The front of the new H-E-B Supermarket opening in McKinney, Texas on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.
FortWorth
H-E-B is continuing to grow its North Texas real estate portfolio with the purchase of more land in Fort Worth, records show.
The San Antonio-based supermarket giant already owns numerous properties, some of which have sat vacant for years without any announced plans to build stores. For example, in March 2023, H-E-B bought 15 acres by The Shops at Chisholm Trail Ranch in far south Fort Worth, along McPherson Boulevard and Summer Creek Drive. The site remains vacant.
Tarrant County property records show that the latest H-E-B acquisition is a 4.5-acre site at the southeastern corner of Altamesa Boulevard and McCart Avenue. The property is an abandoned Sack ’N Save warehouse grocery store.
H-E-B bought its first plot of land in Tarrant County in 2015 in the northwest corner of Cheek-Sparger Road and Rio Grande Boulevard in Euless. That purchase then sparked a buying spree, and the company owned six other plots n the county by the end of 2016.
H-E-B’s plans for new Fort Worth property
A spokesperson for H-E-B declined to comment this week on whether the company plans to build a grocery story here or what a timeline could look like in terms of the land being put to use. The purchased land is next to a 7-Eleven, Jack in the Box and a discount tire shop.
Perhaps more telling, the site is across from one of H-E-B’s chief rivals in North Texas: Kroger. The first H-E-B in Fort Worth opened in 2024 in Alliance in 2022 on Heritage Trace Parkway, directly across from a Kroger Marketplace.
After H-E-B announced the Alliance store, the company broke ground on a location in Mansfield in early 2023 and opened it the following year.
Then, H-E-B announced plans for its second Fort Worth grocery store last July. The location is in the booming Walsh area along I-20 just across the Parker County line.
In January 2025, H-E-B also bought land in Wise County at the southeast corner of Farm Road and U.S. 287 in the growing Reunion development, where thousands of homes have either been built or planned.
A third location in Tarrant County is expected to open near the Bedford-Euless line later this year.
H-E-B’s new Altamesa Boulevard property
Forty years ago, the corner of Altamesa Boulevard and McCart Avenue was fiercely competitive in the grocery business. Kroger has operated here since around 1980.
According to the Star-Telegram archives, the building H-E-B purchased was originally a Safeway that held a grand opening on Jan. 17, 1982. In 1985, a Sack ’N Save opened on another corner of the intersection that was most recently a Big Lots.
At some point, Sack ’N Save moved into the former Safeway.
The 4.5 acres has a total tax value of $1,450,929, according to Tarrant County records.
Samuel O’Neal is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covering higher education and local news in Fort Worth. He joined the team in December 2025 after previously working as a staff writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He graduated from Temple University, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the school’s student paper, The Temple News.
A woman has gone viral after her Kroger-based rant didn’t land exactly as she expected it to. In the clip, which has amassed 1.3 million views, Keiosha (@keiosha016) shops in Kroger alongside her husband and baby.
“You would not believe the audacity some people have,” she begins.
The TikToker then explains how she was shopping with her husband when a woman asked him to reach something for her from the top shelf.
“I look at them. I look at him. He looks at me. He said, ‘Boo!’ The fact that he knew he needed permission, and the fact that they thought they could just ask him, and he was gonna move for them, the audacity,” she said.
Keiosha continued, “If you are in the store, married or single by yourself, and you need help, and you notice that the man that you got to ask help from is with a woman, he correct thing to say is, ‘Excuse me, ma’am, is it OK if your husband can help me get something from the shelf?””
She then claimed that, by asking him, the shopper put her husband in a “weird situation.”
“He didn’t flinch, he didn’t move. He looked at me, ‘Boo,’ and we both knew what that ‘Boo’ meant, so… But have a good day,” she said.
However, commenters didn’t agree with the TikToker’s approach.
“Both of yall goofy!” one wrote. “And you bored. This the highlight of your goofy ass day.”
“May my self-esteem never get this low,” another added. While a third quipped: “You definitely pay every bill.”
A fourth remarked that “this level of insecurity is so unhealthy,” while a fifth concurred: “He was scared because he know you insecure.”
Elsewhere, a sixth asked whether it’s “really that serious,” to which Keiosha replied, “It may not be to some, but to us…. it’s EVERYTHING! We respect each other and create boundaries for others.”
Several other commenters also mocked Keiosha and her husband’s appearance.
Keiosha didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
Other TikTokers shared their takes
Keiosha soon became immortalized as the ‘Kroger lady,’ with several TikTokers stitching or otherwise posting their hot takes on her situation.
