Just recently, Kroger and Albertsons announced their intent to merge, meaning that all King Soopers’ stores (as well as City Market) will be owned by the same company that owns all Safeway stores. For Colorado consumers already concerned about rising food prices, this is a cause for concern. And as this Denver Post article explains, I am deeply concerned that this merger could lead to even higher prices, fewer options (including urban and rural communities with no grocery stores nearby), job losses, and fewer opportunities for small businesses to get access to shelf space.
Today, our office announced that we are leading a multi-state review of this merger and will be conducting a series of listening sessions in communities that could be impacted by this merger. We also filed a brief in a case in Washington state, explaining that a planned special dividend—of $4 billion—should not be allowed, lest it threaten the viability of a remedy to prevent anticompetitive harms from the merger.
As I enter my second term, I remain as committed as ever to serve as the People’s Lawyer. That means I will fight to protect Coloradans, just like when we sued big drug companies that fueled the opioid epidemic—bringing back $700 million to Colorado to address this addiction crisis—and took on big tech companies like Google.
As we scrutinize the Kroger/Albertsons merger, we will engage the people of Colorado to ensure we hear directly from you.
