Haggen
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA Washington-based regional supermarket and pharmacy chain whose remaining branded stores are owned by Albertsons Companies.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Haggen Food & Pharmacy is a regional American supermarket and pharmacy brand rooted in Bellingham, Washington. The business began in 1933 during the Great Depression, when Benett and Dorothy Haggen and Dorothy's brother Doug Clark opened a small grocery store on Bay Street under the name Economy Food Store. After moving to a larger downtown site, the business became White House Grocery and later established the Town and Country Shopping Center, where a Haggen store continues to serve as a longstanding anchor in the company's home market. The family business expanded cautiously rather than relying primarily on acquisitions. It incorporated in 1962 and opened stores in Everett and Lynnwood, Washington, during the 1960s, adding further Lynnwood locations in the following decade. In 1979, the Bellingham flagship was enlarged into a full-service superstore format. Haggen subsequently created the Top Foods division in 1982 by converting stores into larger-format supermarkets emphasizing value-oriented food and drug retailing. The Top Foods concept spread through parts of the Puget Sound region and central Washington, although the company avoided the heavily competitive Seattle market. Haggen developed a reputation as an independent Pacific Northwest retailer with full-service grocery departments, pharmacies, bakeries, prepared foods, and neighborhood-oriented service. In 1989, it became one of the earliest American grocery chains to place a Starbucks coffee operation inside a store. The company entered Oregon under the Haggen name in 1995. From 1982 through 2014, its portfolio included both Haggen supermarkets and Top Food & Drug stores, although Top Foods was later gradually converted to a Haggen Northwest Fresh format. The business experienced strategic and ownership changes after the death of Dorothy Haggen in 2008. Jim Donald, formerly associated with Starbucks, became chief executive in 2009. In 2011, the Haggen family sold a controlling interest to Comvest Group while retaining a minority stake. C.J. “Gabe” Gabriel succeeded Donald as president and chief executive, and the company began reducing its store base and retiring the Top Foods identity. A later management structure led by Clement Stevens continued efforts to realign the retailer. Haggen's defining turning point came after the 2014 Albertsons-Safeway merger. To satisfy regulatory divestiture requirements, Haggen agreed to acquire and rebrand 146 stores formerly operated by Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, and Pavilions. The transaction expanded the chain from 18 stores and 16 pharmacies to 164 stores and 106 pharmacies, and increased its workforce from approximately 2,000 to approximately 10,000. The rollout extended Haggen into Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona, far beyond its established Pacific Northwest base. The rapid conversion proved unsustainable. Haggen announced closures in August 2015, sued Albertsons in September over alleged misrepresentations and anticompetitive conduct, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection shortly afterward. The company exited the Pacific Southwest, closed the converted California stores, and reorganized around a smaller group of core Pacific Northwest locations. Albertsons settled the lawsuit in January 2016, and in March agreed to acquire 29 remaining Haggen stores for $106 million. After the sale, 15 locations retained the Haggen name, all in Washington, while other sites were converted to Albertsons. The former holding company later changed its legal name to HH Legacy, Inc. and was dissolved in 2019. Today, Haggen is best understood as a surviving regional grocery banner within the Albertsons portfolio rather than as an independent family-controlled chain. Its identity remains associated with Washington, Pacific Northwest grocery retailing, supermarket pharmacies, fresh-food departments, and the historical Bellingham store network.
