Customer Service

Kroger, Albertsons merger will have customer repercussions, claim experts

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October 31, 2022

Higher prices, the loss of private brand product options and more food deserts will impact customers if the proposed $24.6 billion dollar merger of Kroger and Albertsons is approved, according to several experts.

The merger would combine two of the biggest U.S. supermarkets and give the company one-fifth of the grocery market.

The Local Self-Reliance group, which focuses on drawing grocery stores to food desert communities, called the proposal "dangerous," according to a Guardian report.

If merged the two grocery chains would be operating 5,000 stores across 48 U.S. states, but many of the locations would likely close given overlap, according to Local Self-Reliance.

A law professor said the merger would result in private label and store brands being eliminated, which leaves fewer cheaper product options for consumers.

"I'm deeply concerned about the consumer choice aspects of this," Christine Bartholomew, a law professor at the University of Buffalo, told the Guardian. "It may not sound like a big deal, but private labels are among the most affordable brands."