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Albertsons on Wednesday formally terminated its proposed $25 billion merger with Kroger and filed a lawsuit against its supermarket competitor, saying Kroger violated its contract and didn’t follow through on commitments to help get the deal approved. It comes a day after a judge blocked the planned tie-up. About two years ago, Kroger announced plans to buy Albertsons and combine forces to fend off Walmart, Amazon and Costco. The deal would have put nearly 40 supermarket chains, including Kroger’s Fred Meyer and Albertsons’ Safeway under a single company. The companies are at odds about who should pay for the legal fees associated with the merger and who, if anyone, is responsible for paying a breakup fee.

Persons: Kroger, Tom Moriarty, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, ” Kroger Organizations: Albertsons, Kroger, “, ”, Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Safeway

☆ Albertsons calls off merger and sues Kroger
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-11 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Grocery chain Albertsons called off its $25 billion merger with Kroger, ending the largest proposed merger in US supermarket history. “We have made the difficult decision to terminate the merger agreement,” Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran said in a statement Wednesday. Albertsons also sued Kroger for breach of its contract agreement, alleging Kroger caused the merger to be blocked. Supermarkets have been losing ground in recent decades to competition, and Kroger and Albertsons wanted to merge to better fight off Walmart and Amazon. The merger would eliminate head-to-head competition between Albertsons and Kroger, potentially raising prices for consumers, she said in the ruling.

Persons: Vivek Sankaran, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, Kroger, ”, Adrienne Nelson, Nelson, Lina Khan, Khan, Rodney McMullen, “ We’ve, we’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, Albertsons, Kroger, Safeway, Vons, Walmart, Amazon, Federal Trade Commission Locations: New York, Oregon, America

☆ Federal judge blocks Kroger’s $25 billion mega-merger with Albertsons
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-10 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A federal judge in Oregon blocked Kroger’s proposed $25 billion tie-up with Albertsons, ruling that the largest merger in US supermarket history would limit competition and harm consumers. Small grocery stores strugglingIndependent grocery stores strongly opposed the merger. Yet consolidation in the grocery sector is growing, and small grocery stores are struggling. Traditional grocery stores have also lost ground to Walmart, Costco, dollar stores and online retailers during that span. “Persistently high food prices are hitting Americans hard, and a Kroger-Albertsons mega-merger would have only made it worse,” Food & Water Watch senior food policy analyst Rebecca Wolf said in a statement Tuesday

Persons: Kroger’s, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, Kroger, Rodney McMullen, Adrienne Nelson, Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren of, Republican Sen, Mike Lee of, ”, Judge Nelson, “, Lina Khan, Judge Nelson’s, Rebecca Wolf Organizations: New, New York CNN, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Supermarkets, Kroger, Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Unions, Democrats, Republicans, Capitol, Democratic, Republican, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, S Wholesale Grocers, Google, Agriculture Department, Water Watch Locations: New York, Oregon, Aldi, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Mike Lee of Utah

☆ 1995 murder of Illinois teen Shana Jaros haunts family 29 years later
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-24 | by ( Kyani Reid | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

When Janelle Jaros looks at her daughter, she’s reminded of another person close to her heart. “There’s times you look at her and you see Shana,” Janelle told Dateline. Shana Jaros was Janelle’s older sister, the two were only a few years apart. That was the day that left a permanent hole in the Jaros family. Shana Jaros Janelle JarosJanelle says that after graduating, Shana started hanging around with people she didn’t think were good influences.

Persons: Janelle Jaros, she’s, “, Shana, ” Janelle, Shana Jaros, Janelle, Janelle’s, ”, I’d, ” Shana, “ Alanis Morissette, ” Duane Jaros, ” Duane, Duane, Shana’s, Duane Jaros, ’, ‘, ’ ” Shana Jaros Janelle Jaros It’s, ’ ” Janelle, ‘ Janelle, Duane’s, Debbie, Melissa Albert, Lopez, Shana Jaros Janelle Jaros Janelle, wasn’t, they’ve, Debbie’s, Jeffery, Stefan, she’d, “ We’re, Jahna Organizations: “, Nokomis Police, Illinois State Police, Sheriff’s, Illinois, Dateline Locations: Nokomis , Illinois, U.S.A, Nokomis, Montgomery

☆ Kroger, Albertsons and the New Antitrust Playbook - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“The proposed acquisition is by far the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history,” one that would unite “the No. 2 traditional supermarket chains in the United States,” it says in its complaint. is correct on the numbers, but the key word is “traditional.” Traditional supermarket chains no longer dominate the grocery business. Kroger is a distant second to Walmart, with a 10 percent market share, and Albertsons is fourth (behind Costco Wholesale), with 6 percent. So even if Kroger and Albertsons merged, they would be only a little more than half of Walmart’s size.

