Kroger and Albertsons hope to merge but must face a skeptical US government in court first

The largest proposed grocery merger in U.S. history is heading to court. On one side are supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons, which say their planned merger will help them compete against rivals like Costco. On the other side are antitrust regulators from the Federal Trade Commission, who say the merger would eliminate competition and raise grocery prices at a time of high food price inflation. A federal judge in Portland, Oregon, is scheduled to consider both sides starting Monday and then decide whether to grant the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction. The injunction would delay the merger while the FTC conducts an in-house case against the deal before an administrative law judge.