Kroger’s proposed merger with fellow grocery chain Albertsons ended in acrimony this week as a judge granted the Federal Trade Commissions’s request to block the deal on antitrust grounds. Albertsons then sued Kroger for allegedly not fulfilling its contractual obligations.

A federal judge blocked the deal and sided with the Federal Trade Commission, which raised antitrust concerns over the merger.

Retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and grocers like Tesco have created in-store and online media platforms that generate advertising revenue from big food companies and consumer product makers. "While this deal was blocked on the grounds of reduced competition,