Legal Battle Ensues As Washington Attorney General Files Lawsuit

The much hyped and discussed the Kroger / Albertsons merger has hit a significant snag as Washington's Attorney General has filed suit to stop it from happening. Echoing the concerns of consumers and workers across the country, Bob Ferguson says the merger would limit shopping choices and reduce competition.

Others in our area have expressed concerns that prices will rise, and employees will be limited due to the monopoly.

Both companies have taken a beating for their proposed merger talks by Senators Ted Cruz, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Tom Cotton. Other state attorney generals have expressed grave reservations about approving this merger. Albertsons is based and beloved in Boise, while Kroger is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The deal would be worth an estimated twenty-five billion dollars.

"This merger is bad for Washington shoppers and workers," Ferguson said. "Free enterprise is built on companies competing, and that competition benefits consumers. Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and without a competitive marketplace, they will pay higher prices at the grocery store. That's not right, and this lawsuit seeks to stop this harmful merger."

Kroger and Albertsons dominate the grocery store choices in Washington. Albertsons has many stores in Idaho but also competition from Fred Meyer's (Kroger), WINCO, and Walmart. Although other states and the feds have expressed concern over the big merger, we're unaware of any statements from Idaho's Attorney General Raul Labrador.

Both companies are in the top five grocery chains nationally. They currently have over 700,000 employees in nearly 5,000 stores across 49 states. They have a combined annual revenue of over $200 billion.

The lawsuit was filed in King County Court. The Federal Trade Commission is expected to rule on whether or not to approve the merger.