Federal judge temporarily blocks Kroger’s $25 billion merger with Albertsons

The FTC argued that the Kroger-Albertsons merger would eliminate competition between the top two traditional grocery chains, leading to higher prices and reduced bargaining leverage for unionized workers.

A U.S. judge blocked the pending $25 billion merger of U.S. grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons on Tuesday, siding with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a win for the Biden administration.