Kroger’s plans to buy its grocery rival Albertsons hit a legal roadblock on Tuesday when a federal judge put a halt to the deal that would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history.
The decision is a blow to Albertsons and Kroger, which first announced the $24.6-billion acquisition of its rival in 2022. The judge’s decision to issue a preliminary injunction in the case means the merger will be delayed while the Federal Trade Commission conducts an in-house proceeding on the proposed deal before an administrative law judge.
“Any harms defendants experience as a result of the injunction do not overcome the strong public interest in the enforcement of antitrust law,” U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson wrote in her decision.
This is a developing story.