Mega-merger between Kroger and Albertsons delayed by a Colorado court

The proposed $25 billion merger of Kroger and Albertsons has been halted to wait for a ruling on a lawsuit, according to Reuters.

The deal is being held up until the Colorado District Court rules on a lawsuit filed to block the deal.

“The trial is set to begin on September 30 and my office looks forward to making the case that this merger will eliminate competition and impact food prices, jobs and consumer choice,” Colorado State Attorney Phil Weiser said in a statement.

Washington’s attorney general was the first to challenge Kroger’s proposed buying of smaller rival Albertsons in January. The Colorado lawsuit was set for a hearing on August 12.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and eight other states, including Washington, said they were suing to block the merger.

“Today’s decision is welcome news as it eliminates the need for a preliminary injunction hearing in Colorado,” a Kroger spokesperson said.

Albertsons is yet to respond to requests for comment.

Grocery store worker unions have also been fighting the merger.

“The merger is not a done deal, far from it,” a statement from a coalition of unions said. “We remain focused on stopping the proposed mega-merger for the same reasons we have stated since it was first announced over 20 months ago — because we know it would harm workers, it would harm shoppers, it would harm suppliers and communities and it is illegal.”

Bloomberg News earlier reported that a Colorado District Court judge temporarily halted the deal at a hearing in Denver on Thursday and canceled the hearing set for next month.

Kroger and Albertsons had said in April they were expanding their planned sale of grocery stores to get regulatory approval and would offload 166 more locations than previously agreed upon to C&S Wholesale Grocers. The merger involves some 4,000 stores.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.

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