Why judges were wrong to block the Kroger-Albertsons merger
Antitrust concerns rest on an outdated idea of how Americans shop
The biggest supermarket merger in American history is dead. In the space of just a few hours on December 10th, federal and state judges both sided with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), America’s main antitrust regulator, to block the acquisition of Albertsons, a big supermarket chain, by Kroger, another such firm. By the next day the pair were adversaries: Albertsons has not only called off the deal, it is also now suing Kroger for failing to make “best efforts” to get regulatory approval.
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From the December 14th 2024 edition
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