Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Monday sued to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons, two of the nation’s largest grocery chains.
In the suit filed in King County Superior Court, Ferguson argued that the $25-billion deal would harm consumers and raise prices, The Seattle Times reported. Kroger and Albertsons have more than 300 locations in the state and account for more than half of its grocery sales, according to the suit.
“This merger is bad for Washington shoppers and workers,” Ferguson said in a news release Monday. “Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and, without a competitive marketplace, they will pay higher prices at the grocery store.”
I’ve never been in a Kroger’s but I hear a lot about them, and I know first hand how shit Albertson’s is.
If those are the only two choices people in Washington have, that already sucks.
Washington has a few grocery store franchises, but only a few standard grocers with Kroger & Albertsons dominating the market.
Standard Grocers:
- QFC (Kroger)
- Safeway & Albertsons (Albersons)
- Red Apple
Discount:
- Saars
- Grocery Outlet
Bulk:
- Winco
- Costco
Super Centers:
- Walmart
- Target
- Fred Meyer (Kroger)
Specialty:
- Whole Foods
- PCC
- Trader Joe’s
- Metropolitan Markert
Asian:
- H-Mart
- Uwajimaya
Outlet:
- Cash-n-Carry
In Portland Oregon, I’ve got these two choices, then a local chain that’s much smaller and much more expensive… and a coop that’s also quite expensive.
So for semi-reasonably priced food, it’s either Kroger or Albertsons.
