Kroger has identified which stores in Oregon it would sell off to a competitor to secure regulatory approval for its $24.6 billion proposed merger with Albertsons -- and three of them are in Grants Pass.
The parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC announced plans to acquire rival Albertsons -- which owns Safeway -- in October 2022.
In a bid to mollify antitrust regulators, Kroger and Albertson said they would sell off more than 500 stores to New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers for $1.9 billion. The two companies plan to sell off a total of 62 stores in Oregon.
Supermarkets on that list include the Albertsons at 1690 Allen Creek Road in Grants Pass, the Safeway at 115 SE 7th Street in Grants Pass and the Safeway at 1640 Williams Highway in Grants Pass. No other stores in southwest Oregon are on the list. It's unclear what branding the divested stores in Oregon would carry.
The two supermarket giants are awaiting a trial set for August 26th in federal court in Oregon after the Federal Trade Commission and nine states -- including Oregon -- filed suit in February to halt the merger.
Federal regulators argued and the state attorneys general argued that combining Kroger with Albertsons would lessen competition and give the merged chain too much control over grocery prices and employees' wages.
