PORTLAND, Ore.-A federal judge temporarily halted the proposed merger between the grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
The merger, first proposed in 2022, was paused after a three-week hearing in Portland and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), issued the following statement in response to the temporary injunction.
“This is great news for grocery shoppers in Oregon who would have faced higher prices at Kroger and Albertsons if this ill-conceived consolidation had gone through,” said Sen. Wyden. “I’m glad the court has shelved this monster deal because in addition to raising grocery prices for shoppers already tiptoeing on an economic tightrope, it would have made it that much harder for Oregonians to find a pharmacy and for workers at both supermarket chains to seek fairer wages and better working conditions.”