LILY Allen’s life has been filled with moments of chaos, but she has enjoyed one constant in the bond she shares with her former stepfather, Harry Enfield.

Harry’s relationship with Lily’s mother, Alison Owen, began after Lily’s biological father left the family when she was just four years old.

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Lily Allen and Harry Enfield have remained close despite him not being her stepfather anymore[/caption]

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She lived with him for five years as a child when he was with Lily’s mother Alison[/caption]

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The pair still share a strong bond[/caption]

According to Lily’s memoir, My Thoughts Exactly, Harry brought stability to a family that was reeling from upheaval.

He recently appeared on the BBC podcast Lily hosts alongside her close friend Miquita Oliver, sharing a funny anecdote from a Christmas they spent together with her listeners.

“Hello ladies,” he began. “Lily, do you remember that childhood Christmas when I placed the roasted turkey on the table, and you asked why on its beautifully brown skin, it had a tattoo?

“And I replied, ‘Be quiet child, or you’ll end up like him’?”

He then joked: “That’s right, I’m an ethical cannibal.”

In her memoir, Lily described Harry as being “successful and well off”, but most importantly, “kind”.

She also credited the comedian for creating a sense of normalcy for her at home during his five year relationship with Alison.

Although Alison and Harry split in 1996 and she moved out of his home with her children in tow, he always remained a figure of support for Lily.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2010, Harry reflected on the pressures she faced after rocketing to fame as a singer in 2006.

The frustrated parental figure told a reporter: “You have to do loads of interviews. It’s like what happened to Lily when she got famous.

“Suddenly Lily’s bloody everywhere and she’s doing every bloody interview, because you’re told to.

“You’re young and you do it. It’s only later you get a bit savvy.”

He seemed to feel for Lily with the pressures she experienced as a pop singer, adding that he is grateful his own children were shielded from the spotlight.

Harry and Lily were seen going for a stroll together during lockdown in 2021, which also showed how close they still were, almost three decades after his split from Lily’s mum Alison.

There are also rumours that Harry’s famous ‘Kevin the Teenager’ character was inspired by Lily and her brother, Alfie.

Perhaps Harry’s presence will provide some further stability in Lily’s life as she is currently said to be going through a “split” with her husband, David Harbour.

It was reported that Lily had been spotted on celebrity dating app Raya this week, after months of her living apart from David.

An insider told the Sun: “Lily and David have barely been together for the past three months and have been living separate lives.

“When she was in London for the Pillowman, David was spotted at one performance in July before Lily was left by herself.

“In her downtime, Lily would be with mates in London or her kids. When she went back to the US with them, there was no sign of David.”

A MILLIONAIRE couple who won their loot in the lottery decided to give most of it away – so much so that they still check sock prices.

Ray Wragg, now 86, alongside his late wife Barbara, won the National Lottery back in Sheffield in January 2000, but how they spent their £7.6million is even more remarkable.

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Barbara and Ray, at the Weston Park Cancer Centre, donating £10,000[/caption]

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The couple spent the next two decades donating to various institutions in their local area[/caption]

Their nearly two-decade spending spree saw them transform into local Sheffield philanthropists, and their generosity even took them to Buckingham Palace.

At the time, Ray had no idea what to do with the news, but his first decision was to practically quit his job as a roofer, which forced him to commute four hours away.

Recounting that magical moment, Ray said: “I retired that Saturday night in some respects.

“I didn’t know what to say but I’d never have said ‘stuff your job’ or anything like that. I’m not that kind of person.”

After spending some of the winnings on a £52,000 white Range Rover and a cruise, the couple decided to do something a bit more charitable.

Over the next two decades, they gave most of the money away to charities.

Speaking on it now, Ray said the winnings changed their lives but not who they are as people.

The winner said: “I was working, Barbara was working, the kids were working. We were all right.

“Like other families do, we saved up. It changed our lives but not us as persons.

“We’ve had a fantastic time and helped a lot of people.

“That’s stood us in good stead. I still look at the price of a pair of socks you know!”

CHARITY ON A WHIM

One of their first major donations was a new bladder scanner for Sheffield Hallamshire Hospital.

This was along with the further gifting of funds to Weston Park Hospital where their daughter had been previously treated for Ewing’s sarcoma.

They gave £12,000 to allow World War Two veterans to return to Monte Cassino in Italy in 2004.

