(Bloomberg) — Kroger Co. is selling $10.5 billion of bonds on Tuesday to help fund its acquisition of fellow grocer Albertsons Cos. in what will be one of the biggest corporate bond deals of the year.
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The supermarket chain is selling bonds in seven parts, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The longest portion of the deal, a 40-year security, will yield 1.62 percentage points over Treasuries, after initial discussions for around 1.9 percentage points, said the person, asking not to be identified as the details are private.
Some of the tranches include so-called special mandatory redemption language, which would allow the company to repay the debt in the event that the Albertsons acquisition isn’t completed. In that case, proceeds from notes not subject to the special redemption will be used for general corporate purposes.
The deal size makes Kroger’s the fifth biggest US investment-grade bond sale in 2024, tying with Meta Platforms’ $10.5 billion deal earlier this month.
Representatives for Kroger and Wells Fargo & Co., one of the managers on the deal, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Citigroup Inc. didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Moody’s Ratings assigned a Baa1 rating with a negative outlook to Kroger’s unsecured notes, citing risks including higher debt levels and a deterioration in credit metrics, according to a Tuesday statement. S&P Global Ratings rates the issuance BBB.
Kroger agreed to buy Albertsons in October 2022 in a deal initially valued at $24.6 billion. Whether the Cincinnati, Ohio-based supermarket chain is able to purchase its smaller peer remains uncertain.
A trial is set to begin Aug. 26 on the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit to block the deal, initially valued in 2022 at $24.6 billion. A separate case involving Colorado’s opposition to the proposed buyout is scheduled to start Sept. 30. The supermarket operators have proposed to sell nearly 600 stores and lower grocery prices by $1 billion.
As of February 3, Kroger operated 2,722 supermarkets under a variety of local banner names, such as Dillons and Ralphs, in 35 states and the District of Columbia, the company said in a filing.
–With assistance from Kevin Kingsbury, Olivia Raimonde and Michael B. Marois.
(Updates with size and pricing levels, additional details throughout.)
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