The largest grocery store merger in history is taking place between Albertsons and Kroger. These chains boast over 5,000 grocery stores in 48 states, and employ almost 700,000 people. These chains include Safeway, Ralphs, Kroger, and Vons. If this merger goes through it would be worth $24.6 billion and would cause 22% of the grocery stores in the nation to be owned by one company.
This is happening at a time where our grocery bills have already increased by 20% since 2018 and while our wages are stagnant. Historically, mergers cause stores to shut down, mass lay-offs, and price increases. These two companies have openly acknowledged planning such actions. These stores should not be able to profit off of our basic necessities while we struggle to pay.
