Legal
Biggest Question from Kroger-Albertsons Trials: What’s a Grocery Store?
- Government, companies have argued in antitrust case over deal
- FTC alleges that dollar, club stores aren’t direct rivals
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At the heart of the federal government’s fight to block Kroger Co. from buying Albertsons Cos. for $24.6 billion is an existential debate about how Americans buy their groceries today.
The Federal Trade Commission and the grocers have defended their case over the past three weeks to a federal judge, who is expected to decide the outcome of the largest US grocery deal in the coming months. In addition to industry experts, executives from Kroger, Albertsons, Amazon.com Inc., Walmart Inc., Target Corp. and other retailers have testified about how they view the sector and operate their businesses. A hearing on the government’s request for an injunction blocking the acquisition is expected to wrap up on Tuesday.