Sale of Alpha Beta to Food 4 Less Chain Is Finalized

The owner of Viva and Boys markets said Monday that it has completed the acquisition of 142 Alpha Beta supermarkets for $251 million and the lease of the chain’s warehouse and office complex in La Habra.

The sale by American Stores, of Salt Lake City, marks another twist in the history of one of Orange County’s oldest businesses, which derived its name from the alphabetizing of items on a grocer’s shelves in Pomona. The deal includes all of the Alpha Beta stores in Southern California, except for 15 in San Diego County.

With the acquisition, the Highland Park-based Food 4 Less appears to have edged out Ralphs Grocery Co. as the No. 3 supermarket in the Southland. But shoppers probably won’t notice much of a difference.

Alpha Beta got its start as a Santa Ana market that was one of the nation’s first one-stop shopping stores in 1910. The Alpha Beta name will be retained, as will the company’s 13,000 employees, said Food 4 Less spokeswoman Adrienne Gaines. Food 4 Less operates its Southern California stores under the names Viva, Market Basket, ABC, Food 4 Less and Marina.

The deal settles an antitrust case brought by the state attorney general’s office after American Stores bought the rival Lucky Stores chain in 1988 for $2.5 billion. The 15 Alpha Beta stores not included in the deal, all located in San Diego County, will be converted to Lucky stores.