Supermarket chain Albertsons will be closing 19 Southern California stores before December 1 in a move by parent company Supervalu Inc. that will see the closure of 60 underperforming stores across the country. Supervalu, which reported in June that its first quarter profit fell by nearly half compared with the year before, expects the closures to generate $35 million in cash within 12 months and $80 to $90 million in the next three years. Among the stores slated to be shuttered are one at Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way in Van Nuys; one at Devonshire Street and Reseda Boulevard in Northridge; and the location at Central Avenue and Chevy Chase Drive in Glendale. “These decisions are never easy because of the impact a store closure has on our team members, our customers, and our communities,” said Wayne Sales, Supervalu’s president, CEO and chairman, in a prepared statement. “Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to move with a greater sense of urgency to reduce costs and improve shareholder value.” The closures include 27 Albertsons stores, four ACME stores, one Jewel-Osco location and 22 Save-A-Lots. Details of the eight additional closures were not released. Supervalu has a nationwide collection of approximately 4,400 stores and employs roughly 130,000 people. Kelly Goff