History
Haggen's history began in 1933 in Bellingham, Washington, where Benett and Dorothy Haggen and Doug Clark opened the Economy Food Store during the Great Depression. The business moved to larger premises and adopted the White House Grocery name. An in-store bakery opened in 1941, and continued growth led the family to develop the Town and Country Shopping Center in 1947. Haggen's Thriftway became the center's anchor store and established a long-term connection between the retailer and its home city. The company later adopted the Haggen name and expanded beyond Bellingham. It incorporated in 1962, opened a store in Everett that year, and added a large Lynnwood location in 1968. Two additional Lynnwood stores were obtained from the Grocery Boy chain in 1971. Expansion was measured and generally based on purpose-built stores rather than large-scale acquisitions. In 1979, Haggen enlarged its Bellingham flagship to more than 40,000 square feet, introducing a superstore model with comprehensive service departments. In 1982, the company created Top Foods by converting stores in Snohomish and Wenatchee to a larger value-oriented format. Top Foods expanded through the Puget Sound region and central Washington but did not establish a major presence in Seattle, where the market was already crowded by established grocery operators. Haggen also developed its pharmacy business and broadened its full-service supermarket proposition. In 1989, it became an early U.S. grocery retailer to host a Starbucks coffee shop inside a store. The company entered Portland, Oregon, under the Haggen name in 1995. The late 2000s brought operational and ownership changes. A 2008 investigation involving federal and local agencies uncovered a drug-diversion scheme at the Edmonds pharmacy. The episode resulted in a $425,000 fine. After Dorothy Haggen died in October 2008, Jim Donald became chief executive in September 2009. In 2010, the chain ended its longstanding practice of operating stores around the clock in most cases, citing low overnight traffic and efficiency considerations. Several relatively new stores were also closed. In February 2011, Don and Rick Haggen sold a controlling interest to Comvest Group while members of the Haggen family retained a minority position. Donald left the company, and C. J. “Gabe” Gabriel became president and chief executive. During this period, Haggen began retiring the Top Foods identity, remodeling stores into a related Haggen Northwest Fresh format. The business also closed or reduced a number of Oregon and Washington locations. Gabriel left the chief executive role in December 2012, after which a three-person executive structure led by Clement Stevens directed the company. Further closures followed in 2013 and 2014, including stores in the Puget Sound area and other Washington markets. The company then undertook its most ambitious and ultimately most damaging expansion. In late 2014, it agreed to buy and rebrand 146 stores divested by Albertsons and Safeway, including Vons and Pavilions locations, as a condition of the Albertsons-Safeway merger. Haggen's store count rose from 18 to 164, its pharmacies from 16 to 106, and its workforce from about 2,000 to about 10,000. The conversion moved through Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona, with the first Southern California Haggen opening in Carlsbad in March 2015. The large-scale conversion was difficult to execute and financially unsustainable. Haggen began announcing closures in August 2015. On September 1, it filed a federal lawsuit against Albertsons, alleging that Albertsons had misrepresented the stores and had acted to undermine Haggen as a competitor. On September 8, Haggen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It subsequently announced its withdrawal from the Pacific Southwest and planned to reorganize around a smaller core of Pacific Northwest stores. Albertsons settled the lawsuit in January 2016, and in March agreed to buy 29 remaining core Haggen stores. The transaction was approved later that month. Afterward, 15 stores continued under the Haggen name, all in Washington, while other locations became Albertsons stores. The former corporate holding company changed its legal name to HH Legacy, Inc. and was dissolved in 2019. The Haggen banner nevertheless continued as a Washington supermarket brand under Albertsons ownership.
- 2019
Former holding company dissolved
[1]The former corporate entity, renamed HH Legacy, Inc., is dissolved.
- 2016
Albertsons acquires remaining core stores
[1]Albertsons agrees to purchase 29 remaining stores; 15 subsequently retain the Haggen banner.
- 2015
Rapid expansion reverses into closures and bankruptcy
[1]Haggen announces closures, sues Albertsons, and files for Chapter 11 protection.
- 2014
146 West Coast stores acquired for rebranding
[1]Haggen agrees to take over and convert stores divested as part of the Albertsons-Safeway merger.
- 2011
Comvest acquires controlling interest
[1]Comvest Group purchases a controlling interest while Haggen family members retain a minority stake.
- 1995
Expansion into Oregon
[1]Haggen opens stores under its principal banner in the Portland, Oregon, market.
