Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Monday sued to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons, two of the nation’s largest grocery chains.
In the suit filed in King County Superior Court, Ferguson argued that the $25-billion deal would harm consumers and raise prices, The Seattle Times reported. Kroger and Albertsons have more than 300 locations in the state and account for more than half of its grocery sales, according to the suit.
“This merger is bad for Washington shoppers and workers,” Ferguson said in a news release Monday. “Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and, without a competitive marketplace, they will pay higher prices at the grocery store.”
I miss old Fred Meyers, working there as they started to transition away from what made it a good store makes me not want to shop there anymore. Now it’s like a grocery store with a home and apparel department. Before it was a full department store. But you could definitely feel the weight of management shifting to grocery when I was there between 2012 and 2016.
Greetings fellow former Fred Meyer associate! It was my first job after High School, and I was there during the transition as well. Used to love Fred Meyer when I was a kid. It had good quality products, service was always good, and it just holds a nostalgic place in my heart. Post Kroger it has just turned into a shell of itself. Having even more options reduced by Kroger taking over the other two main grocery chains would be a nightmare.