“I pray that I never be or become that insecure,” TikToker Danni (@dannirokz) said. “If I’m with my husband in a store and somebody comes up and says, ‘Oh, can you reach that?’ He doesn’t got to look at me Good. That’s the kind of man I know he is. I know he’s gonna help. You know, you need to reach it. Like, that’s fine. That’s the kind of man he was raised to be.”
“If his mama found out he didn’t help and it was that, it would be a problem. No,” they continued. “But you thought people were gonna agree with you. And now they’re chewing you up. And, you know? I’m kind of with them.”
In her own video, fellow TikTok user Candi (@candi3_commentary) added, “Lady, you know how goddamn insecure you have to be? Nobody wants your man but you: it’s a box of cereal. It’s just like a given rule that when someone is taller, they assist people. It’s just called being. A nice person. It has nothing to do with wanting your man. Y’all gotta stop.”
Some defend her
However, not all TikTokers disagreed with Keiosha. Some, like Hailey (@haileystel), adopted a middle ground.
“All I know is that, if I’m in the grocery store with my man, and someone taps me on the shoulder and says, ‘Ma’am, is it OK if your man helps me get something off that top shelf?’ Why the [expletive] are you asking me? You don’t see this grown-[expletive] man standing right next to me? Do I look like his mother? His caregiver? His timekeeper? No. I barely know that I’m at a grocery store, OK? I blindly follow wherever that man leads.”
“If you do ask my man, and he declines and says that he cannot help you, we still gonna have a problem,” she added. “Because why are you not helping this lady get something off the higher shelf at the grocery store?”
However, at the same time, she noted how “that man knew that if he did not acknowledge his wife when that lady acknowledged him, that it was going to be a problem. He knows his wife. He knows the boundaries that she has and that’s OK.”
Danni, Candi, and Hailey didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
Charlotte is an internet culture writer with bylines in Insider, VICE, Glamour, The Independent, and more. She holds a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from City St George’s, University of London.
John and Theresa Anderson meandered through the sprawling Ralph Lauren clothing store on Rodeo Drive, shopping for holiday gifts.
They emerged carrying boxy blue bags. John scored quarter-zip sweaters for himself and his father-in-law, and his wife splurged on a tweed jacket for Christmas Day.
“I’m going for quality over quantity this year,” said John, an apparel company executive and Palos Verdes Estates resident.
They strolled through the world-famous Beverly Hills shopping mecca, where there was little evidence of any big sales.
John Anderson holds his shopping bags from Ralph Lauren and Gucci at Rodeo Drive.
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
One mile away, shoppers at a Ralphs grocery store in West Hollywood were hunting for bargains. The chain’s website has been advertising discounts on a wide variety of products, including wine and wrapping paper.
Massi Gharibian was there looking for cream cheese and ways to save money.
“I’m buying less this year,” she said. “Everything is expensive.”
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The tale of two Ralphs shows how Americans are experiencing radically different realities this holiday season. It represents the country’s K-shaped economy — the growing divide between those who are affluent and those trying to stretch their budgets.
Some Los Angeles residents are tightening their belts and prioritizing necessities such as groceries. Others are frequenting pricey stores such as Ralph Lauren, where doormen hand out hot chocolate and a cashmere-silk necktie sells for $250.
People shop at Ralphs in West Hollywood.
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
In the K-shaped economy, high-income households sit on the upward arm of the “K,” benefiting from rising pay as well as the value of their stock and property holdings. At the same time, lower-income families occupy the downward stroke, squeezed by inflation and lackluster income gains.
The model captures the country’s contradictions. Growth looks healthy on paper, yet hiring has slowed and unemployment is edging higher. Investment is booming in artificial intelligence data centers, while factories cut jobs and home sales stall.
The divide is most visible in affordability. Inflation remains a far heavier burden for households lower on the income distribution, a frustration that has spilled into politics. Voters are angry about expensive rents, groceries and imported goods.
“People in lower incomes are becoming more and more conservative in their spending patterns, and people in the upper incomes are actually driving spending and spending more,” said Kevin Klowden, an executive director at the Milken Institute, an economic think tank.
“Inflationary pressures have been much higher on lower- and middle-income people, and that has been adding up,” he said.
According to a Bank of America report released this month, higher-income employees saw their after-tax wages grow 4% from last year, while lower-income groups saw a jump of just 1.4%. Higher-income households also increased their spending year over year by 2.6%, while lower-income groups increased spending by 0.6%.
The executives at the companies behind the two Ralphs say they are seeing the trend nationwide.
Ralph Lauren reported better-than-expected quarterly sales last month and raised its forecasts, while Kroger, the grocery giant that owns Ralphs and Food 4 Less, said it sometimes struggles to attract cash-strapped customers.
