By Russell Redman
Source: Supermarket News
The attorneys general of the District of Columbia and five states today sent a letter to Albertsons Cos. and The Kroger Co. urging them to hold off on a special $4 billion dividend payment to Albertsons shareholders under their proposed $24.6 billion merger deal.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D.), who’s leading the state AG group, said Wednesday that the bipartisan request was made to enable states to complete antitrust reviews of the Kroger-Albertsons merger, announced Oct. 14. He noted that his office also plans a formal investigation of the planned transaction and its impact on workers and shoppers, as well as whether the dividend would impinge on Albertsons’ ability to compete during the merger review process.
