Kroger and Albertsons grocery megamerger halted by two courts
NPRKroger and Albertsons grocery megamerger halted by two courts toggle caption Al Behrman/AP Kroger and Albertsons saw their $24.6 billion merger blocked on Tuesday by judges in two separate cases, one brought by federal regulators and the other by the Washington state attorney general. U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson on Tuesday ruled that the merger must halt while it undergoes the administrative review inside the FTC — a procedure that Kroger is separately challenging in court as unconstitutional. The idea is to create a new grocery rival in markets where Kroger and Albertsons currently overlap and, therefore, a merger would eliminate competition. C&S, a grocery supplier, had agreed to buy 579 stores in 18 states and in Washington, D.C. Business Shoppers and workers that stand to be affected by a Kroger-Albertsons merger weigh in Shoppers and workers that stand to be affected by a Kroger-Albertsons merger weigh in Listen · 3:49 3:49 But the FTC argued C&S would struggle to compete.