Oct 12, 2026 · 19 min · 11 segments
Crain’s cannabis reporter John Pletz joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss what’s driving a surge in Illinois…
Jeanne SparrowHost
John PletzGuest
[gentle music] A massive corporate battle in the grocery industry is heating up in court, and billions of dollars are now on the line.
In a new court filing in Delaware Chancery Court, lawyers for Albertsons allege that Kroger willfully breached their merger agreement by failing to use best efforts to secure regulatory approval.
The two retail giants had agreed to a $24.6 billion merger back in 2022, a deal that would've brought local chains like Jewel-Osco and Mariano's under the same parent company.
But a federal court officially blocked the mega merger in December 2024 after the Federal Trade Commission argued the deal would harm competition.
Albertsons claims Kroger refused to adjust its store divestiture plans despite explicit warnings from federal regulators, its own economists, and its proposed buyer, C&S Wholesale Grocers.
Albertsons says Kroger was capped at divesting 650 stores but held out to protect its own profit targets rather than saving the deal.
In a statement, Albertson's said, quote, "The bottom line is that Kroger made a promise and broke it." The requested payout includes a nine billion dollar shareholder premium, a six hundred million dollar breakup fee, plus interest and legal costs.
[gentle music] A massive corporate battle in the grocery industry is heating up in court, and billions of dollars are now on the line.
In a new court filing in Delaware Chancery Court, lawyers for Albertsons allege that Kroger willfully breached their merger agreement by failing to use best efforts to secure regulatory approval.
The two retail giants had agreed to a $24.6 billion merger back in 2022, a deal that would've brought local chains like Jewel-Osco and Mariano's under the same parent company.
But a federal court officially blocked the mega merger in December 2024 after the Federal Trade Commission argued the deal would harm competition.
Albertsons claims Kroger refused to adjust its store divestiture plans despite explicit warnings from federal regulators, its own economists, and its proposed buyer, C&S Wholesale Grocers.
Albertsons says Kroger was capped at divesting 650 stores but held out to protect its own profit targets rather than saving the deal.
In a statement, Albertson's said, quote, "The bottom line is that Kroger made a promise and broke it." The requested payout includes a nine billion dollar shareholder premium, a six hundred million dollar breakup fee, plus interest and legal costs.
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