“We’re seeing a split across income groups,” interim Kroger Chief Executive Ron Sargent said on a company earnings call early this month. “Middle-income customers are feeling increased pressure. They’re making smaller, more frequent trips to manage budgets, and they’re cutting back on discretionary purchases.”
People leave Ralphs with their groceries in West Hollywood.
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Kroger lowered the top end of its full-year sales forecast after reporting mixed third-quarter earnings this month.
On a Ralph Lauren earnings call last month, CEO Patrice Louvet said its brand has benefited from targeting wealthy customers and avoiding discounts.
“Demand remains healthy, and our core consumer is resilient,” Louvet said, “especially as we continue … to shift our recruiting towards more full-price, less price-sensitive, higher-basket-size new customers.”
Investors have noticed the split as well.
The stock charts of the companies behind the two Ralphs also resemble a K. Shares of Ralph Lauren have jumped 37% in the last six months, while Kroger shares have fallen 13%.
To attract increasingly discerning consumers, Kroger has offered a precooked holiday meal for eight of turkey or ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry and gravy for about $11 a person.
“Stretch your holiday dollars!” said the company’s weekly newspaper advertisement.
Signs advertising low prices are posted at Ralphs.
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
In the Ralph Lauren on Rodeo Drive, sunglasses and polo shirts were displayed without discounts. Twinkling lights adorned trees in the store’s entryway and employees offered shoppers free cookies for the holidays.
Ralph Lauren and other luxury stores are taking the opposite approach to retailers selling basics to the middle class.
They are boosting profits from sales of full-priced items. Stores that cater to high-end customers don’t offer promotions as frequently, Klowden of the Milken Institute said.
“When the luxury stores are having sales, that’s usually a larger structural symptom of how they’re doing,” he said. “They don’t need to be having sales right now.”
Jerry Nickelsburg, faculty director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, said upper-income earners are less affected by inflation that has driven up the price of everyday goods, and are less likely to hunt for bargains.
“The low end of the income distribution is being squeezed by inflation and is consuming less,” he said. “The upper end of the income distribution has increasing wealth and increasing income, and so they are less affected, if affected at all.”
The Andersons on Rodeo Drive also picked up presents at Gucci and Dior.
“We’re spending around the same as last year,” John Anderson said.
At Ralphs, Beverly Grove resident Mel, who didn’t want to share her last name, said the grocery store needs to go further for its consumers.
“I am 100% trying to spend less this year,” she said.
Listeria found in a packing facility caused a recall of peaches sold by the nation’s largest grocers, including Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Target and Food Lion.
Listeria infects about 1,250 people in the United States each year, according to the CDC, and kills about 172. Newborns, adults over 65 and pregnant women are most vulnerable to the worst from listeria, which can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Most people suffer high fever, headache, symptoms similar to the flu and muscle stiffness.
Moonlight’s recall notice says affected Moonlight Yellow Peaches, Moonlight White Peaches, Moonlight White Peppermint Peach and Kroger Yellow Peaches were sold from Sept. 16, 2025 and Oct. 29, 2025, individually and in multipacks. If the packs or PLU stickers on individual peaches have “Washington” or “Organic” on them, they’re not recalled.
Moonlight Yellow Peaches were among the peaches recalled after listeria was found in a facility. FDA
Recalled peaches in multipacks carry these lot Nos. on the packaging: 01 PCLC, 03PCAF, 106PCLF, 113PCAF, 113PCLF, 129PCLF, 134PCLF, 142PCLF, 150PCLF, 151PCLF, 159PCABA, 159PCABB, 159PCPG10, 20, 22PCAB, 22PCPG10A, 22PCPG10B, 22PCP8A, 22PCPG8B, 22PCPG8C, 23, 25, 30PCEN, 40LT, 40YP#3, 44PCLC, 44PCLCB, 45, 51PCLC, 51PCLCB, 86PCAF, 69PWPR or 79PWPRT.
The carton for recalled Moonlight White Peaches FDA
Recalled individual Moonlight Yellow and White Peaches will have No. 4401 or 4044 on the PLU sticker.
Walmart didn’t list exactly which peaches it sold, but did say recalled peaches went to Walmarts and Sam’s Club locations in 46 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. States excluded were Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Kroger sold the individual Moonlight peaches and, of course, Kroger Yellow Peaches. The recall portion of Kroger’s website says they also were sold by Kroger-owned chain grocers Ralphs, Dillons, King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Mariano’s, Pick n Save, Metro Market, Baker’s, Gerbes, City Market, Fry’s, Food4Less, FoodsCo, QFC, and Smith’s.
