Key TakeawaysKroger shares rose Thursday morning after the retailer said it is abandoning the Albertsons merger and restarting stock buybacks.The grocery chain said after the bell Wednesday that it will begin a new $7.

Kroger’s $25 billion proposed takeover of rival Albertsons ultimately failed because two judges – one federal and the other from the state of Washington – didn’t buy the competitive vision the grocers were trying to sell,

The supermarket chain had tried to join forces with Kroger, but judges sided with federal and state regulators who charged that the merger would reduce competition.

Kroger is buying back billions of dollars in stock, putting to use some of the capital it was planning to use to buy Albertsons.

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

For the two grocery rivals, which had been on track to marry their numerous supermarket banners, the lawsuit amounts to a corporate divorce battle.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) on Wednesday announced a $7.5B stock buyback in the wake of its terminated merger with Albertsons (NYSE:ACI). The new buyback plan replaces the company's existing $1 billion authorization,