Some other notable beneficiaries included Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, the Make a Wish Foundation, Whirlow Hall Farm Trust, the Meningitis Trust and Help The Aged.

Other philanthropic deeds included the purchasing of 30 television sets for local hospices so that each child could watch TV in bed.

Another time, Barbara wrote the Royal Hallamshire Hospital’s breast clinic a £5,000 cheque on a whim when she spotted a donations jar in the reception area.

In 2002, they received a special trophy from Camelot, as well as invitations to Buckingham Palace and the Pride of Britain awards.

They met several celebs, too, including Richard Branson, Princess Diana‘s former butler and the Coronation Street cast.

Barbara passed away from sepsis in 2018 at the age of 77.

She had previously stated that their winnings were “too much for two people”.

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The couple celebrating their winnings[/caption]

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Ray remembered how many people he and his late wife were able to help[/caption]

IT’s been a vintage 12 months for telly, with some old favourites returning to remind us why they have been thrilling us for years.

There have also been one-off curveballs and newcomers that have shocked us, left us in tears and made us question our faith in humanity entirely.

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Industry had a heartbreaking end[/caption]

Here we pick some of the best of 2024, in no particular order, mostly available on catch-up or relevant streaming sites and perfect to binge over the Christmas break.

Now, go fill your boots.

INDUSTRY, BBC ONE, September: When you thought they simply couldn’t pack in any more sex, drugs or cash into the bonking and banking drama they up the ante, then cap it off with a heartbreaking ending. Series three of Industry remained the kind of high- octane TV that makes compelling viewing.

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My Bates vs The Post Office shocked the nation[/caption]

MR BATES VS THE POST OFFICE, ITV, January: Few shows can captivate the entire country like this shocking true story of how a group of subpostmasters were treated by the Post Office. Leading man Toby Jones was superb. A great drama and a vital tale for anyone battling injustice.

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Clarkson’s Farm has been a hit[/caption]

CLARKSON’S FARM 3, PRIME VIDEO, May: After two series of hilarious antics, we got a tearjerker. Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat saw tragedy as it became home to pigs. But lighter moments include when Jeremy puts his hand in his pocket to discover one of the swine has vomited in there.

DATING NAKED, PARAMOUNT+, August: Host Rylan Clark took romance reality to a new level as a group of strangers live and find love in the nude. It was a jaw-dropping concept that proved to have a whole load of heart, as the cast swiftly dropped any act and made great, twisty telly.

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The Gentlemen is well cast[/caption]

THE GENTLEMEN, NETFLIX, March: A Guy Ritchie drama that manages to streamline his usual style while retaining all his best gangster film flourishes. It’s aided by great performances from Theo James, Kaya Scodelario and Daniel Ings. With a meaty story at its heart, this was a triumph.

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BBC period drama Wolf Hall has some excellent characters[/caption]

 WOLF HALL: THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT, BBC ONE, December: The sequel to Wolf Hall had very big Tudor slippers to fill after the first adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s books, but they were on pretty safe ground with Damien Lewis returning as King Henry VIII and Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell.

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Celebrity Big Brother has stars like Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne[/caption]

CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER, ITV, March: An impressive gaggle gathered in ITV’s spy house for its first celeb series. The scenes between Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Ekin-Su Culculoglu rightly earned their place in reality history with drama and gossip that rumbled on for months.

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Netflix produced a show about the Menendez brothers[/caption]

MONSTERS: THE LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ STORY, NETFLIX, September: The story of the murdering Menendez brothers was stretched out by Netflix’s insistence on milking stories to death. But Monsters was still a worthy deep dive into a sensational story that was well worth revisiting.

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Day Of The Jackal follows an assassin on the run[/caption]

DAY OF THE JACKAL, SKY ATLANTIC, November: Trying to recreate the magic of Frederick Forsyth’s acclaimed book and the seminal movie was a tough task but Sky managed it by giving us a modern take on the assassin on the run. A tad drawn out but served up a shocking ending that left us wanting more.

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Gary Oldman stars in Slow Horses[/caption]

SLOW HORSES, Apple TV+, September: Gary Oldman is superb as a cynical, dishevelled, dangerously clever “spymaster” in this undervalued story of agents cast on the scrapheap who confound both bosses and the opposition. Fourth series adapted from Mick Herron’s novels was the best yet.