Since 1989, David J. Neal’s domain at the Miami Herald has expanded to include writing about Panthers (NHL and FIU), Dolphins, old school animation, food safety, fraud, naughty lawyers, bad doctors and all manner of breaking news. He drinks coladas whole. He does not work Indianapolis 500 Race Day.
If you like noodles, now would be a good time to check your freezer and fridge: Multiple grocery stores have had to recall pasta salad and other pre-made dishes because of possible listeria contamination.
So far, Colorado doesn’t have any known cases, but some of the recalled foods went to stores in the state.
Listeria is most severe for people who are over 65 or have compromised immune systems. It also carries severe risks during pregnancy because of the possibility of premature birth and severe illness in the baby.
The products distributed to Colorado that could have listeria contamination include:
Officers responded to a Kroger in Bellevue, Kentucky, on Donnermeyer Drive and Retreat Street, according to our news partner WCPO in Cincinnati.
The cause of death is currently unknown.
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Bellevue Police told WCPO that an initial investigation indicated that this was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.
WCPO also spoke with a Gold Star Chili worker in Bellevue. Constance Bray said there had been a smell for several weeks, but her friends who had previously called the police were told it was a deer.
She explained that she and a friend went to explore where the smell was coming from and found the body. They notified police, WCPO reported.
The Campbell County Crime Scene Team was also called to assist with the investigation.
Chase is targeting some cardholders with a new offer that can save you 10% on your next purchase at Kroger. Here’s how this Kroger Chase Offer works:
Earn 15% cash back on your Kroger purchase, with a $9.00 cash back maximum. Offer expires 09/23/25.
Earn 10% cash back on your Kroger purchase, with a $9.00 cash back maximum. Offer expires 09/23/25.
Important Terms
Offer only valid on purchases made directly with the merchant.
Offer not valid on Delivery Now, Fuel or Ship orders.
Offer not valid on purchases made using third-party services, delivery services, or a third-party payment account (e.g., buy now pay later).
Offer not valid on pharmacy, tobacco, alcohol, or lottery purchases.
Payment must be made on or before offer expiration date.
About Chase Offers
Chase Offers are available on Chase credit cards and debit cards. With these offers, you usually get cashback when you use your eligible Chase card to shop at a participating store. You can see your offers in the Chase app or in your account online. Here are a few things worth noting about these offers:
You can add the same offer to multiple cards, and you will receive multiple credits. The Savewise app helps you add and manage these offers.
Chase Offers could be targeted to certain accounts, so not every offer will be available for everyone.
Credits will appear in your account in 7-14 business days.
Usually the same offers will also show up for US Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Regions Bank, Suntrust Bank, BBVA, BB&T, PNC, Columbia Bank and Beneficial Bank customers.
Guru’s Wrap-up
A nice offer for savings at Kroger. The limit is only $9 cash back, but you can save the offer on multiple cards.
Check your accounts at Chase and other banks and add the offer on as many cards as you have it.
Kroger, the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant, told employees it is eliminating nearly 1,000 corporate jobs nationwide, including 200 in its hometown region.
In a memo obtained by The Cincinnati Enquirer, Kroger Interim CEO Ron Sargent said the cuts would “simplify the organization” and free up money for Kroger to lower grocery prices, add hours for store employees and spend more to improve its stores.
The latest cuts are the third wave of reductions in administrative and other non-store jobs in 2025, following Kroger’s back-to-back cuts in February and March.
“These decisions are never easy, but we know thoughtful, yet difficult, choices are necessary to set our organization up for continued success,” Sargent wrote in the memo, dated Aug. 26. “I know change is hard, but I, along with the Kroger leadership team, am confident in the organization’s future.”
As of February, the company employed over 409,000 staff, with most working in its stores.
Here’s what you need to know about recent changes at Kroger:
The Kroger supermarket chain’s headquarters is shown in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., June 28, 2018.
Kroger operated 2,731 stores at the beginning of the fiscal year, meaning the closures represented about 2% of all of its locations.
Additionally, the company reaffirmed its plan to spend between $3.6 billion and $3.8 billion this year on capital expenditures, including money to build new stores and expand and renovate existing ones.
Kroger added that it would offer roles in other stores to all associates currently employed at closing locations.
The City of Kent’s Mayor is sounding off after learning that Kroger plans to shut down their Fred Meyer and citing crime as the reason.
“The decision to close this location, as well as others, is based on historical crime data. Not current trends,” Mayor Dana Ralph said.
She went on to explain that her city has been “loud and forceful, and shifting our state legislature to a public safety first agenda.”
