All three members of Alaska’s delegation to Congress have weighed in against the merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons.
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan wrote a joint letter Friday to the chair of the Federal Trade Commission expressing “deep concerns” about the proposed merger. They said it would reduce competition and likely lead to higher prices.
The merger agreement calls for the conglomerate to sell 14 Carrs stores in Alaska to a company called C&S. The senators note that C&S has no Alaska experience and nothing in the agreement would require them to stay open.
The senators asked that the Federal Trade Commission closely scrutinize the proposed deal and set a high standard for approval.
Congresswoman Mary Peltola wrote a more pointed letter last month, asking the commission to block the merger.
The Anchorage Assembly is also set to weigh in on the merger. It’s scheduled to vote Tuesday on a resolution asking the FTC to intervene and block the merger. The resolution warns that the “potential divestment of stores would effectively monopolize the grocery store market and threaten basic food security” in the city.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
