The proposed merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons floundered on Tuesday after judges overseeing two separate cases both halted the merger.

U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson issued a preliminary injunction blocking the merger Tuesday after holding a three-week hearing in Portland, Oregon.

Later Tuesday, Judge Marshall Ferguson in Seattle issued a permanent injunction barring the merger in Washington after concluding that it would lessen competition in the state.

Kroger and Albertsons in 2022 proposed what would be the largest grocery store merger in U.S. history. But the Federal Trade Commission sued earlier this year, asking Nelson to block the $24.6 billion deal until an in-house administrative judge at the FTC could consider the merger’s implications.

Nelson agreed to pause the merger.

  • @UmeU
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    101 day ago

    This is ridiculous, we need more competition in the grocery business, not less. The idea that one grocery giant could spend billions buying another grocery giant would be laughable if it didn’t have such grim implications. Welcome to the latter days of capitalism.

  • Mayor Poopington
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    601 day ago

    If you think food is expensive now, just waiting until the next administration allows this merger to go through.

    • @disguy_ovahea
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      141 day ago

      Just think of the money they’ll save from no longer having to communicate their conspiracy price-fixing once they’re one company.

  • @BenReilly97
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    91 day ago

    The companies said a merger would help them better compete with big retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon.

    You ARE big retailers!

  • @horse_battery_staple
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    261 day ago

    They’ll wait a couple years, bribe Trump’s admin and then have it pass then

    • Nougat
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      291 day ago

      They’ll wait a couple years months, bribe Trump’s admin and then have it pass then

      • Flying Squid
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        101 day ago

        They’ll wait a couple years months, bribe Trump’s admin and then have it pass be part of the rewritten constitution then

      • @horse_battery_staple
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        61 day ago

        Yeah maybe a few months is more accurate everything else is happening on such a faster time scale now

  • Admiral Patrick
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    182 days ago

    Thank. God.

    So does that mean it’s permanently blocked, or just paused? Which injunction takes precedent?

  • comador
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    41 day ago

    Hurray and fuck Albertsons for destroying their last merger.