Sale of Joliet Jewel store pending as Kroger and Albertsons merger stalls

Kroger and Albertsons have halted their proposed $24.6 billion merger, which would divest 35 Illinois stores, including stores in Joliet, Shorewood and Frankfort if the two businesses merged.

The stores that would be sold locally include Jewel at 1537 N Larkin Ave. in Joliet, Mariano’s at 950 Brook Forest Ave. in Shorewood and Mariano’s at 21001 S LaGrange Road in Frankfort.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement on July 25 that he is pleased Kroger and Albertsons “agreed to halt their plans to merge until the court rules on the state’s lawsuit to permanently block the grocery merger.”

“This is great news for shoppers, workers, farmers, and other suppliers, who can rest assured that this megamerger will not go into effect during harvest season and while kids are headed back to school,” Weiser said in the statement.

“The trial is set to begin on September 30 and my office looks forward to making the case that this merger will eliminate competition and impact food prices, jobs, and consumer choice,” he said.

The Federal Trade Commission sued in February to block the proposal, the largest in U.S. history, alleging the deal is anticompetitive, according to a news release from the FTC.

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