Congresswoman Schrier’s Statement Following the Permanent Injunction of the Kroger - Albertsons Merger and Fall-Out, Lawsuit between the two Grocery Chains

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) released the statement below following the termination of the Kroger-Albertsons merger and messy fall-out and lawsuit between the two grocery giants: 

“The Kroger-Albertsons merger would have been disastrous for Washingtonians. That is why I have been publicly calling on the FTC to take action and block this merger for over two years. At a time when families in Washington State face some of the highest grocery costs in the nation, this merger would have reduced competition and choice, continuing to squeeze consumers in our state,” said Congresswoman Schrier. “Additionally, farmers and producers would have faced a smaller, less competitive market for their goods, resulting in unsustainably low prices for their produce. Eighth District families and farmers know I will always take up the fight on their behalf and I will continue to fight corporate greed and price gouging by big corporations that continue to try to manipulate and take advantage of the market.” 

Congresswoman Schrier has been a leading voice fighting against this merger for years, warning that it would lead to reduced competition, higher prices for consumers, and lower compensation for  Washington farmers and growers. The Congresswoman led a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this year, highlighting these concerns and calling on the FTC to halt this 24.6-billion-dollar merger. Congresswoman Schrier previously led a separate letter to the FTC expressing similar concerns in 2022. 

A link to Congresswoman Schrier's latest letter can be found here. Congresswoman Schrier’s 2022 can be found here.

Yesterday, a federal judge in Seattle issued a permanent injunction preventing the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger in Washington State. Following this decision, Albertsons terminated its merger Agreement with Kroger and sued the grocery chain for breach of contract. Albertsons and Kroger have since engaged in a back-and-forth, public spat, with Albertsons’ General Counsel and Chief Policy Officer saying “Kroger’s self-serving conduct” harmed Albertsons’ shareholders and consumers while Kroger has stated that the lawsuit is “baseless and without merit.”

Washingtonians would have been particularly hard-hit by this merger, as Washington has 329 Kroger and Albertsons stores, including 10% of all Albertsons locations nationally. An announcement earlier this year highlighted that to complete the merger, Kroger/Albertsons would have sold off 124 of their stores in Washington State. Kroger stores include QFC and Fred Meyer. Albertsons includes Safeway. Out of 34 Kroger/Albertsons stores total just in the Eighth District, 14 were on the sale list.