CEO thinks grocery chain will be a hit in Las Vegas Valley

A growing name in the grocery game is coming to Southern Nevada this month.

Haggen Inc. recently bought seven Vons and Albertsons stores in the area and will convert them to the Haggen Food & Pharmacy brand in the next few weeks.

Nevada shoppers might not be familiarwiththeBellingham,Wash.based chain, which was founded in 1933. Haggen says it intends to be a one-stop shop focusing on fresh, locally sourced products alongside big brands.

Last year, Albertsons and Safeway announced plans to merge and had to sell some of their stores to meet anti-monopoly requirements. Haggen agreed to buy 146 stores, increasing its number of locations from 18 to 164 and its employee count from about 2,000 to about 10,000.

The chain, which already had stores in Washington and Oregon, gained a presence in Nevada, California and Arizona with the purchase.

The conversions at the stores in Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City will begin Sunday. Employees at the Vons and Albertsons stores will have the opportunity to stay on board as Haggen workers.

Among the changes Haggen says it’s making at the stores during the 40-hour conversion process are introducing a larger variety of organic produce; adding higher-quality meats and seafood; improving service-deli products, such as healthier, house-made salads and preservative-free meats; and revamping the bakeries to add fresh-baked items such as cinnamon rolls and graband-go breakfast sandwiches.

Haggen’s purchase of 146 stores represents growth of more than