Colorado attorney general sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Chris Dillmann /Vail Daily archive
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said Wednesday that he is filing a lawsuit seeking to block the $24.6 billion merger of Kroger and Albertsons, the state’s largest grocery store chains, because he believes it would eliminate competition and harm shoppers, workers and suppliers.
Weiser joins Bob Ferguson, attorney general for Washington state, who filed a lawsuit in January that said the consolidation of the two large supermarkets would severely limit options for shoppers and eliminate competition that helps keep prices in check.
Kroger owns 148 stores in Colorado, which operate under the King Soopers and City Market banners. Albertsons operates 105 Safeway and Albertsons stores in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing the proposed merger, first announced in October 2022. The FTC is investigating whether combining Kroger, the nation’s second-largest supermarket, with Albertsons, the fourth-largest supermarket, would violate antitrust laws.
Kroger and Albertsons executives have said the merger will allow them to strengthen their stores, invest in employees and lower prices and compete against national discount grocers such as Walmart and Costco, which have grown considerably over the past two decades.
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