A proposed merger between two supermarket chains would affect two stores across the Greater Houston area: The two chains are Kroger and Albertsons, who are attempting to merge into one company in order to compete with big guns like Walmart and Amazon.

The merger has been challenged by federal regulators, prompting two chains to create a plan in which they would sell off nearly 600 locations.

UPDATE 6-26-2024: Albertsons and Kroger have agreed to pause the acquisition until the outcome of a trial in the state of Colorado which begins September 30, according to BoiseDev.com. It could challenge an October 9 deadline that the two companies agreed upon; if the deal is not complete by then, either can walk away, and Albertsons would get a $600-million fee.
____________________________________

Kroger, which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has 2,750 stores in 35 states, which includes brands like Ralphs, Smith’s, and Harris Teeter. Albertsons, which is based in Boise, Idaho, has operates 2,273 stores in 34 states, including brands like Safeway, Jewel Osco, and Shaw’s.

The two companies proposed the merger in 2022 in order to help them compete against mega-chains like Walmart, Amazon, and Costco. According to the Associated Press, if Kroger and Albertsons were combined, that would give them control of 13 percent of the grocery market versus Walmart's 22 percent.

In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit to block the merger, stating that it would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices. Inflation has already raised grocery prices by 11.4 percent in 2022 and another 5 percent in 2023.

A hearing has been set for July 31.

To prove that the merger would not result in a monopoly, Kroger and Albertsons have agreed to sell 579 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers, a supplier based in New Hampshire that operates a total of 23 supermarkets including 11 Grand Union stores in New York as well as owning the Piggly Wiggly brand.

In a statement, C&S said that it was "committed to ensuring zero stores will close as a result of the merger, all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading benefits alongside bargained-for wages."

The two chains originally proposed selling 413 stores in locations where their operations overlap, but have added another 166 stores for a total of 579 in Washington (124), Arizona (101), Colorado (91), California (63), Oregon (62), Illinois (35), Texas (28), Nevada (16), and Alaska (18).

Store brands affected would include Tom Thumb, Randalls, Market Street, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, QFC, Mariano's, Carrs, Harris Teeter, and Haggen.

Industry publication Supermarket News has the full list of stores across the U.S.

Of the stores in Texas that are affected, the Houston location is a Randalls that has been at the corner of Memorial Drive and Dairy Ashford Road for many years. Another Randalls is located in Galveston. The other 26 are in North Texas.

The Texas stores impacted include:

Randalls — 14610 Memorial Dr, Houston
Randalls — 2931 Central City Blvd, Galveston
Market Street — 985 W Bethany Dr, Allen
Albertsons — 6220 U S Hwy 287, Arlington
Albertsons — 301 SW Plaza Shopping Ctr, Arlington
Tom Thumb — 1701 W Randol Mill Rd, Arlington
Tom Thumb — 2755 N Collins, Arlington
Tom Thumb — 6333 E Mockingbird Ln, Dallas
Albertsons — 2321 W University Dr, Denton
Albertsons — 1155 N Main St, Euless
Market Street — 3800 Long Prairie Rd, Flower Mound
Tom Thumb — 4301 Cross Timbers Rd, Flower Mound
Market Street — 11999 Dallas Pkwy, Frisco
Market Street — 4268 Legacy Dr, Frisco
Tom Thumb — 4848 Preston Rd, Frisco
Tom Thumb — 5550 Fm 423, Frisco
Tom Thumb — 612 Grapevine Hwy, Hurst
Tom Thumb — 1000 Keller Pkwy, Keller
Market Street — 3145 E Broad St, Mansfield
Market Street — 6100 W Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney
Tom Thumb — 6800 W Virginia Pkwy, McKinney
Tom Thumb — 1501 Pioneer Rd, Mesquite
Tom Thumb — 3945 Legacy Dr, Plano
Tom Thumb — 1380 W Campbell Rd, Richardson
Tom Thumb — 3070 N Goliad, Rockwall
Tom Thumb — 551 Laurence Dr, Rockwall
Albertsons — 1201 N Saginaw Blvd, Saginaw
Tom Thumb — 101 Trophy Lake Dr, Trophy Club