Alex Broadway 2023

Tour De France: Unchained joins the world’s best cyclists in the wake of Gino Mäder’s tragic death[/caption]

TOUR DE FRANCE: UNCHAINED, NETFLIX, June: Perhaps the most eye-opening of the trending must-watch factuals lifting the lid on sports we love. It joins the world’s best cyclists in the wake of Gino Mäder’s tragic death in a mountain crash last year as the riders battle through 21 gruelling stages.

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The Brother’s Sun includes the great Michelle Yeoh as matriarch of the family[/caption]

THE BROTHERS SUN, NETFLIX, January: This tale of Taiwanese gangsters in California was an action thriller with real heart featuring a multicultural cast – including the great Michelle Yeoh as matriarch of the Sun family. It probably won’t win any awards, but it will win you over if you give it a chance.

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Emma and Matt Willis host Love Is Blind UK[/caption]

LOVE IS BLIND UK, NETFLIX, August: American formats can flounder on British telly but this thrived under Emma and Matt Willis. It had the shock dumplings at the altar and secret hook-ups we now expected from this dating show, but with the addition of dry wit, banter and cultural discussions.

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The Diplomat is smart, sophisticated and witty[/caption]

THE DIPLOMAT, NETFLIX, October: The second season of this geopolitical drama built on the brilliance of the first, ramping up the action to a new level. You’d need to have watched the first season, to be set to binge on this. Smart, sophisticated and witty, diplomacy never looked so confrontational.

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The Grand Tour came to an end[/caption]

THE GRAND TOUR, PRIME VIDEO, September: It may not have been their most sensational foreign trip, but the farewell helping of The Grand Tour from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May was certainly one of the most emotional. It melted the hearts of the toughest of petrolheads. 

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DNA Journey saw Life On Mars actor John accidentally discover his dad wasn’t his biological father[/caption]

 DNA JOURNEY: JOHN SIMM AND PHILIP GLENISTER, ITV, October: These types of show can be pretty mediocre but this was an absolute corker of a story. It saw Life On Mars actor John accidentally discover his dad wasn’t his biological father and the emotional search for the truth that ensued.

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Prime Video’s Netflix dramatisation of Prince Andrew’s car-crash BBC interview was popular with audiences[/caption]

A VERY ROYAL SCANDAL, PRIME VIDEO, September: Yes, Scoop, the Netflix dramatisation of Prince Andrew’s car-crash BBC interview, came out first. But Prime’s one, dropping months later, was superior. Michael Sheen as the royal and Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis were inspired choices.

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David Mitchell’s quirky comedy Ludwig has impressed[/caption]

LUDWIG, BBC ONE, September: David Mitchell’s quirky comedy mystery about an agoraphobic puzzle-setter and his missing twin was one of the year’s best new series. David plays John, who has to infiltrate the local police department to solve the clues left by his detective brother.

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OLIVIA ATTWOOD’S BAD BOYFRIENDS, ITV2, September: Sassy Love Islander Olivia’s clever and original reality TV format grabbed my attention. Based on her own experience with bad lad to honed husband Bradley Dack, she tricked a group of fellas into becoming better men.

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After The Party is arguably the best Channel 4 drama this year[/caption]

AFTER THE PARTY, CHANNEL 4, November: It didn’t land with a bang, but it has been talked about ever since. Arguably one of the channel’s best dramas all year. Made in New Zealand, it sees Brit actor Peter Mullen give one of the best performances of his career as a man embroiled in a family crisis.

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Everyone loves The Traitors[/caption]

THE TRAITORS 2, BBC ONE, January: If the producers had scripted the reality show from start to finish, they couldn’t have given us a better narrative or a more delicious conclusion. Baby-faced assassin Harry Clark took things to a new treacherous level as he conned all his fellow contestants.

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Baby Reindeer was one of the most popular shows in 2024[/caption]

BABY REINDEER, NETFLIX, April: Love the show or hate it, there was no denying the huge impact of the unique drama. We grappled with the question of just who was right or wrong in this shades-of-grey story based on real events, and ripples of controversy radiated from the show for months.

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BBC Two’s Boybands Forever features some incredible confessions[/caption]

BOYBANDS FOREVER, BBC TWO, November: Anyone who grew up in the Nineties and Noughties watching this would have felt waves of nostalgia but also the sad realisation that behind the cheeky smiles and choreography there was real heartbreak, with some incredible confessions too.

