By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Hurt in a store fall?
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Beverly Law is not affiliated with Vons. The facts below come from Vons’ own store directory, company filings, news reports and court opinions.
Who owns Vons and where the stores are
Vons is a Southern California chain. Safeway completed its purchase of the Vons shares it did not already own on April 8, 1997, and Vons became a wholly owned Safeway subsidiary, with stores located primarily in Southern California under the Vons and Pavilions names (Safeway 10-Q, 1997). Albertsons and Safeway then completed their merger on January 30, 2015 (merger release).
Today the parent is Albertsons Companies, Inc., a Delaware corporation with offices in Boise, Idaho. Its annual report lists Vons and Pavilions among its banners and counts 584 stores in California as of February 28, 2026, across all of its banners (Albertsons 10-K). Kroger’s planned purchase of Albertsons did not happen. Albertsons announced on December 11, 2024 that it was giving up on the deal after a federal judge in Oregon and a judge in Seattle ruled against it (ABC7).
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vons locations | 185 in the United States, 177 of them in California; the rest are in Nevada | Vons directory, California page, viewed November 2026 |
| Pavilions locations | 30 | Pavilions directory, viewed November 2026 |
| Parent company | Albertsons Companies, Inc., Boise, Idaho | Albertsons 10-K |
| Customer Support Center | 1-877-258-2799, listed for account, order and delivery questions | Vons for U FAQ |
Reporting the fall to Vons
The store itself is the place to report. Each Vons location page lists a store phone number (example store page), and the person to ask for is the manager on duty. The toll-free Customer Support Center line is listed for account and order problems, so do not count on it to start an injury file.
Before you leave, or as soon as you can after the ER, ask for these things and write down the answers:
- The incident report number and the name of the manager who took it.
- The names of the employees who came over, cleaned the spot or put down a sign.
- Whether a camera covers that aisle or entrance, and how long the store keeps footage.
- Whether that area has a sweep or floor-check log for that day.
You will probably not get copies on the spot. The point is to create a record that you asked, and to give a lawyer what is needed for a written request to keep the footage and logs. Our page on slip and fall evidence explains what each item proves.
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What a Vons appeal shows about proof
In Peralta v. The Vons Companies, Inc. (2018), a published decision in a case from Los Angeles County, a shopper at a Vons went back to the bakery counter to pick up her order and felt her foot slide as she walked near the bakery’s employee entrance. She testified she felt “some sort of oil or grease,” but she did not see anything on the floor. The assistant manager searched the spot and found pastry crumbs, and the store’s records showed the last inspection was logged less than eight minutes before the fall.
The shopper’s engineer tested the flooring. He measured an average slip resistance of 0.44 when wet with water and said a floor is safe at 0.50 or above. The Court of Appeal affirmed judgment for Vons. It wrote that “[t]he mere possibility that there was a slippery substance on the floor does not establish causation,” and it added that even if Vons had skipped an inspection in the 10 to 15 minutes before the fall, there was no showing that an inspection would have found anything.
Two lessons follow. First, a fall case needs proof of the hazard itself: a photo of the liquid, a stain on your clothes, an employee who mopped it up. Second, a floor that tests slippery when wet does not prove there was liquid on it that day. If no one saw the spot, read our page on slip and fall with no witnesses.
The California rules that apply
A fall at a California Vons is generally judged under California law, even though the parent company is based in Idaho.
| Question | California rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Must the store have known? | Yes, unless it created the hazard. Jurors may infer notice if the store did not inspect within a reasonable time before the fall. | Hatfield v. Levy Brothers (1941); Ortega v. Kmart Corp. (2001) 26 Cal.4th 1200; CACI No. 1011 |
| What if I was partly careless? | Your share of fault reduces the award but does not bar it. | Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) |
| How long do I have? | Generally two years to file suit. | CCP 335.1 |
| What if I fell on the city sidewalk outside? | A written claim to the public entity is generally due within six months. | Gov. Code 911.2 |
Our slip and fall deadline page covers the exceptions, and our California store fall page covers falls at other large chains.
If you fell at a sister store in another state
Vons stores are in California and Nevada. Albertsons Companies runs other banners in Texas and Washington, and the same kind of fall is judged differently there.
| State | How notice is proved | Your own fault |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | To show the store should have known, proof of how long the hazard was there is generally required (Wal-Mart v. Reece (Tex. 2002)) | More than 50% responsible means no recovery (CPRC 33.001) |
| Washington | Notice is excused when the store’s mode of operation makes the hazard reasonably foreseeable (Pimentel v. Roundup Co. (1983)) | Reduces the award but does not bar it (RCW 4.22.005) |
Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou.
What this means for your case
A Vons claim usually turns on two pieces of proof: what was on the floor, and how long it had been there or whether the store checked the area. The store holds the video and the floor logs, so the request to preserve them should go out fast. Get medical care first, then follow our checklist on what to do after a slip and fall. Write down what you felt underfoot and keep the shoes and clothes you wore. More answers are in our injury FAQs.
Common questions
Who do I sue if I fell at Vons?
Usually the company that operates the store; in Peralta it was The Vons Companies, Inc. A lawyer confirms the right entity before filing.
Does it matter that Albertsons owns Vons?
It matters for finding the right defendant and insurer. It does not change the law; a fall at a California Vons follows California rules.
I fell at Pavilions. Is that the same as Vons?
Pavilions has been run alongside Vons in Southern California since at least 1997, under the same parent today. The same California rules apply.
What if the floor was just slippery, with nothing on it?
That is a harder case. In Peralta, testing that showed the floor was slippery when wet did not replace proof that liquid was actually there.
Can I still recover if I was looking at the shelves?
In California, yes, if the store was also at fault. Your share of the blame reduces the award. Beverly Law offers a free case review in English or Spanish at (310) 552-6959. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
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Related pages
Sources
- Vons store directory (United States and California pages, viewed November 2026) (local.vons.com)
- Vons store directory, California (local.vons.com)
- Vons store page example (store phone listed) (local.vons.com)
- Pavilions store directory (viewed November 2026) (local.pavilions.com)
- Vons for U FAQ (Customer Support Center number) (business.vons.com)
- Safeway Inc. Form 10-Q, 1997 (completion of Vons acquisition) (sec.gov)
- Albertsons and Safeway merger completion release, Jan. 30, 2015 (SEC exhibit) (sec.gov)
- Albertsons Companies, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year ended Feb. 28, 2026 (sec.gov)
- ABC7, "Albertsons gives up on Kroger merger and sues the grocery chain" (Dec. 11, 2024) (abc7.com)
- Peralta v. The Vons Companies, Inc., No. B282130 (Cal. Ct. App. 2018) (cases.justia.com)
- Hatfield v. Levy Brothers (1941) 18 Cal.2d 798 (scocal.stanford.edu)
- Ortega v. Kmart Corp. (2001) 26 Cal.4th 1200 (scocal.stanford.edu)
- Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions, 2026 ed. (CACI No. 1011) (courts.ca.gov)
- Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804 (scocal.stanford.edu)
- Cal. Code of Civil Procedure 335.1 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Cal. Government Code 911.2 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Reece, 81 S.W.3d 812 (Tex. 2002) (courtlistener.com)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 33.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Pimentel v. Roundup Co., 100 Wn.2d 39 (1983) (courtlistener.com)
- RCW 4.22.005 (app.leg.wa.gov)
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 7, 2026.