A King County Judge has ruled Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s antitrust lawsuit to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons can continue, rejecting the companies’ request to dismiss the case.
Ferguson asserts the proposed merger of the two largest supermarket companies in Washington state will severely limit shopping options for consumers and eliminate vital competition that keeps grocery prices low.
Ferguson filed the antitrust lawsuit in January in King County Superior Court, seeking to block national supermarket chains from merging. Ferguson asserts the merger violates Washington antitrust law, eliminates Kroger’s closest competitor and will cause consumers to pay more for less.
