Kroger and Albertsons prepare to make a final federal court argument for their merger

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kroger and Albertsons were expected to present their closing arguments Tuesday in a U.S. District Court hearing on their proposed merger, which the federal government hopes to block.

Over the course of the three-week hearing in Portland, Oregon, the two companies have insisted that merging would allow them to lower prices and more effectively compete with retail giants like Walmart and Amazon.

The Federal Trade Commission argued that the deal would eliminate competition and lead to higher food prices for already struggling customers.

In 2022, Kroger and Albertsons proposed what would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history. But the FTC sued to prevent the $24.6 billion deal.

The FTC wants U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson to issue a preliminary injunction that would block the deal while its complaint goes before an in-house administrative law judge.

In testimony during the hearing, the CEOs of Albertsons and Kroger said the merged company would lower prices in a bid to retain customers. They also argued that the merger would boost growth, bolstering stores and union jobs.

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