PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Thursday she's launching an anti-trust investigation into the proposed merger between two of the largest supermarket chains in Arizona.
Kroger, the parent company of Fry's Food and Drug Stores, announced last year it intended to buy Albertsons Companies for about $20 billion.
Mayes said the merger could have a major impact on Arizona and the thousands of local residents who are employed by the two companies.
"The proposed merger raises questions about the potential for store closures that could force consumers to travel farther for groceries – possibly creating food deserts that disproportionately affect minority communities,” Mayes said in a statement.
When the proposed merger was first announced, Kroger promised it would spend $1.3 billion on updating Albertsons stores and another $1 billion on higher employee wages and improved benefits.
Mayes said she will spend the coming weeks meeting with communities across Arizona that may be affected by the merger.
Mayes is not the first attorney general to investigate anti-trust tactics committed by companies in Arizona. Former Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed an anti-trust lawsuit against two airlines for allegedly engaging in anticompetitive coordination.
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What is the Valley?
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?:
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.