Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Representative Peltola urges Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to block proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger
Washington,
August 29, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Representative Peltola urges Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to block proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger August 29, 2023 Contact: Anchorage, Alaska — Today, Representative Peltola announced she had authored a letter to the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Lina Khan, requesting that she block the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons grocery chains. Kroger and Albertsons are two of the nation’s largest grocers, each operating major grocery stores in Alaska. Kroger runs Fred Meyer stores, and Albertsons operates the Carrs-Safeway chain. If the $24.6 billion merger is allowed, the joint company would be a similar size to Walmart and Amazon. In the letter, Representative Peltola wrote, “Alaska already has an incredibly concentrated grocery store market, and potential divestments of stores resulting from the merger would threaten both competition and basic food security in many communities across the state. The five largest jurisdictions by population in Alaska are Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Kenai-Soldotna. In each of these communities, Fred Meyer (Kroger) and Carrs (Albertsons) are the primary competitors selling groceries and household goods. If the proposed merger goes through, store closures and reduced competition could result in a significantly reduced competition, or even a near-monopolistic landscape in a state that already has some of the highest costs of living in the United States.” Joelle Hall, President of the Alaska AFL-CIO, said, "This mega-merger would hurt all Alaskans, but especially the workers at potentially impacted stores. A successful mega-merger would likely lead to store closures and hundreds - possibly thousands - of lost jobs, many of which come with family-sustaining wages, top of the line health insurance, and a pension. Alaskans should be thankful Representative Peltola is speaking up on this issue and defending Alaska consumers and workers from the harmful impacts of a corporate monopoly." The merger could be completed as soon as January of 2024 unless the FTC takes action. Representative Peltola’s full letter is attached to this release. ### |
