Kroger to Buy Giant Eagle for $1.65 Billion, a Year After Its Albertsons Deal Collapsed

Kroger will pay $1.65 billion for the 197-store regional grocer Giant Eagle, a far smaller deal than the roughly $25 billion Albertsons merger that courts blocked on antitrust grounds in 2024.

Kroger to Buy Giant Eagle for $1.65 Billion, a Year After Its Albertsons Deal Collapsed Kroger will pay $1.65 billion for the 197-store regional grocer Giant Eagle, a far smaller deal than the roughly $25 billion Albertsons merger that courts blocked on antitrust grounds in 2024. Aaron Rafferty July 01, 2026 Key Takeaways: Kroger will acquire the family-owned grocer Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion, made up of $1.25 billion in cash and about $400 million in assumed liabilities. The deal is far smaller than Kroger's roughly $25 billion bid for Albertsons, which federal and state courts blocked on antitrust grounds in 2024. Giant Eagle runs 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies with about $9 billion in annual sales, and the deal is expected to close in 2027 with some store divestitures. Kroger will acquire Giant Eagle, the family-owned grocery and pharmacy chain, for $1.65 billion, the companies said Wednesday . The price is $1.25 billion in cash plus about $400 million in assumed liabilities, and Kroger's board approved it unanimously. Giant Eagle is a real regional player. Founded in 1931 and based near Pittsburgh, it runs 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana, with about $9 billion in annual sales . For Kroger, already the country's largest standalone grocer with more than 400,000 workers, the deal extends its map into adjacent markets rather than reshaping the national one. "Giant Eagle expands our reach into attractive adjacent markets" Greg Foran, CEO, Kroger The size is the tell. In 2024 Kroger tried to buy Albertsons for about $25 billion, and federal and state courts blocked it on antitrust grounds , ruling it would raise prices and weaken union bargaining po