Albertsons terminates merger agreement with Kroger

Albertsons (ACI) announced it has exercised its right to terminate its merger agreement with Kroger (KR) after the U.S. District Court in Oregon and the King County Superior Court for the State of Washington issued injunctions with respect to the proposed merger on December 10. Vivek Sankaran, CEO, commented: “Given the recent federal and state court decisions to block our proposed merger with Kroger, we have made the difficult decision to terminate the merger agreement. We are deeply disappointed in the courts’ decisions. We start this next chapter in strong financial condition with a track record of positive business performance. Over the last two years, we have invested in our core business and in new sources of revenue, while enhancing our capabilities through the rollout of new technologies. All of this has been built on a rich asset base, including our beloved brands in premium locations with substantial real estate value. These assets provide us the opportunity to optimize the acceleration of our Customers for Life strategy and other value-creating initiatives. We are excited about our agenda to create long-term value and are committed to returning cash to our stockholders both in the near term and in the future. We will be providing additional details on our plan no later than our earnings conference call in January 2025.”