Brian Albrecht on the Kroger-Albertsons Merger

Axios – ICLE Chief Economist Brian Albrecht was quoted in a story in Axios about the pending merger between supermarkets Kroger and Albertsons. You can read full piece here.

In court, it’s likely to be a “bread-and-butter” argument over market definition, market share nationally and in local markets, and which companies are considered competitors, says Brian Albrecht, chief economist at the International Center for Law & Economics.

…But there’s a good argument that wholesale clubs like Costco, which have been excluded in the past, and Amazon, which operates both online and increasingly physical stores, should also be included as rivals, says Albrecht.

He says that stores located farther away that can now deliver via online-delivery platforms such as Instacart could be added to the list.

Whether Dollar Stores should be included is debatable, Albrecht says.