Supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons on Thursday agreed to temporarily halt their proposed merger in Colorado until a judge has considered the state’s objections. Kroger and Albertsons announced their planned merger in October 2022. The companies say they would be better able to compete with rivals like Walmart and Costco if they merge. But Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sued to block the merger earlier this year, saying it would harm shoppers and workers by eliminating the competition that now exists between the 148 Kroger-owned groceries and 105 Albertsons-owned groceries in Colorado. Kroger identifies 35 Illinois Mariano’s, Jewel locations to be sold off pending megamerger approval A judge in Denver District Court was scheduled to consider a preliminary injunction that would temporarily block the merger on Aug.