BUSINESS UPDATE: Albertsons on Country Club in danger of closing

Albertsons on Country Club in Lake Charles could be closing its doors.

Albertsons and Kroger released a list of stores to be sold if regulators approve a merger, and that location is on the list.

Mary Kaye Eason, represents the area where both stores are located as District 8 Calcasieu Parish Police Juror. She is also an Albertson’s shopper.

“It’s the closest store to my home,” she said, “and I like the smaller size, the smaller shopping experience. I will miss it, but I do understand the federal regulations that govern corporate mergers and the business expense of maintaining two locations in close proximity.”

Five hundred and seventy-eight other stores are on the list that will be transferred from the merging companies to C&S Wholesale Grocers, along with six distribution and one dairy plant. The Albertsons Ryan Street location is not on the list. In Louisiana, only two stores will close, the Country Club Albertsons and the 105 E. Southfield Road store in Shreveport.

The merger was announced two years ago, but the Federal Trade Commission sued to stop it because it would harm workers, shoppers, suppliers and communities. The merger represents about 20 percent of the U.S. grocery market, USA Today reported. The USDA said that would affect one out of six grocery laborers if approved. Some are unionized.