Kroger, the company that owns Fred Meyer, released a plan to close 60 stores nationwide over 18 months.
So far, at least four locations in Washington will be closing in October: Everett, Kent, Lake City, and Redmond.
United Food & Commercial Workers Local 3000 (UFCW 3000), a union that represents grocery and retail workers, says the703 workers.
The company says they’ll be offered jobs at different locations.
Fred Meyer’s statement
Fred Meyer released the following statement about why they’ve chosen to close the stores:
“Fred Meyer is proud to serve communities across Washington. Unfortunately, due to a steady rise in theft and a challenging regulatory environment that adds significant costs, we can no longer make these stores financially viable. Despite doubling our safety and security investment over the past years, these challenges remain.”
Mayor Dana Ralph’s response:
Here is the Kent mayor’s full response:
“I would like to address the news we received yesterday about the East Hill Fred Meyer closing in October.
The restructuring of Kroger is at the heart of this closure along with 60 other locations across the country. Like any for-profit company, profit, and efficiency drives their decisions.
The interim CEO said: “We are making meaningful changes to the business to create a culture, that benefits our customers and our associates, while improving the long-term shareholder value.” This is a business decision being made in the interest of profitability and shareholders.
That is not something any city can change.
At the individual level, this impact goes beyond efficiencies – it’s about the local store where we buy our groceries, school supplies for our kids, diapers and baby food, and where we fill up our tanks and get our prescriptions filled. It’s about the local store that’s within walking distance of thousands of homes and on major bus lines. This place, many of us grew up shopping.
In the press release, Kroger cited operational reasons and crime as major factors in this decision. The latter is something I and our entire city council take very seriously.
Over the last four years, I have been standing up very publicly and speaking out about the impact of crime on our city, our neighborhoods. Whether it be relating to police pursuits, drug laws, or accountability for offenders. I have been consistent in calling out the impacts of the decisions being made at the county and state level and the significant impacts on our residents.
Kent has been loud and forceful, and shifting our state legislature to a public safety first agenda.
Kent has been showing up, sounding alarm bells and advocating for our residents. Over the past few legislative sessions, Fred Meyer has come to testify on our behalf about the need for additional resources for public safety. They called out the unique situation Kent is in as a result of prior legislative action which has shifted sales tax from Kent to wealthier cities. We have highlighted that without state support, we are unable to provide the level of public safety. Our community deserves and that we would be susceptible to decisions like the closing of the East Hill store.
While recent action by the legislature provides some assistance, it is proving to be too little, too late.
Organizations like Kroger, are not fortunetellers, they are historians.
The decision to close this location, as well as others, is based on historical crime data. Not current trends.
Frustrating as that is because we are seeing improvement in crime trends. Calls for service at the Fred Meyer location have declined.
In the absence of statewide support, Kent took proactive steps, within our authority and resources, to address crime issues. The good news is it has been working, and we are seeing a decrease in crime across our city.
Here are a few highlights – Kent was at the forefront of reestablishing drug laws – we know drug activity is often a primary factor in retail theft. In fact, the legislature patterned current laws after the one our city council passed. We advocated for change in pursuit laws as we saw an increase in retail theft when officers were no longer able to pursue suspects.
We established a SODA ordinance which allows convicted or crime-related drug activity to be trespassed from specific areas – the area around Fred Meyer is a part of that ordinance. We were one of the first cities in the State to fully staff our police department to budget.
The issue still exists that we need 35–40 additional officers, but we did what we could within our available resources.
As a city, we understand the impact of closures like the Fred Meyer on our city, our families. To be honest, I am angry, frustrated and sad. All of that only reinforces my commitment to advocating for Kent, keeping public safety is our number one priority and continued request for strategic and impactful investment from both King County and Washington state.
Looking forward, we will continue to ensure that Kent is positioned to attract investment that will benefit all of us.”
You can watch the full statement on the City of Kent Facebook page here.
Lawyers for Washington state will have past grocery chain mergers – and their negative consequences – in mind when they go to court to block a proposed merger between Albertsons and Kroger.
The case is one of three challenging the $24.6 billion deal, which was announced nearly two years ago. The Federal Trade Commission is currently fighting the merger in federal court in Oregon, where closing arguments are expected Tuesday. Colorado has also sued to block the merger.
But if the merger goes through, Washington residents would feel the impact more than the people of any other state. Albertsons and Kroger own more than 300 grocery stores in the state and control more than half of grocery sales there.
Under a plan to ease regulators’ concerns, Kroger and Albertsons would sell 579 overlapping stores, 124 of them in Washington, if the merger goes through. That’s the highest number among the 19 states with stores on the list. The state attorney general’s office says the proposed buyer, C&S Wholesale Grocers, has little experience running stores or pharmacies.
