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The owners of Honor Family Market are ready to retire. A buyer would face the tight margins of a small business and competition against the giant chains and discount stores.

Several prominent mergers and acquisitions have been blocked or challenged by the Biden-Harris administration in 2024, including the proposed deal between Albertsons and Kroger.

The supermarket chain had tried to join forces with Kroger, but judges sided with federal and state regulators who charged that the merger would reduce competition.

(Reuters) -A U.S. judge blocked the pending $25-billion merger of U.S. grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons on Tuesday, in a win for the Federal Trade Commission that Kroger has said would likely scuttle the deal. The FTC argued at a three-week trial in Portland, Oregon, that the merger would eliminate head-to-head competition between the top two traditional grocery chains, leading to higher prices for shoppers and reduced bargaining leverage for unionized workers. The ruling, which could be appealed, is a big victory for FTC Chair Lina Khan and President Joe Biden's administration in their bid to counter inflation at the checkout.

A federal judge issued a ruling that blocks the proposed $25 billion merger between Albertsons and Kroger, which critics argued would reduce competition in the grocery industry.

Stocks are mixed ahead of a consumer inflation report seen as key to the path of interest rates.

Stocks are mixed ahead of a consumer inflation report seen as key to the path of interest rates.

The Federal Trade Commission notched a victory in its efforts to block the supermarket merger over concerns about harm to shoppers and workers.

Deal-making has slowed in recent years, largely due to high interest rates, soaring company valuations and a tight regulatory environment.

Some members of Congress have expressed concerns that stores will monitor customers and raise prices. Business experts say the tech has not raised customers’ grocery bills.

The Labor Department's latest consumer price index data showed that inflation continues to strain consumers' food budgets, with some items seeing notable price increases.

Federal regulators are trying to block Kroger’s merger with Albertsons. In a Portland suburb, residents already know what deteriorating access to fresh food looks like.

Government lawyers have cited internal business documents to question whether the deal would deplete competition in the grocery industry.

Some big retailers have been levying a fee on customers who ask for cash back on purchases. That disproportionately hurts those in banking deserts.

The Federal Trade Commission, which is trying to block Kroger’s plan to acquire Albertsons, said in court that the merger of grocery giants would also hurt workers’ pay and benefits.

'Varney & Co.' Stuart Varney argues Kamala Harris is deliberately ignoring the impact of massive government spending on inflation.

As Kroger seeks to acquire Albertsons, federal regulators argue that the biggest supermarket combination in history will hurt not only consumers, but workers as well.