WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson on Monday set Aug. 26 as the start of a hearing on the Federal Trade Commission's bid for a preliminary injunction to block supermarket chain Kroger's ( KR ) $24.6 billion deal to buy smaller rival Albertsons ( ACI ).

The FTC sued last month to block the deal that would create a grocery empire with more than 4,000 stores and has drawn tough scrutiny from lawmakers and consumer groups worried about higher grocery prices, job losses and store closures.