Washington seeks to avoid the situation it found itself in a decade ago, when Albertsons bought the Safeway chain. To satisfy regulators concerned about that deal’s potential impact on supermarket competition and consumers, Albertsons sold 146 stores to Haggen, a small grocery chain based in Bellingham, Washington.
But Haggen struggled with the expansion. Within six months, it had closed 127 stores — including 14 in Washington — and laid off thousands of workers. Haggen sold its remaining stores to Albertsons in 2016. Now, 10 Haggen stores in Washington are on the list to be sold if the merger happens.
“It’s pretty terrifying,” said Tina McKim, a founding member of Birchwood Food Desert Fighters, a group that sprang up in 2016 after Albertsons closed a store in Bellingham’s Birchwood neighborhood.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who is running for governor, wants to block the merger not just in the state but nationwide. In its complaint, filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington says eliminating the “robust competition” that exists between Albertsons and Kroger would lead to higher prices, lower quality and, most likely, store closures.
Albertsons and Kroger say the merger would help them better compete with growing rivals like Walmart and Costco. They are trying to get the case dismissed, arguing a state court isn’t the proper venue to consider a nationwide ban.
“Under our federalist system, Washington cannot wield its antitrust law to dictate merger policy for the rest of the country,” Albertsons and Kroger said in a court filing.
Brad Weber, a Dallas-based partner with the law firm Locke Lord who specializes in antitrust issues, said the Superior Court judge could decide to halt the merger nationwide or limit his ruling to Washington. Judge Marshall Ferguson might also order the companies to make changes to their plans to divest stores to preserve competition.
Ferguson may also decide to delay the case until there’s a ruling from the U.S. District Court in Oregon. Weber said. In that case, the Federal Trade Commission has asked a judge to temporarily block the merger until it is considered by an in-house judge at the FTC.
Albertsons and Kroger insist that their plan, including the sale of stores to C&S, will lower grocery prices and preserve competition. But Washington residents like McKim remain skeptical.
In 2016, Albertsons acquired a Haggen supermarket and then promptly closed an Albertsons store about a mile away in Birchwood. When it sold its former store two years later, Albertsons included a restriction: for the next 20 years, no grocery store could open in the Birchwood shopping plaza.
Albertsons says these types of restrictions — occasionally used when there is a store in close proximity to the store that’s closing — can help grocery companies stay competitive.
But it was a huge blow to the community, McKim said. For 35 years, the Birchwood store had served older adults, students, people with disabilities and lower-income residents who suddenly had no easy access to fresh food.
“We were all really shocked by that. How is it possible to deny food access to a neighborhood?” McKim said. “It made it really hard for anyone without a car to be able to go to another grocery store.”
McKim’s group tries to fill the void by collecting food donations and bringing in produce from local farms, but “it’s nowhere near the level of access people need,” she said.
This summer, after an investigation by Washington’s attorney general, Albertsons removed the restriction on the shopping plaza. A Big Lots that moved into the former grocery store is closing soon, McKim said, and she hopes the space will attract another supermarket. But even if it does, the community may never get back the unionized jobs it lost when Albertsons shut its doors, she said.
McKim said her area does have a Walmart, but it’s even further away from Birchwood than the Albertsons-run Haggen store, which is on the list of stores that would be sold to C&S. She’s also not convinced Kroger and Albertsons need to merge to compete with Walmart.
“This city is growing so quickly, the need for food is absolutely critical everywhere,” McKim said. “When you see other stores succeed, it’s because they curate to the neighborhood’s needs.”
The chief executive officer of Kroger insisted Wednesday that merging with rival Albertsons would allow the two supermarket companies to lower prices and more effectively compete with retail giants like Walmart and Amazon.
Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen argued in favor of what would be the largest grocery chain merger in U.S. history while testifying during a federal court hearing in Oregon on the U.S. government’s request for a preliminary injunction that would block the $24.6 billion deal.
“The day that we merge is the day that we will begin lowering prices,” McMullen said while under questioning by a lawyer representing his company.
Rodney McMullen, chief executive officer of Kroger, right, arrives at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, on Sept. 4, 2024. Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos. supermarkets say they need to combine to compete against bigger rivals Amazon.com Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp. and Walmart Inc., while the Federal Trade Commission alleges the merger would lead to higher grocery prices for consumers and lower wages for the supermarkets’ unionized workforces.