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Keira Knightley stars in critically acclaimed Black Doves[/caption]

BLACK DOVES, NETFLIX, November: A surprisingly sophisticated spy thriller with real heart and some serious laughs too. Keira Knightley is scarily good as a secret agent leading a double life while her co-star Ben Whishaw is the most unlikely but terrifying gun for hire. Great plot, great characters.

JAMES Corden has shared details about the bizarre creative process behind this year’s Gavin and Stacey Christmas special.

The actor and his co-stars will be back on screen for one final time for Gavin and Stacey: The Finale on BBC One.

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James Corden chatted all about the prep for this year’s Gavin and Stacey[/caption]

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Ruth Jones told how they wrote the show in hotel rooms while eating chocolate buttons[/caption]

The show has been 18 months in the planning with James now confessing that he and his fellow writer, Ruth Jones, spend many days trapped in hotels attempting to write the script for the hotly-anticipated special.

James and Ruth chatted to Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby on the Capital FM Breakfast Show about how bags of chocolate buttons fuelled the writing sessions in a Heathrow Airport hote;.

The actor told the radio hosting trio: “There’s a lot of hotel rooms we’ve written in.”

Ruth then continued: “One of the particularly exotic ones was I was up in Scotland last year and we only had kind of like a day that we could both write, and we had to make the most of any time that we had so I flew down to Heathrow from Inverness.”

James added: “I got the Heathrow Express out and we wrote for a day in a hotel next to the runway and it wasn’t our most productive day, was it?

“Looking back now it feels like a mistake but at the time we were so close to getting it done we were just like let’s just try and get it there.

“We often try and write between like six and ten pages a day when we write and that day, I think we wrote a page and a half.”

Presenter Chris went on to question if they used “post-it notes” in order to draft up scripts.

Ruth told him: “We do have post-it notes but they’re not very detailed.

“I find them every now and again and they literally have like two words on them.

“We’re not very grown-up in that regard.”

Confessing that the scene of their hotel writing rooms resembled a “disaster”, James said: “I often say if somebody walked past the window and looked in at Ruth and I, what they would see is two people more than likely having a nap, two open bags of like chocolate buttons, randomly placed post-its on a wall and you would look in an you would never ever think ‘oh they must be writing a successful hit show.’

“You’d be thinking ‘that looks like a disaster.’”

Gavin and Stacey: The Finale airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One.

Listen to Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby weekdays from 6:00am – 10:00am across the UK on air, and on Global Player, the official Capital app.

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The show is back for one final episode[/caption]

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Fans have been waiting all year for the special episode[/caption]

A DRIVER has saved millions of people from an expensive fate by springing to action after he racked up thousands of dollars in parking tickets.

Mark Lawrence was working as a financial analyst in Chicago when he began to face parking challenges that left him with $5,000 in fines.

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SpotHero allows drivers to reserve and pay for parking spaces ahead of time (stock image)[/caption]

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Matt Sullivan, the chief revenue officer of SpotHero[/caption]

SpotHero

Mark Lawrence, the CEO and co-founder of SpotHero[/caption]

So he decided to create an app that helps drivers find available parking spaces.

That app is SpotHero, and it helps drivers navigate municipalities’ labyrinthine parking rules and regulations.

Chicago, for example, has harsh parking laws due to a winter overnight parking ban.

It covers 107 miles of road throughout the city to allow snow plows to travel easily – even when there’s no snow on the road.

Lawrence, SpotHero’s CEO and co-founder, was dissatisfied with his fines and set out to help other drivers avoid the pricey violations.

“Lawrence and his co-founders started the company with $6,000 and a single parking spot near Wrigley Field,” SpotHero’s chief revenue officer Matt Sullivan told The U.S. Sun.

Sullivan said the app began as a “peer-to-peer marketplace” for Chicagoans to help each other find available parking.

Then it grew into a tool that’s helped park 50 million cars since 2011.

SpotHero now connects millions of drivers with parking spots across 300 American cities.

Drivers can use the platform to search and compare parking prices.

The app and website allow users to see prices for hourly, monthly, airport, and event parking in off-street locations.

“Through our app and website, drivers can quickly reserve and prepay for parking spots, receiving an instant digital parking pass,” Sullivan explained.

When drivers get to their parking spots, they can scan the QR code, show their digital pass to a parking attendant, or register their license plate.

The platform also allows drivers to use search filters to narrow down the spot they’re looking for, whether it’s covered parking or a certain distance from a venue.

“The SpotHero app provides transparency to parking availability and prices, allowing users to find and reserve parking that fits their needs,” Sullivan said.

