WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) sent a letter urging Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan to review and consider blocking the merger of Kroger and Albertsons grocery stores over concerns that it could increase already-high food prices for families. Both grocery stores have a strong presence throughout the state, and this merger would mean less competition and fewer affordable food options for Nevadans.
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Calls grow for federal scrutiny of Kroger-Albertsons merger
By McKenna Ross
Key Points:
- Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., called on the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to investigate the proposed merger between grocery store giants Kroger and Albertsons.
- But Rosen said the FTC should investigate the merger’s possible impact on food prices. She noted that federal government estimates show that year-over-year inflation for “food at home” peaked at 13.5 percent in August 2022.
- “While inflation is slowing down in 2023, that does not mean that prices are going down, but merely that they are not going up as quickly as last year,” she wrote in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan. “Nevadans cannot afford to get hit with even higher grocery prices as a result of this merger.”
- “While I appreciate that the two companies have agreed to sell fifteen Albertsons stores in Nevada in order to address antitrust concerns, this does little to assuage concerns that the merger’s resulting mega-chain will be able to raise prices on Nevadans throughout the state,” Rosen wrote.
Las Vegas Sun: Nevada Sen. joins lawmakers calling for FTC to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Key Points:
- Nevada U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen on Tuesday sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Lina Khan opposing the proposed merger between two of the largest grocery chains in the country, joining a growing list of lawmakers seeking to nix the deal.
- Rosen, a Democrat, said she has “significant concerns” about the proposed merger between The Kroger Company and Albertsons Companies, Inc., and the impact it could have on what she called already high grocery costs.
- “Nevadans are therefore understandably concerned that this merger could mean less competition and higher food costs, with the deal giving the newly-merged company the power to unilaterally raise prices in Nevada supermarkets,” she wrote.
- In Rosen’s letter, she states constituents have yet to receive assurances the proposed deal will not further increase food costs in the face of year-over-year inflation that saw grocery prices increase by over 10% since 2022.
Nevada Current: Rosen urges FTC to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger
By Camalot Todd
Key Points:
- Nevada Democratic U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen is urging Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan to block the merger between Kroger and Albertsons grocery.
- “I write with significant concerns about the proposed merger…and its potential impact on already high grocery costs for Nevadans,” Rosen wrote in a Dec. 20 letter to Khan. “At a time when working families in Nevada and across the country are facing high costs for housing, gas, groceries, energy, and more, the Federal Trade Commission must fully exercise its antitrust authority to review and consider blocking this merger, which could increase costs for Nevadans even further.”
KOLO Reno: Rosen urges feds to block proposed Kroger/Albertson merger
Senator Rosen: “I can tell you that as I travel around Nevada, everyone talks to me about the high prices of things at their kitchen table – the price of food, the price of gas, the price of medicine, and so when it comes to food, we know here in Nevada that Albertsons and Kroger own so many grocery stores here, I believe, over 80 grocery stores up and down the state.”
Anchor: “And with the potential Kroger-Albertsons merger, Senator Jacky Rosen has concerns over how this will affect families in Nevada, especially those who live in rural areas.”
KVVU Las Vegas – Rosen speaks out against potential merger between Kroger and Albertsons
Reporter: “Rosen argues a merger of two of the state’s largest grocery store chains would hurt everyday Nevadans.”
Senator Rosen: “Between those two grocery store chains, they own, I believe, over 80 stores all across Nevada. Why does that matter? Well when you decrease competition, you may decrease supply. You could even consolidate stores, and what would that mean? Higher prices for Nevada families when it comes to the food on their table.”
Reporter: “She says her goal is to fight inflation and lower prices.”
KSNV Las Vegas: Nevada’s Rosen asks regulators to consider blocking Kroger-Albertsons merger
Anchor: “Senator Jacky Rosen [is] against a potential merger between Kroger, which owns Smith’s, and Albertsons. And she says that the consequences of such a merger would impact families all throughout the state.”
Senator Rosen: “Here you have Kroger and Albertsons [with] the potential to merge. Here in Nevada, I think that’s more than 80 stores across the state. Well what’s going to happen? You’re going to decrease competition and decrease supply, so that could lead to higher food prices, which impacts every single family in Nevada.”
KLAS Las Vegas: Rosen Urges FTC to Consider Blocking Kroger & Albertsons Merger
Anchor: “U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen has sent a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission to review and consider blocking the merger of Kroger and Albertsons grocery stores on antitrust grounds. Both grocery stores have a strong presence throughout the state. The concern is that the merger could increase already high food prices for families. In the letter, Senator Rosen wrote, ‘My constituents lack assurances that the proposed deal will not further increase food costs for hardworking Nevadans who are already getting squeezed by rising grocery prices.’”
KTVN Reno: Rosen Urges FTC to Consider Blocking Kroger & Albertsons Merger
Anchor: “Jacky Rosen sent a letter to the FTC today urging the chair to consider blocking the merger of Kroger and Albertsons grocery stores. Senator Rosen says it’s over concerns that it could increase already high food prices for families.”
KRXI Reno: Rosen Urges FTC to Consider Blocking Kroger & Albertsons Merger
Anchor: “Senator Jacky Rosen is pushing back against a merger of Kroger and Albertsons grocery store chains. The Nevada senator sent out a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan over concerns that the merger would mean less competition and fewer affordable food options for Nevadans. She also wrote that because chains have a strong presence in Nevada, it would further increase food costs for residents already getting squeezed by raising grocery costs.”
KRNV Reno: Rosen Urges FTC to Consider Blocking Kroger & Albertsons Merger
Anchor: “Well, a merger between Kroger and Albertsons stores could raise grocery prices. That’s what Senator Jacky Rosen said in a letter sent to the FTC urging them to block the deal. She sent the letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan over concerns that the merger would mean less competition and fewer affordable food options for Nevadans. She also wrote that because both chains have a strong presence in Nevada, it would further increase food costs for residents already getting squeezed by rising grocery prices.”
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