Jordan Gale/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The two companies proposed joining forces in October 2022 after Kroger agreed to purchase Albertsons. The Federal Trade Commission sued early this year to prevent the deal, alleging the merger would eliminate competition and raise grocery prices at a time of already high food price inflation.
McMullen countered that argument by saying that Albertsons prices are 10-12% higher than Kroger’s and that the merged company would try to reduce that disparity as part of a strategy for keeping customers. Walmart now controls around 22% of U.S. grocery sales. Combined, Kroger and Albertsons would control around 13%.
“We know that pricing is going to continue to go down,” McMullen said.
His statements and the upcoming testimony of Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran were expected to be critical components of the three-week hearing, which is at its mid-point. What the two say under oath about prices, potential store closures and the impact on workers will likely be scrutinized in the years ahead if the merger goes through.
Kroger, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, operates 2,800 stores in 35 states, including brands like Ralphs, Smith’s and Harris Teeter. Albertsons, based in Boise, Idaho, operates 2,273 stores in 34 states, including brands like Safeway, Jewel Osco and Shaw’s. Together, the companies employ around 710,000 people.
During the U.S. District Court proceedings, FTC attorneys argued that in the 22 states where the two companies compete now, they closely match each other on price, quality, private label products and services like store pickup. Shoppers benefit from that competition and would lose out if the merger is allowed to proceed, they said.
The FTC and labor union leaders also claim that workers’ wages and benefits would decline if Kroger and Albertsons no longer compete with each other. They’ve additionally expressed concern that potential store closures could create so-called food and pharmacy “deserts” for consumers.
Albertsons has argued the deal could actually bolster union jobs, since many of it and Kroger’s competitors, like Walmart, have few unionized workers.
Under the deal, Kroger and Albertsons would sell 579 stores in places where their locations overlap to C&S Wholesale Grocers, a New Hampshire-based supplier to independent supermarkets that also owns the Grand Union and Piggly Wiggly store brands.
Speaking in 2022 before the U.S. Senate subcommittee on competition policy, antitrust and consumer rights, the Albertsons CEO said his company’s acquisition of brands such as Safeway over the previous decade had allowed it to increase the number of its stores from 192 to 2,300.
“The intent is not to close stores. The intent is to divest stores,” Sankaran said at the time.
The FTC alleges that C&S is ill-prepared to take on those stores. Laura Hall, the FTC’s senior trial counsel, cited internal documents that indicated C&S executives were skeptical about the quality of the stores they would get and may want the option to sell or close them.
C&S CEO Eric Winn, for his part, testified last week in Portland that he thinks his company can be successful in the venture.
The FTC is seeking a preliminary injunction to block the merger while its lawsuit against the deal goes before an administrative law judge. U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson was expected to hear from around 40 witnesses before deciding whether to issue the injunction.
If she does decide to temporarily block the merger, the FTC plans to hold the in-house hearings starting Oct. 1. Kroger sued the FTC last month, however, alleging the agency’s internal proceedings are unconstitutional and saying it wants the merger’s merits decided in federal court.
The attorneys general of Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming all joined the FTC’s lawsuit on the commission’s side. Washington and Colorado filed separate cases in state courts seeking to block the merger.
PORTLAND, Ore. –As about 4500 Portland area Fred Meyer grocery workers continue their strike, they’re getting some support from Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, who joined their picket lines. “Down here standing with the workers of UFCW in support of, well, against unfair labor practices. Because quite frankly, the Fred Meyers is not coming through transparently with information is required, negotiated unfairly, making public promises that they aren’t our negotiating table. It’s so important. We stand with workers.”
Oregon State Representative and Congressional Candidate Janelle Bynum joined Merkley and the striking workers. “Got to stand with workers. Let’s clap it up!” she exclaimed.
Negotiators have scheduled talks between the union and the company today and Friday.
The strike includes 28 Portland area, Fred Meyer stores with their clerks outside demanding the company, “Follow the law to give us timely information when we need it and to not directly deal with our members, but to deal with the union as they should<
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555’s Miles Eshaia says this is an unfair labor practices strike. “One example of an unfair labor practice charge against Fred Meyer is misleading their employees by claiming that they offered additional funding for their pension. No such proposal has been put forth at the bargaining table.”
Fred Meyer’s President says the company respects his employees rights to bargain. The stores will stay open to serve the Portland community with food and pharmacy necessities. This strike does not impact them more than 1000 Southwest Washington Fred Meyer employees.
The union has withdrawn its previous support for parent company Kroger’s proposed merger with Albertsons. That’s now the subject of a federal court hearing underway in Portland.
Kroger has proposed a sale of six Harris Teeter locations in the D.C. area as part of its $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons.
