States Settle with Royal Ahold-Delhaize to Clear Way for Merger

Six U.S. states filed a settled lawsuit with European grocers Royal Ahold NV and Delhaize Group gaining court-ordered concessions in exchange for surrendering opposition to the companies’ $28 billion merger.

The suit and settlement came just days after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved the deal between the two companies, whose stores include Stop & Shop, Giant, Martin’s and Food Lion. As part of that deal, the grocers and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached an out-of-court accord in which the companies agreed to sell 81 stores.

In the suit filed July 25 in Washington, six states—Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, ...