REPORT: Washington state employs law firm in Kroger-Albertsons challenge 

The Washington state Attorney General’s office reportedly has hired a big-name law firm to assist its challenge of the Kroger-Albertsons BB #:100073 BB #:193326 merger.  

Reuters reported that the state approved a contract for $1 million to $2.5 million with the Los Angeles-based law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson. The article noted antitrust partners Glenn Pomerantz and Kuruvilla Olasa, who have previous experience in representing states challenging acquisitions.  

Washington filed a lawsuit to block the merger in January, and updated its complaint in February.  

According to Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office, the merger will “severely limit shopping options for customers and eliminate vital competition that keeps prices low.”  

“Even company executives have expressed that the merger might be illegal,” the AG’s office said in a news release. “After rumors of the proposed merger surfaced, a vice president with Albertsons wrote that ‘you are basically creating a monopoly in grocery with the merger…[it] makes no sense.’”