A federal judge decided this week to halt the proposed $25 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons, effectively squashing the deal that would have joined the two largest supermarket chains in the country.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta praised the decision as a “victory for consumers” in a statement released Tuesday, in which he said the merger “presented a significant risk of reduced competition and higher food prices nationwide.” Bonta was part of a bipartisan coalition of states that filed lawsuits challenging the merger in federal court in February 2024.
“Halting the Kroger and Albertsons megamerger is a win for California households and communities,” Bonta said. “As many families continue to feel the burden of inflation, fighting corporate consolidation that threatens to increase grocery prices is more important than ever.”
Had the merger gone through, it would have drastically affected the labor union negotiations for thousands of employees, he said.
“I am tremendously proud of the work of my office and our partners across the state and country in raising the alarm about what this merger would have meant for our communities,” Bonta said.
In Santa Barbara County, the Vons on Turnpike Road in Goleta and the Albertsons at 1500 North H Street in Lompoc were among the locations set to be sold if the merger went through.