Organizations: Kroger Co, Albertsons Companies Inc, titans, Federal Trade Commission, Albertsons, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Solomon Partners, Kroger, Costco Wholesale Locations: United States

☆ Blocking Kroger’s mega-merger with Albertsons won’t save your local grocery store
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

High grocery prices helped scuttle the dealInflation at the grocery store loomed over the proposed merger. Over the past four years, grocery prices have risen significantly,” the FTC said in its lawsuit. Kroger had committed to invest $500 million in lower prices and $1.3 billion to improve Albertsons’ stores if the merger cleared. Yet consolidation in the grocery sector is growing, and small grocery stores are struggling. Traditional grocery stores have also lost ground to Walmart, Costco, dollar stores and online retailers during that span.

Persons: it’s, Kroger, Ash, “, ” Greg Ferrara, Joe Biden, Lina Khan, Khan, Marc Perrone, ” Sen, Elizabeth Warren, ” Joe Feldman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Kroger, Albertsons ’, Albertsons, Walmart, FTC, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Albertsons Cos, Safeway, Bloomberg, Getty, Agriculture Department, Costco, Independent, National Grocers Association, Meta, Microsoft, Unions, Democrats, Food, Commercial Workers ’, ”, Top Democratic, Twitter, Aldi, Activision, Telsey Advisory Locations: New York, Scottsdale , Arizona

So the White House probably cheered a move by the F.T.C. and several states on Monday to block Kroger’s $25 billion bid to buy Albertsons, arguing that the biggest supermarket merger in U.S. history would raise prices and hit union workers’ bargaining power. The Biden administration has little influence over inflation, but it’s still getting heat. Consumers are spending the highest proportion of their income on food in 30 years, and an internal White House analysis found that grocery prices had the biggest impact on consumer sentiment. The Fed has jacked up interest rates to a 20-year-high in an effort to cool inflation, but progress on that has slowed in recent months.

Persons: Biden’s, Biden, it’s Organizations: Kroger, Albertsons Locations: U.S

☆ F.T.C. Sues to Block Kroger-Albertsons Grocery Store Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Julie Creswell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to block Kroger, the supermarket giant, from completing its $24.6 billion acquisition of the grocery chain Albertsons, saying the deal would hurt competition in the industry. The agency said the deal, which would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history, would also likely result in higher prices for groceries for consumers and, with fewer supermarkets, reduce the ability for grocery-store employees to negotiate higher wages and better working conditions. “This supermarket mega merger comes as American consumers have seen the cost of groceries rise steadily over the past few years,” Henry Liu, director of the F.T.C.’s Bureau of Competition, said in a news release. “Kroger’s acquisition of Albertsons would lead to additional grocery price hikes for everyday goods, further exacerbating the financial strain consumers across the country face today.”The agency’s lawsuit is the latest move by the Biden administration to take a tougher stance on mergers. In recent years it has challenged several big deals, including the drug maker Amgen’s $27.8 billion acquisition of the pharmaceutical company Horizon Therapeutics; JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines; and Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of the video game maker Activision Blizzard.

Persons: ” Henry Liu, Biden, JetBlue’s, Activision Blizzard Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Kroger, Albertsons, Competition, Horizon Therapeutics, Spirit Airlines, Activision Locations: ’

☆ US government sues to block largest supermarket merger in history
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to block the $25 billion deal between Kroger and Albertsons, alleging the largest supermarket merger in US history would lead to higher prices for consumers. The merger, announced in 2022, sought to combine the fifth and tenth largest retailers in the country. “This supermarket mega merger comes as American consumers have seen the cost of groceries rise steadily over the past few years. With the FTC’s blessing, Haggen, a small supermarket chain in the Northwest with just 18 locations, bought 146 of the former Albertsons and Safeway stores. She criticized the FTC’s handling of Albertsons’ deal with Safeway, pointing to it as a prime example of the limitations of divestitures.

