Kroger and Albertsons release list of Southern California, U.S. stores to be sold if they merge [Video]

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Kroger and Albertsons on Tuesday released a list of 579 stores that would be sold off under a proposed mega-merger of the grocery giants, including 63 locations in California.

The vast majority of the California locations are in Southern California.

According to Bloomberg, Kroger CEO sent a memo to employees at all of the affected stores notifying them of the plans to spin off the locations to C&S Wholesale Grocers if the merger goes through. All employees are expected to be able to maintain their employment with C&S, officials have said.

The merger is being challenged by the Federal Trade Commission, which claims the proposed $24.6 billion merger would lead to higher grocery prices through a reduction in marketplace competition, and also potentially negatively affect workers.

Kroger has denied such claims, insisting that no stores, distribution centers or manufacturing facilities would be closed, and claiming that “customers will benefit from …