BROOKSHIRE ENTERS MISSISSIPPI VIA ALBERTSON'S ACQUISITION

TYLER, Texas -- Brookshire Grocery here said it reached an agreement to acquire four Albertson's stores in the Jackson, Miss., market. The terms were not disclosed.

. The new stores, which are located about 80 miles from Brookshire's operations in northeast Louisiana, will be served from the company's distribution centers here and in Monroe, La.

A spokesman for Brookshire said all four stores have video rental and pharmacies, and those services will be retained. Two of the stores already have fuel pumps, a signature offering at Brookshire.

The supermarkets are slated to close on May 28 before reopening as Brookshire's. Albertson's has been divesting its underperforming stores, primarily in Texas and Tennessee, as part of an overall effort to concentrate on markets where it has a dominant share.