Popular Montana Grocery Store Is No Longer Being Sold

Popular Montana Grocery Store Is No Longer Being Sold

One of the biggest reasons voters gave for the result of the most recent presidential election was the high cost of grocery bills.

A proposed $25 billion merger of two grocery giants could have made those prices stay high or even gone higher with a lack of competition, but for now that merger seems to be dead.

Federal Judge Blocks Sale

On Tuesday, December 10th, a federal judge in Portland, Oregon, sided with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and blocked the deal between grocery giants Albertson's and Kroger.

The FTC argued that this merger would result in higher prices due to a lack of competition along with reducing the bargaining power of union workers.

Kroger argued that since Albertson's prices were 10-12% higher, it would save shoppers in places like Montana, once they were paying Kroger prices. This from the same company whose senior director for pricing admitted they were price gouging customers.

What Happens Now?

While the merger might be dead for the time being, there is still plenty of drama playing out between the two companies.

Almost immediately after the merger block, Albertson's turned around and sued Kroger, saying they "violated its contract and didn’t follow through on commitments," according to CNBC.

While there were no closures of stores proposed in Montana due to this merger, the fact that competition still remains here under the Big Sky hopefully means competitive prices for our groceries because we already pay way too much for them.