12:28 PM EDT, 05/08/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Kroger ( KR ) and Albertsons ( ACI ) faced a call from the American Economic Liberties Project and a coalition of United Food and Commercial Workers locals for a probe by the US Department of Justice into alleged criminal anticompetitive collusion by the companies.

In a letter, the advocacy group and the UFCW coalition urged Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter to open criminal investigations into Kroger ( KR ) and Albertsons ( ACI ), claiming that a recent complaint against the planned merger by the companies revealed evidence of their "wage-fixing, no-poach, and non-solicitation activities."

Kroger ( KR ) and Albertsons ( ACI ) did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' requests for comments.

Shares of Kroger ( KR ) were little changed in recent trading Wednesday, and Albertsons ( ACI ) gained 0.1%.

Price: 55.31, Change: -0.01, Percent Change: -0.01