The platform makes a 100% guarantee that parking reservations will be held.

Plus, drivers can cancel reservations for a full refund up until the minute before they begin.

SpotHero is available in most major North American cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, and a dozen Canadian cities.

Drivers in the app’s birthplace might be eager to reserve overnight parking, as Chicago’s parking ban started on December 1.

The controversial rule caused 244 cars to be towed on the first day it was enforced.

The law bans people from parking on certain city streets from December 1 and April 1 from 3 am to 7 am each year.

Drivers are charged a $150 towing fee, a $60 ticket, and a $25 daily storage fee, meaning they must pay at least $235 to get their cars back.

Tow trucks bring the cars to one of two impound lots in the city.

However, SpotHero users can reserve their parking spots in a legal area through the platform, so they don’t have to pay the fee.

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SpotHero allows drivers to reserve their parking spots in over 300 cities (stock image)[/caption]

SHEDEUR SANDERS will be the first name off the board in the 2025 NFL draft next summer.

That’s according to a simulation done on ProFootballNetwork, which also had the draft as being one that Deion Sanders can be hugely proud of.

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It means that Daniel Jones is OUT of New York, with the Giants opting to pick Sanders’ star QB son Shedeur to lead them into the future.

It’s also a one-two punch Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes with Travis Hunter going second to the Oakland Raiders.

There still remain questions over which position Hunter will play in the NFL, with the two-way star dominating both as a cornerback and wide receiver at college level.

The Heisman Trophy winner is convinced he can be one of the few players in league history to do both, but GMs and coaches appear more set on playing him at CB and creating special packages for him on offense.

Surprisingly, the New England Patriots take Penn Star stud Abdul Carter, who has 10 sacks this season – ahead of moving for a QB despite their struggles at that position.

The Jacksonville Jaguars elect to pick Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty in this simulation, who racked up over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns for the Broncos – real world mocks have Jeanty as a mid-first round pick so this looks like a reach.

That selection sees Cameron Ward fall into the lap of the Carolina Panthers at No 5, a scenario that not many real draft experts foresee.

Ward is considered a top three pick – at worst – in most mocks and many experts even have him ahead of Sanders.

LSU lynchpin Will Campbell is the first offensive lineman off the board, landing with the Tennessee Titans, while defensive backs Will Johnson (Michigan) and Malaki Starks (Georgia) go to the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.

Another big faller in this simulation is Tetairoa McMillan, the Arizona receiver is ranked in the top 5 in many mocks and gives struggling Caleb Williams another option.

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Travis Hunter goes second – despite GMs and coaches being split on his position[/caption]

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Alabama QB Jalen Milroe does not make the first round in this simulation[/caption]

With the 10th pick, the New Orleans Saints pick Georgia rusher Mykel Williams, who has explosive potential but is raw round the edges.

Offensive lineman Kelvin Banks and defensive lineman Mason Graham are expected to be on many teams’ big boards but are made to wait in this draft.

No other QBs come off the board either, with Alabama’s Jalen Milroe tumbling down the board after some poor play at the end of a stellar season.

MARIAH Carey has been blasted by saddened fans after her hotly anticipated NFL performance left them disappointed.

The Queen of Christmas performed a pre-recorded rendition of All I Want For Christmas Is You, which some claimed was lip-synched.

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Mariah Carey has been slammed over her Netflix Christmas Gameday performance[/caption]

On Christmas Day, Mariah helped launch the Kansas City Chief’s game, which is streaming on Netflix, with a performance of her most famous song.

She was slated to perform before fellow pop diva Beyonce took the stage for a halftime performance.

Fans desperately waited for the superstar singer to take Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri by storm and wow the crowd with her impressive vocals.

However, they were left upset when Netflix debuted a bizarre compilation of Mariah singing on a rooftop alongside clips of football games.

The two-and-a-half-minute show mainly consisted of corny clips showing Santa-hat-donning families smiling and singing along as they watched a TV screen with Mariah’s lip-synching face.

One viewer cried, “We wanted it live,” after watching the iconic song.

Another described the performance as “a pretape where she can’t even keep her eyes open.”

“So embarrassing,” blasted the fan.

And a different fan even claimed the R&B artist couldn’t even sing anymore.

“All lip sing,” they said.

“Retire this song forever.”

