Albertsons Moves Out, Stater Bros. Moves In

The Albertsons store on Mission Trail in Lake Elsinore will officially close its doors May 5 to make way for a new “Blue Ribbon” Stater Bros. Supermarket.

Stater Bros. has entered into a purchase agreement with Albertsons for the purchase of the land, building and fixtures at the Albertsons located in the Lake Elsinore Town Center at 32281 Mission Trail, according to a Stater Bros. news release.

A new “Blue Ribbon” Stater Bros. Supermarket will be replacing a smaller Stater Bros. Store located across the street on Mission Trail. 

At 43,162 sq. ft., the newly acquired Albertsons space will be over 76 percent larger than the existing Stater Bros. store, the news release stated.

A grand opening for the new Stater Bros. is scheduled for early Spring 2012.

Ron McInturf, acting store director at the Mission Trail Albertsons store, said Albertsons is doing all it can to retain its Mission Trail employees and transfer them to other locations.

“We’re going through contract rules and regulations now,” McInturf said, noting that the Albertsons employees are union

Approximately 40 employees currently work at the Albertsons Mission Trail location, McInturf said.

Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa and today regards itself as the largest privately owned supermarket chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The company currently operates 167 supermarkets.

Albertsons opened its first store in 1939 in Boise, Idaho. The company is now part of the publicly traded SuperValu Corporation.