PHOENIX — A merger is being proposed between two of the biggest names in the grocery business and Arizona's Attorney General is gathering information from consumers to decide if she should try to stop it.
Kroger, which owns Fry's and other brands, wants to merge with the parent company of Albertsons and Safeway.
If the venture plays out, this new mega-corporation would have stores in nearly all 50 states.
Attorney General Kris Mayes, along with AGs across the country, are trying to figure out if they should sue to block the merger.
Kroger representatives are claiming the combined companies would work more efficiently and even save consumers money.
On Tuesday, ABC15 tagged along with Gary Bragg on his grocery run.
"I always enjoy the shopping part. It's always when I get to the end. That's the dreading part," he said.
Bragg fears a proposed Kroger-Albertson's merger would only cause prices to rise and possibly cause some local grocery stores to consolidate or even shut down.
RELATED: Union opposes Kroger-Albertsons grocery merger
Attorney General Mayes has started holding listening sessions around the state.
A session was held on Tuesday in Downtown Phoenix at the First Institutional Baptist Church at 1141 E. Jefferson St.
You can also share your thoughts online.
Kroger shared the following statement with ABC15:
“Kroger is a customer-focused organization, and our ability to deliver value to customers is rooted in providing lower prices and more choices. This is of critical importance to us, and we have a long track-record of investing in prices to lower costs, including investing more than $5 billion in lowering prices since 2003. As we have in past mergers, we will hold ourselves accountable to our customer commitments. This includes investing $500 million to lower prices starting on day one post close. With Albertsons, we will also offer customers a broader selection of fresh products and expand Our Brands portfolio to deliver more value without compromise. In addition, Kroger will not lay off any frontline associates or close any stores, distribution centers or manufacturing facilities as a result of this merger.”
