The $25 billion deal to merge Kroger and Albertson supermarket chains in the United States has collapsed.
A judge in Oregon agreed with the federal trade commission that the merger would significantly reduce competition.
The deal was announced in October, 2022, and drew widespread criticism for creating a business too dominant in the grocery business.
Kroger said now it will buy back $7.5 billion worth of its shares.
Albertson accused Kroger of failing to provide regulators with sufficient information of how many stores it would sell to avoid limiting competition in local markets. Kroger said it would sell 579 stores.
There are strong supermarket companies in various parts of the United States, but only Walmart and Costco are national chains. Canada, by comparison, is dominated by strong national chains such as Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart and Costco.
