LOS ANGELES—The strict timeline in the Haggen grocery acquisition presented the most significant challenge, according to the Sue Zabloudil, partner and real estate practice group leader in Akerman LLP‘s Los Angeles office, which helped represent Haggen in the transaction. Last week, GlobeSt.com reported that Haggen, a Pacific Northwest-based grocery chain, purchased 146 stores from the merger between Albertson’s and Safeway. The lofty purchase brings Haggen’s portfolio from 18 stores to 164 stores through the West Coast.
“In connection with the Albertson’s/Safeway merger, they required FTC approval, and they had specific timeframes that they needed to meet in order to obtain that approval,” Zabloudil, tells GlobeSt.com. “So, we were governed by a timeline of which we had no control in order to meet their deadline. It was also a competitive process with other bidders, so it was critical for our team to get through the diligence in the most efficient manner possible, and to get the client all of the information that they needed in order to make a decision, be a head of the game and be competitive.”