Grocery Consumers Sue to Block Kroger’s $25 Billion Buy of Albertsons

An Albertsons grocery store is seen as Kroger agrees to buy rival Albertsons in a deal to combine the two supermarket chains in Glendora, Calif., on Oct. 14, 2022. Aude Guerrucci/Reuters

A private lawsuit filed in California on Thursday seeks to stop Kroger Co.’s planned $25 billion purchase of rival Albertsons Companies Inc., a deal that state attorneys general, consumer groups and some U.S. lawmakers have questioned as harmful to competition in the grocery market.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 25 consumers in states including California, Texas and Florida who alleged the merger “will be used to increase prices for groceries, decrease the quality of food, eliminate jobs, close stores and offer less choice for consumers.”