PORTLAND, Ore. – Attorneys for the Federal Trade Commission and Kroger and Albertsons ended their three-week court battle the same way they started: diametrically opposed over whether the two grocery rivals should be permitted to join forces.

Closing arguments are coming up in the Federal Trade Commission's attempt to block the proposed merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons.

The court battle over the Federal Trade Commission's attempts to halt the $24.6 billion Kroger-Albertsons merger is set to end Tuesday.

Attorneys for Kroger and Albertsons insisted the deal would boost competition by strengthening both companies as a unified company, repeated company promises to lower grocery pric

The federal government urged a U.S. District Court judge on Tuesday to temporarily prevent a proposed merger between Kroger — parent company of Ralphs — and Albertsons — parent of Vons, saying in closing arguments the combination would “almost certainly” benefit shareholders and not everyday shoppers.

Katie O’Connell became a regular at Portland’s Cully neighborhood Albertsons store, just two blocks from her home, during the COVID-19 pandemic as prices climbed at other nearby stores. Now, she divides her shopping between the Albertsons for pantry staples and a Safeway on Northeast Sandy Boulevard for fresh produce and meats,

Here's what attorneys for the FTC, Kroger and Albertsons said during closing arguments of the hearing that could make or break the grocers' planned $24.6B merger.

If the Federal Trade Commission is granted a preliminary injunction, it will start an internal probe into the merger.