A U.S. district judge in Oregon has blocked a $25 billion bid by supermarket giant Kroger to take over rival Albertsons, ruling that the Federal Trade Commission’s concerns about the merger’s impact on market consolidation were valid. Judge Adrienne Nelson said Tuesday afternoon that a merger between the two companies would end up harming consumers. The two companies ‘engage in substantial head-to-head competition and the proposed merger would remove that competition,’ Ferguson wrote. As a result, the proposed merger would be likely to lead to outcomes that ‘unilaterally’ harm consumers and is thus ‘presumptively unlawful. ‘ Ferguson also ruled the merger would be bad for workers, arguing that increased consolidation would reduce workers’ bargaining power. Albertsons said in a statement that it is ‘disappointed by the U.S. District Court’s decision to grant the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction.’ ‘We believe we clearly outlined during the proceedings how the proposed merger would…