Persons: Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, Kroger, Rodney McMullen, Henry Liu, Piggly, Khan, Lina Khan, Haggen, ” Khan, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FTC, Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Competition, S Wholesale Grocers, Democrats, Republicans, Capitol Locations: New York, United States, Aldi, FTC’s, Northwest

Uber Eats says its flower orders peak on Valentine’s Day between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Uber Eats says it also appears to be a resource for forgetful lovers: Its flower orders are 60% higher than average on the day after Valentine’s Day. But I love making people happy.”Bryant sympathizes with the people who call in orders on Valentine’s Day. She spent a lot of time trying to figure out how many flowers to order for her shop this Valentine's Day. In 2023, 30% of OpenTable reservations for Valentine’s Day were made the day before and 18% were made on the day of. The venue gets requests all the way through Valentine’s Day, says Katie Higgins, Meadow Brook’s marketing and communications manager.

Persons: ”, Amanda Schoenbauer, they’re, Candy, décor, Target, Uber, Procrastinators, Linda Bryant, “ Valentine’s, “, ” Bryant sympathizes, it’s, Katie Higgins, Meadow, Joseph Ferrari, Ferrari, Don’t, Anne D'Innocenzio Organizations: Walmart, National Retail Federation, Walgreens, Valentine’s, DePaul University in, AP Locations: Panama , Nebraska, Rochester , Michigan, DePaul University in Chicago, New York

☆ Kroger’s Case for Bagging Albertsons Grows Stronger
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/krogers-case-for-bagging-albertsons-grows-stronger-b5aa5520

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: albertsons

☆ Kroger Agrees to Pay $1.2 Billion to Settle Opioid Claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Rebecca Robbins | More About Rebecca Robbins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Background: Pharmacy chains have been settling opioid claims. Three large pharmacy chains that compete with Kroger — Walgreens, CVS Health and Walmart — reached similar settlements last year totaling about $13 billion. The claims against Kroger and its competitors have focused on the role of their pharmacies in flooding communities with legal painkillers. Why It Matters: Opioid settlement money is funding recovery efforts. Kroger said on Friday that the opioid settlement agreement would not impede the merger.

Persons: Kroger, Walmart —, overprescribing, Josh Stein, ”, Harris, Jan Hoffman Organizations: Kroger, Walgreens, CVS Health, Walmart, Rite, Albertsons Locations: Washington State, West Virginia, North Carolina

☆ Grocery prices held steady in June, offering some relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Grocery prices stayed steady in June after ticking up in May, offering some relief to shoppers. Together, food prices rose 0.1% for the month, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In that time, grocery store prices grew 4.7%, while menu prices went up by 7.7%. “We’ve seen a persistent slowing of grocery prices,” Jared Bernstein, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, a group that advises the president, told CNN. How prices changed in JuneFrom May to June, when grocery prices stayed flat, some specific items notched increases.

Persons: “ We’ve, Jared Bernstein, ”, Jordan Vonderhaar, Ham, Bacon, Milk, Bernstein Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, of Economic Advisers, CNN, Bloomberg, Getty, Assistance, SNAP Locations: New York, Ukraine

☆ Stew Leonard Sr. Dies at 93; Founded ‘Disneyland of Dairy Stores’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Stew Leonard Sr., a folkloric retailer who expanded his namesake stores into merchandising meccas replete with petting zoos and mechanical singing farm animals, died on Wednesday at a hospital in Manhattan. Mr. Leonard opened his original store in Norwalk, Conn., in 1969 as a destination that promised fresh milk because it was built around a bottling plant. “You’d have to own a cow to get it sooner,” his advertisements proclaimed. Bryan Miller described it in The New York Times as the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores”; “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” called it the “World’s Largest Dairy Store”; and it earned a place in the Guinness World Records for having the highest dollar sales per square foot of selling space. In 2015, Business Insider praised Kroger’s customer loyalty program and Wegmans’s walk-in beer locker, but it concluded that anyone who had ever set foot in Stew Leonard’s “knows it is miles above the rest.”

