Brian Albrecht, Chief Economist of the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE), joins the podcast today to discuss ICLE's paper on the $24.6 billion Kroger-Albertsons transaction.
ICLE Paper on Kroger / Albertson's merger: https://laweconcenter.org/icle-on-kroger-albertsons/
White paper: https://laweconcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Kroger-Albertsons-Merger-Full-Paper.pdf
Chapters:
[0:00] Introduction + Episode sponsor: Alphasense
[1:32] Overview of ICLE (International Center for Law & Economics) and Brian's background
[3:12] Kroger / Albertson's merger - how Brian is thinking about this potential merger
[6:55] FTC's analytical framework
[10:58] Why government hasn't brought more suits in grocery industry
[14:34] Should precedent be updated?
[24:05] Why shouldn't market shares matter?
[28:30] How have delivery services changed the market index & wrap-up on wholesale clubs, competition
[33:05] Divestitures
[39:26] Specific divestiture package - Haggen's example
[46:20] Waterbed effect - why this is or isn't an antitrust concern
[51:44] Regional power vs. local power with retail workers
[59:01] Final thoughts
Today's episode is sponsored by: Alphasense
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