Kroger and Albertsons have released a final list of the hundreds of grocery stores they plan to divest as part of their $24.6 billion merger, despite the legal challenges and union opposition they face.
The stores proposed for sale include six Harris Teeter locations in the D.C. area — in Germantown and Olney in Maryland; Alexandria, Arlington and Purcellville in Virginia; and in D.C.’s Navy Yard. Kroger owns Harris Teeter and Albertsons owns Safeway, but no Safeway stores in the D.C. region were on the divestiture list, which includes almost 580 stores in 19 states.
Should the merger be approved, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the parent company of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain, has agreed to acquire the divested stores.
All three stores have said no stores would be closed as a result of the merger, no jobs would be cut and all collective bargaining agreements would be honored.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which opposes the merger, issued a statement.
“Today’s announcement changes nothing. The merger is not a done deal, far from it,” the statement said. “We remain focused on stopping the proposed megamerger for the same reasons we have stated since it was announced 20 months ago.”
UFCW locals contend the merger would harm workers, shoppers, suppliers and communities.
Combined, Kroger and Albertsons operate more than 5,000 stores, under their namesakes and others including Ralphs, Acme and Jewel-Osco. Albertsons also owns Balducci’s Food Lovers Market.
In addition to Piggly Wiggly, C&S Wholesale operates the Grand Union supermarket chain, wholesale operations and owns private-label store brands.
A Federal Trade Commission complaint aimed at blocking the deal alleges it would harm consumers by eliminating competition of prices and quality, and give the companies increased leverage of employee wages and benefits. The merger has also been challenged by courts in Oregon and Colorado.
Here is a list of proposed Harris Teeter divestitures in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.:
Maryland:
14101 Darnestown Road, Germantown
18169 Town Center Drive, Olney
10125 Ward Road, Dunkirk
28528 Marlboro Avenue, Easton
Virginia:
735 N Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria
2425 N Harrison Street, Arlington
105 Purcellville Gateway Drive, Purcellville
D.C.:
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P1 account: “You’ve successfully redeemed the promo code SAVE40JAN. $40 discount will be applied to your eligible order(s). Expires on 3/16/2024. Valid for orders over $80. Alcohol items and prescription co-pays are not eligible towards order minimum. Offer is only available for orders from Dillons and Kroger. Additional terms apply. This offer can only be redeemed by [e-mail]”
P2 account (different last name, same address): “This promotion has already been used by you or a related account.”
I am out of the Kroger/Dillons footprint, so tried this at my local Kroger-banner store (Ralphs). Did not work, so presumably strictly limited to Kroger and Dillons specifically.
The cannabis industry has had a rough couple of years, but things are looking brighter. The one constant positive is consumer demand has continuously increased. You know it is good when Missouri has over $1 billion in sales last year. And, despite the struggles, the industry continues to grow. In fact, surpassing other job reports, the cannabis industry grew 5%. Around 440,000 work in market as of today. It is a clear indicator legal cannabis is here to stay.
While 440,000 is a big number – how big is it in relation to other industries? BDSA, an analytical firm who covers cannabis, reported the industry made $29.5 billion in the legal market. It would have been over $30 billion if not for the chaos and huge illicit market in New York. Like most industries, the weed one includes dispensaries, manufactures, some ancillary services, farmers and management. It is also a very small sliver of greater farming community. America’s farm families represent two percent of the population and help feed the other 98%.
Subway Sandwiches with a revenue of 16.5 billion employees roughly 410,000 including the franchises.
Grocer Kroger employs 430,000 in 36 states in 2,700 locations with sales of $150,000.
Target has 440,000 in their US retail stores with sales of $107 billion.
Starbucks and their famed coffee have 381,000 brewing almost $36 billion in sales at 16,449 locations.
Dentists, clocking in at half the number at 202,000, but if you fold in everyone in the industry including dental hygienists, they have 1,140,861 people employed in the US dental industry as of 2023.
CocaCola’s total number of employees in 2022 was 82,500. This helps drive the juggernaut of beverages with more than 1.9 billion servings of drinks sold in more than 200 countries each day.
The US alcohol industry supports around 4 million jobs, including employment in production, distribution, sales, bartenders and other related services. They help drive the drinks market of $183.5 billion last year.
Constellation, the alcohol company invested in cannabis has approximately 10,000 employees and Diageo has 3,100 people across North America.
Tobacco manufacturing in 2021 had 16,767 people and generated $886.09 billion in 2023.
The U.S. pharmaceutical industry employs over 1.3 million people. It is the largest pharmaceutical market generating over $550 billion dollars.
There are 29,711 people employed in the Strip Clubs in the US as of 2023.
