SEATTLE, WA (AP) – Albertsons is giving up on its merger with Kroger—and it’s now suing the grocery chain, saying it didn’t do enough to secure regulatory approval.
The move came a day after two judges halted the merger in separate court cases in Portland and Seattle.
In 2022, Kroger and Albertsons proposed what would be the largest grocery store merger in U.S. history. But the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the merger earlier this year, saying it would raise prices and lower workers’ wages by eliminating competition.
Earlier on Wednesday, Dec. 11, Albertsons claimed that Kroger refused to divest the assets necessary for antitrust approval, ignored regulators’ feedback and rejected stronger divestiture buyers.
Kroger said that it disagrees, claiming that Albertsons was responsible for repeated intentional material breaches and interference throughout the merger process.