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Washington state sues to block merger of Kroger and Albertsons
Washington state’s attorney general filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to block Kroger’s proposed $24.6 billion deal for Albertsons, saying it would curtail shopping options, endanger jobs and reduce competition that keeps a lid on grocery prices.
Despite a proposal by Kroger and Albertsons to address potential antitrust concerns by selling off more than 100 stores in Washington, the merged company would still hold a near-monopoly in many parts of the state, according to Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
“This merger is bad for Washington shoppers and workers,” he said in a statement. “Free enterprise is built on companies competing, and that competition benefits consumers. Shoppers will have fewer choices and less competition, and, without a competitive marketplace, they will pay higher prices at the grocery store. That’s not right, and this lawsuit seeks to stop this harmful merger.”
Kroger and Albertsons are the two largest supermarket chains in Washington and the second- and fourth-largest grocery operators in the U.S. Combined, they would have more than 700,000 workers in nearly 5,000 stores across 49 states and generate total annual revenue of more than $200 billion.
Washington’s suit seeks to block the merger of Kroger and Albertsons nationwide. The deal, announced in October 2022, also must pass muster with federal antitrust enforcers.
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Former New York Gov. David Paterson, stepson attacked while walking in New York City
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.