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

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The failure of the Kroger-Albertsons merger has sparked concern among shoppers who are worried about rising prices and whether they will still be able to buy their favorite goods at the grocery stores. 

The U.S. Sun spoke to a number of financial and retail experts who explained the fallout from the merger’s breakdown and its potential impact on consumers.

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Albertsons is suing Kroger after the stores’ merger fell apart, alleging the supermarket giant breached its contract[/caption]

Alasdair James

Swiftly CEO Alasdair James warned the Kroger merger would have decreased competition among retailers[/caption]

Kroger and Albertsons are now locked in a fierce legal battle.

One day after a judge blocked the merger over concerns about market concentration, Albertsons announced it would sue Kroger.

Albertsons is alleging Kroger violated its contract and did not follow through on commitments to help get the $25 billion deal approved.

In a news release, Albertsons said Kroger broke its merger agreement “by repeatedly refusing to divest assets necessary for antitrust approval, ignoring regulators’ feedback, rejecting stronger divestiture buyers and failing to cooperate with Albertsons.”

However, Kroger responded by calling the allegations “baseless and without merit.”

The grocery giants had previously said a merger would help lower prices for shoppers by boosting their negotiating power with suppliers and better preparing them to compete with big-box retailers like Walmart and Costco.

Alex Lubyansky, managing partner of Acquisition Stars, warned the failed merger has brought on many uncertainties around pricing, service quality, and innovation in the grocery industry.

In what may be good news for shoppers, Lubyansky said the continued rivalry between the two major brands may bring down prices, allowing shoppers to access goods more cheaply. 

However, the expert warned that the ongoing legal conflicts between the firms may divert resources away from customer-centric initiatives.

“Consumers will persist in gaining advantages from the rivalry between Kroger and Albertsons, which can result in improved prices and services,” he told The U.S. Sun.

“However, the inability to merge may restrict the companies’ capacity to invest in technological advancements and infrastructure enhancements that could enrich the shopping experience.”

ALBERTSON’S TO STAY

Lubyansky also noted the Albertsons brand would continue to exist now that the merger has been blocked.

He said Albertsons may embark on a marketing strategy to strengthen its brand identity and customer loyalty programs.

Another leading retail expert told The U.S. Sun that the Kroger merger could have potentially decreased the availability of products for consumers and increased the price of some goods.

Swiftly CEO Alasdair James also expressed concern the merger would significantly impact smaller retailers who may be unable to compete within a highly concentrated market.

“It is a classic example of wherever you get large retailers getting larger, it puts pressure on the smaller retailers who are left, whether that be Walmart or Amazon in the digital space or Kroger coming together with Albertson in a big merger,” James told The U.S. Sun.

“All stores are going to have to compete with a combined Kroger, even upmarket stores.”

James also said the merger would have allowed the two businesses to cut backend costs like marketing, advertising, and HR, meaning they could make more profit.

These brands will have much more power to consolidate back office staff which will naturally drive higher profits

Alasdair JamesSwfitly CEO

The $24.6 billion deal was first announced in 2022 and immediately faced a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC has argued the merger would result in higher prices for consumers and reduce competition in the market.

“Direct competition between Kroger and Albertsons has brought grocery prices down and the quality of grocery products and services up,” the FTC noted.

“The proposed acquisition would destroy this.”

The merger also faced opposition from consumers.

The merger would have been the largest grocery chain consolidation in US history. 

Amid concern for how the merger could have impacted prices, James said prices may “creep up” given it may mean less competition between stores.

However, the expert admitted that the retail industry was very competitive, with brands focused on keeping customers engaged and attracting business to drive profit.

SOARING PRICES

But some experts said the merger came at the wrong time when grocery prices were already soaring. 

According to research from The Food Industry Association, about 70% of consumers say they are “extremely” or “very concerned” about the cost of food at grocery stores.

Kroger had insisted that their proposed partnership with Albertsons would help it compete with other retail giants such as Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and Aldi.

The supermarket chain also claimed the merger would give the two companies the scale to keep prices low and stores open.

If the merger had been successful, the new entity would have controlled 13% of the national grocery market and employed over 700,000 people.

Kroger, which is based in Cincinnati, has about 2,800 stores across 35 states.

Albertsons, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, has approximately 2,273 stores in 34 states.

Burger King is extending the Christmas spirit through the end of the year.

California Highway Patrol recovered 767 stolen items worth more than $38,000 in the coordinated daylong crackdown Friday that resulted in the sweeping arrests.