- 1989
Early grocery-store Starbucks location opens
[1]Haggen becomes one of the first U.S. grocery chains to operate a Starbucks coffee shop inside a store.
- 1982
Top Foods division launched
[1]Stores in Snohomish and Wenatchee are converted to the Top Foods superstore format.
- 1979
Bellingham flagship becomes a superstore
[1]The flagship is expanded to more than 40,000 square feet with full-service departments.
- 1962
Company incorporates and expands to Everett
[1]Haggen incorporates and opens a store in Everett, marking expansion beyond Bellingham.
Products and positioning
A community-oriented Pacific Northwest supermarket and pharmacy brand emphasizing full-service grocery departments, fresh food, neighborhood convenience, and regional identity.
Supermarket · 1933
Haggen Supermarkets
The core Haggen format combines conventional grocery retailing with fresh produce, meat, seafood, dairy, bakery, deli, prepared foods, household merchandise, and health and beauty products. Historically, larger stores also provided broad service departments and a neighborhood-oriented shopping environment. The surviving banner is concentrated in Washington and reflects the chain's Pacific Northwest identity.
Retail pharmacy
Haggen Pharmacy
Haggen pharmacies operated inside many supermarkets and supplied prescription medicines, over-the-counter products, and related health services. Pharmacy operations were a central part of the chain's Food & Pharmacy positioning, although the business faced a regulatory investigation involving its Edmonds location in 2008.
Supermarket format · 2011
Haggen Northwest Fresh
Haggen Northwest Fresh was a remodeled format introduced as the company phased out the Top Foods identity. It adapted the larger-store concept around the Haggen banner and emphasized fresh-food presentation and Pacific Northwest branding.
Supermarket and pharmacy format · 1982
Top Food & Drug
Top Food & Drug was Haggen's value-oriented superstore division, created in 1982 through conversions of existing Washington stores. The format expanded around Puget Sound and central Washington before being gradually retired and replaced by Haggen Northwest Fresh stores.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2016
Sale of remaining core stores to AlbertsonsM&ABackground
Following bankruptcy proceedings, Haggen needed to monetize its remaining core store base and resolve its ownership structure.
Action taken
Haggen agreed to sell 29 remaining stores to Albertsons for $106 million.
Aftermath
Fifteen Washington stores retained the Haggen branding, while other locations were converted to Albertsons.
Purchase price. $106 million (Agreement announced March 11, 2016; approved March 29, 2016)
2015
Withdrawal from the Pacific SouthwestStrategyBackground
The newly converted stores did not produce a sustainable operating base, and Haggen entered Chapter 11.
Action taken
Haggen announced that it would close its California stores and leave the Pacific Southwest, concentrating on core Pacific Northwest operations.
Aftermath
The company reorganized around a substantially smaller store portfolio before selling most remaining stores to Albertsons.
2014
Acquisition and conversion of 146 divested storesM&ABackground
The Albertsons-Safeway merger required divestitures intended to preserve competition in local grocery markets.
Action taken
Haggen agreed to acquire and rebrand 146 stores formerly associated with Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, and Pavilions.
Aftermath
The transaction increased Haggen's footprint more than eightfold but was followed by operational difficulties, closures, litigation, and bankruptcy.
2011
Phase-out of Top FoodsStrategyBackground
The company sought to simplify its store portfolio and place more locations under a unified Haggen identity.
Action taken
Top Foods stores began to be remodeled and rebranded as Haggen Northwest Fresh locations.
Aftermath
The Top Foods banner was progressively reduced and ultimately discontinued.
2010
End of routine 24-hour store operationsStrategyBackground
Haggen reviewed overnight store traffic and determined that maintaining 24-hour operations was inefficient in most locations.
Action taken
The chain announced that stores would generally stop operating around the clock, with limited exceptions.
Aftermath
The change was presented as an efficiency measure during a period of operational reassessment.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/haggen · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled