Tidyman’s selling 2 Montana stores

GREAT FALLS – Tidyman’s has found buyers for its County Market East in Great Falls and its Tidyman’s store in Kalispell but will be closing Rimrock County Market in Billings later this month, company officials said.

Van’s IGA is purchasing County Market East in Great Falls, but officials haven’t said who is buying the Kalispell Tidyman’s. The new owner will close the store for a time to remodel it, said Mike Davis, Tidyman’s president and chief executive.

Tidyman’s LLC of Spokane is dissolving and selling its assets after a financially damaging sexual discrimination lawsuit. It used to own 21 grocery stores but has sold or closed all but the remaining three in Montana.

Rimrock County Market is scheduled to close on Aug. 22. The store employs 45 people.

Nicolai Cocergine, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 4, said the late notice was another breach of the union contract by Tidyman’s.

“I have an unfair labor relations complaint filed in June, and I’m going to be adding to that,” Cocergine said. Thirty employees were in the union.

In June, 15 union members laid off from the Billings County Market shared an $11,050 settlement. The National Labor Relations Board ordered Tidyman’s to pay the settlement for demanding that workers sign an illegal exit agreement that waived their severance pay and other benefits.

Davis said Tidyman’s is eager to negotiate with the union and settle the Rimrock severance issues.

Bozeman-based Van’s IGA will have eight stores in Montana with the Great Falls purchase, set to be complete on Aug. 28.

“We’re just really looking forward to having a second store in this market,” said Van’s general manager Frank Cannon.

Cannon said the final details of the sale are being worked out and he can’t legally say if Van’s IGA will keep County Market East’s 44 employees.

“But we certainly realize that the employees are the most important part of what we are buying,” he said.