PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The chief executive officers of Kroger and Albertsons were set to testify in federal court Wednesday, midway through a three-week hearing in which the grocery chains have defended their proposed merger from the U.S. government’s attempt to stop it.
The two companies proposed what would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history in October 2022. The Federal Trade Commission sued to prevent the $24.6 billion deal and has asked a U.S. District Court judge in Oregon for an injunction that would block the merger while the complaint goes before an FTC administrative law judge.
The FTC alleges the merger would eliminate competition and raise grocery prices at a time of already high food price inflation. Kroger and Albertsons say the deal would allow them to compete with big rivals like Walmart and hold down prices by giving them more leverage with suppliers.
The testimony of Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran and…