The collapse of the Kroger-Albertsons merger Wednesday was greeted in the Seattle area with sighs of relief and lots of questions about the future of local grocery stores

A federal judge has ruled against Kroger’s $25 billion takeover bid for Albertsons, granting a preliminary injunction blocking the deal. After holding a more than three-week "mini-trial" in August and September,

King County Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson ruled today that the merger of Kroger and Albertsons violated Washington state consumer protection law and blocked it from moving forward there. Why it matters: His decision,