ultimately, these changes are intended to improve how Albertsons Cos. serves customers. A simpler operating structure, combined with the company's growing data and AI capabilities, will help teams respond more quickly to customer needs, improve in-stock performance and deliver a more consistent experience across stores and digital channels.
About Albertsons Companies
Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. As of June 20, 2026, the Company operated 2,240 retail stores with 1,708 in-store pharmacies, 408 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The Company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 22 well known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci's Food Lovers Market. The Company is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2025, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company contributed $497 million in food and financial support, including $56 million through its Nourishing Neighbors Program, to ensure those living in its communities and those impacted by disasters have enough to eat.
Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Haggen and Balducci's Food Lovers Market are registered trademarks of Albertsons Companies Inc. or its subsidiaries. ACME, Carrs, Kings Food Markets, Shaw's, and Star Market are trademarks of Albertsons Companies Inc. or its subsidiaries. Albertsons associated logos, product names and services are trademarks of Albertsons Companies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The "forward-looking statements" include our current expectations, assumptions, perspectives and projections about our business and our industry. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "outlook," "may," "should," "could," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "future" and "intends" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. In evaluating our forward-looking statements, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties more fully described in the “Risk Factors” section or other sections in our reports filed with the SEC including the most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260723720139/en/