Federal Trade Commission (FTC) it is challenging Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons and Kroger, and now the two stores have offered another compromise to quell concerns about approval of the merger.

Now, the two grocery chains have agreed to sell another 166 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers (which owns 24 Piggly Wiggly and Grand Union supermarkets) in a sale deal that will be worth about $2.9 billion. The total number of stores sold to the retailer is now 579.

The additional grocery stores sold to C&S will ensure that no stores close, no employees lose their jobs and no employee benefits change after the merger is completed, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said in a statement. company release.

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“Our proposed merger with Albertsons will bring lower prices and more choices to more customers and secure the long-term future of unionized grocery jobs,” he said.

The merger, which was announced in 2022 and is worth about $25 billion, is under review by the FTC. The agency claims the new combined chain would restrict competition and have disastrous implications for employees, customers and food providers in general, from unfair pricing to lower worker wages and beyond.

The FTC initially sued to block the merger in February and was joined by eight states and Washington, DC

“This supermarket mega-merger comes as American consumers have seen steadily rising grocery costs over the past few years. Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons would lead to additional grocery price increases for everyday goods, further exacerbating the strain facing consumers across the country today,” said Henry Liu, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition. earlier this year. “Essential grocery store workers will also suffer from this deal, facing the threat of reduced wages, reduced benefits and worsening working conditions.”

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Additionally, Kroger has now agreed to sell the Haggen name to C&S, while C&S will operate the Albertsons name in California and Wyoming and the Safeway name in Arizona and Colorado.

The FTC has not yet commented on whether or not the revised sales agreement would affect its decision to allow the merger to proceed.