The Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced on Thursday that it is launching an anti-trust investigation of the proposed merger between The Kroger Co., parent company of Smith’s and Fry’s Food & Drug Stores, and Albertsons Companies, which operates supermarkets under the Albertsons and Safeway brands in Arizona
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) believes that the merger could have an especially large impact within Arizona, where Kroger and Albertsons currently operate more than 250 stores combined, employ over 35,000 Arizona workers, and account for almost half of Arizona’s grocery market sales.
The AGO will also hold a series of listening sessions in the coming weeks across Arizona to hear directly from families and workers in communities that could be particularly impacted by the proposed merger.
Albertson’s and Kroger announced their proposed merger on October 14, 2022. The companies stated that they anticipate closing the $24.6 billion deal by early 2024.