Markets Wired

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved an application from SuperValu Inc. to sell one of two supermarkets it bought in 2015, when Safeway and Albertsons merged and were required by the agency to divest 168 stores.

SuperValu will sell the former Albertson’s Store No. 477, in Lake Stevens, Washington, to the Auburn, Washington-based supermarket retailer Saar’s Inc. Saar’s is an independent supermarket operator with seven locations in the greater Puget Sound area.

The FTC’s final decision and order in the Safeway-Albertsons merger case required SuperValu, for three years, to obtain Commission approval before selling any stores it bought as part of the divestiture. It also required SuperValu to sell only to a buyer approved by the Commission.

The Commission vote approving the divestiture application was 2-0. (FTC File No. 141-0108; the staff contact is Dan Ducore, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2526.)

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