FTC under Lina Khan blocks Kroger-Albertsons $25 billion merger largest grocery antitrust action

A federal judge blocks the $25 billion merger of Kroger and Albertsons, the two largest supermarket chains in the U.S., after the FTC under Chair Lina Khan challenges the deal on grounds that it would harm competition and raise grocery prices for consumers. The ruling is one of the signature wins of Khan's aggressive antitrust agenda. The FTC had also challenged mergers by Meta, Microsoft-Activision, and others during Khan's tenure. The Kroger-Albertsons block comes weeks after Trump wins the election and months before Khan is removed from her position.