Kroger, the nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, would buy Albertsons, the second-largest such operator, for $24.6 billion and merge it into Kroger’s operations. The deal would combine Cincinnati-based Kroger and its 2,722 stores with Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons and the 2,271 stores it operates.

In a major victory for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Biden Administration, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the $25 billion merger between grocery giants Kroger (KR) and Albertsons (ACI),

Kroger's $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons was blocked by a federal judge. Lawyers for the companies previously said this would sink the deal.

In an unsealed complaint, Albertsons claims that Kroger’s hubris and reluctance to divest of stores sank their merger; Kroger has said its rival breached the agreement.

Harvard University has hired another law firm to help it navigate a U.S. House investigation into its response to claims of pervasive antisemitism on campus, weeks after mounting criticism helped spur the resignation of Harvard president Claudine Gay.

"The FTC, along with our state partners, scored a major victory for the American people, successfully blocking Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons," Federal Trade Commission competition director Henry Liu said of a court ruling granting a preliminary injunction.

In parallel, same-day rulings, a federal and state court blocked The Kroger Company’s $24.6 billion proposed acquisition of the Albertsons

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the proposed $25 billion merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, ruling that the deal would limit competition and harm consumers but leaving the door

🚨BREAKING: A federal judge just blocked the Kroger-Albertsons merger! This is a BIG deal. The merger could close dozens of stores, hurt workers, and limit food access. Thank you to the @FTC and @linakhanFTC for your leadership in fighting corporate monopolies! pic.twitter.com/KraAF6Rm3S

Kroger’s conduct created frustration and distrust among regulators … and ultimately caused an unprecedented litigation onslaught,” Albertsons claims in a newly unsealed lawsuit.

Details of Boise-based Albertsons’ lawsuit against Kroger claiming “billions of dolllars” in damages have been unsealed. As BoiseDev reported last week, after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction on the Kroger and Albertsons merger and temporarily put it on ice,

The companies’ failed merger is a stark reminder of the risks food retailers face as they position themselves in a rapidly changing market, analysts said.