Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is suing to block the nearly $25 billion Kroger-Albertsons merger, the official announced today.

In Colorado, Kroger operates 148 King Soopers and City Market store, while Albertsons runs 105 Safeway and Albertsons stores.

In his lawsuit, Weiser claimed the merger would eliminate competition between the two supermarket chains and consolidate the market, which, he argued, would be “bad for Colorado shoppers, workers, and suppliers.”

“Coloradans are concerned about undue consolidation and its harmful impacts on consumers, workers, and suppliers,” Weiser said in a statement. “After 19 town halls across the state, I am convinced that Coloradans think this merger between the two supermarket chains would lead to stores closing, higher prices, fewer jobs, worse customer service, and less resilient supply chains.”

The two companies planned to divest more than 400 stores and other assets as a way to propel the merger, the Associated Press reported earlier.

In a news release, Kroger said divesting the stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers would ensure that no stores will close through the merger, that frontline associates will keep their jobs, that collective bargaining agreements will continue and that employees will continue receiving benefits. 

“Following the announcement of our proposed merger with Albertsons Cos., we embarked on a robust and thoughtful process to identify a well-capitalized buyer who will operate as a fierce competitor and ensure divested stores and their associates will continue serving their communities in the ways they do today. C&S achieves all these objectives,” The Kroger Co. CEO Rodney McMullen said last year.

Editor’s note: This is a developing story