☆ Grocery consumers sue to block Kroger’s $25 bln buy of Albertsons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mike Scarcella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kroger is the biggest grocer in the U.S. by revenue, and Albertsons is the second-largest supermarket chain. Nearly 5,000 grocery stores would be under one corporate umbrella if the deal, announced in October, goes through. A representative for Albertsons declined to comment on Friday, and a Kroger spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Kroger operates stores under banners including Harris Teeter, Pay Less and King Soopers. U.S. antitrust law lets private consumers sue over proposed mergers and acquisitions, apart from any enforcement action brought by a state or federal agency policing competition laws.

☆ Kroger Needs to Up Its E-Commerce Game
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kroger’s same-store sales growth lags behind that of big-box retailers and some peers. Kroger isn’t exactly dominating the grocery space today. That presents a mixed bag for investors to sort through. The supermarket giant had another solid quarter, with identical-store sales—excluding fuel—up 6.9% in its quarter ended Nov. 5 compared with a year earlier. That was much better than the 4.4% increase analysts polled by Visible Alpha were expecting.

☆ Kroger Needs to Up its E-Commerce Game
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Kroger’s Sales Continued to Climb in Third Quarter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kroger Co. raised its annual guidance for the third time in a row this year following yet another quarter of climbing sales. The Cincinnati-based grocery store operator on Thursday reported third-quarter revenue of $34.2 billion, up from $31.9 billion a year ago and above analyst estimates of $34 billion, according to FactSet.

☆ Kroger to pay $180K after firing workers who refused to wear logo allegedly resembling Pride flag
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Judge Lee Rudofsky, a district court judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas and a Donald Trump appointee, signed off on the settlement, which was reached after years of litigation. As part of the settlement, Kroger will pay the two employees more than $70,000 each in back pay, which is part of the overall $180,000 settlement. Court documents state that in late April 2019, the Conway store started requiring some of its employees to wear a new uniform adorned with a rainbow-colored heart. United States District Court Eastern District of Arkansas Central Division. After refusing to wear the uniforms for weeks, or trying to cover up the rainbow logo, court documents state, Rickerd and Lawson were fired in late May and early June, respectively.

☆ Grocery deal could have European interloper
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Good luck to Kroger and Albertsons (ACI.N) – U.S. lawmakers are already getting concerned about a deal. A European interloper could make deal plans even harder. If investors reckoned there was merit in a deal, Muller could also use equity to beef up the offer. So regulators wouldn’t have to worry about a larger Kroger shutting down competing Albertsons stores. Less overlap means fewer operational synergies, so a deal with Ahold might not look as lucrative.

☆ Kroger-Albertsons Merger Would Create a Big Player in Retail Advertising
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

It also would create a big player in so-called retail media, one of advertising’s fastest-growing sectors. Kroger and Albertsons entered the retail advertising market in 2015 and 2021, respectively. Kroger and Albertsons don’t break out the ad revenue generated by their Kroger Precision Marketing and Albertsons Media Collective divisions. The merger of Kroger and Albertsons would create a fourth market leader at more than 13% market share, Mr. Lipsman said. For marketers, that would help simplify the retail ad market for consumer-goods brands and other advertisers who currently confront a rapidly increasing number of offerings.

☆ Kroger Pauses Buybacks to Prioritize Debt Reduction After Albertsons Deal Closes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The blockbuster transaction comes amid a slowdown in deal making, economic uncertainty and concerns among investors about companies that carry high levels of debt. Cincinnati-based Kroger said Friday that it will pay for the $24.6 billion deal with cash and proceeds from a new debt financing. The company secured a 364-day, $17.4 billion bridge loan from Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co., it said in a securities filing. Kroger will temporarily pause buybacks with the goal of giving priority to debt reduction after the transaction closes, the company said Friday. The company on Friday didn’t say what its leverage ratio will be after the transaction closes.

☆ Albertsons Seeks Online Safety With Kroger
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Supermarket giant Albertsons ‘ potential combination with Kroger makes a lot of sense. So much sense, in fact, that perhaps investors shouldn’t bank on it just yet. Albertsons’ stock price jumped more than 11% after reports emerged on Thursday that Kroger was in talks to combine with Albertsons. Kroger’s shareholders were less enthused and its shares dipped slightly.

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