Warren asks FTC, DOJ to consider blocking Dick's-Foot Locker merger
'Dick's and Foot Locker currently compete with each other and with independent retailers to secure deals with suppliers. The new giant would have significantly increased power to extract favorable conditions with manufacturers,' Warren wrote in a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
'This could mean that independent retailers are at a disadvantage when it comes to negotiating with suppliers, which could give Dick's and Foot Locker an incentive to engage in anticompetitive conduct to restrict suppliers from dealing with independent retailers,' she added.
The Massachusetts senator said mom and pop shops could be threatened by the deal, valued at $2.4 billion.
From 2017 to 2022, one out of every four shoe stores across the U.S. closed, which resulted in the loss of more than 25,000 jobs in the same period, Warren's office said, citing Census Bureau statistics on the economy.
Warren also referenced a CreditKarma study released last month in which 39 percent of parents said they could not afford back-to-school shopping this year.
'Dick's Sporting Goods's proposed acquisition of Foot Locker would combine two of the nation's largest athletic footwear retailers, creating a giant that would have increased power across the business, from suppliers to workers to customers,' Warren said.
'This deal could raise prices for families already facing higher sneaker costs from President Trump's tariffs and threaten workers and small businesses,' she added.
Warren said blocking previous mega-mergers has proven beneficial for consumers, citing the failed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons.
'Following Kroger and Albertsons' loss in court, the new CEO of Albertsons revealed the benefits of preserving competition by describing how the company now planned to improve to keep prices low 'to attract more shoppers' in order to compete with rival companies,' Warren said.
'This is a striking example of the benefits of competition for consumers, and should give antitrust agencies the confidence to continue vigorously enforcing antitrust law,' she added.
The DOJ and FTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Warren's letter. The Hill also reached out to Dick's and Foot Locker.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
22 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Fashion capital? World Cup? American Airlines just added new flights at MIA
Travelers will soon have a new way to get from Miami to the financial and fashion center of Italy, and they can start booking tickets next week. American Airlines is adding non-stop, daily service between MIA and Milan, betting on the appeal of its culture and wealth even as record numbers of Americans are already traveling to Europe and crowding its largest cities. Starting in March 2026, American says it will be the only carrier offering l offer non-stop service between MIA and Milan. The flights, on a Boeing 787-7, will be year-round, starting March 29, American announced on Thursday. Milan is also central for those looking to travel throughout Italy, whether Venice or the Ligurian coast, home to Cinque Terre. It's also an easy train ride to much of the rest of Europe including the South of France. The announcement comes about two months after American started daily service between MIA and Rome. That first flight departed MIA on June 5 after a festive celebration at the gate in terminal D attended by Italian diplomats, Miami-Dade County officials and curious passengers. It left one month earlier than originally planned due to increased demand. American also said on Thursday it's trying to get ahead of next year's World Cup and will increase service between MIA and Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport to as many a three daily flights next spring and summer. That will happen between May 21, 2026, and Aug.t 3, 2026. That's up from the usual two daily flights during those months. Plane tickets will be available starting Aug. 11, 2025, on the airline's website or mobile app. The 2026 World Cup opens June 11 in Mexico City and concludes July 19 in New Jersey. In between, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will host seven matches. But the draw won't take place until December, meaning fans won't know until then which team is playing where. Still, Lionel Messi who led Argentina to win the last World Cup in 2022, plays for Inter Miami and lives in South Florida with his family, making the region appealing to his compatriots. The new flights come as total passenger volume has fallen at South Florida's major airports for the first time in years, the Miami Herald reported this week. During the first half of 2025, which ended June 30, the number of passengers passing through Miami International Airport decreased 1.4% to 28.5 million compared to the first half of 2024. That hadn't happened since 2017, excluding the pandemic year of 2020. American Airlines despite having its largest summer schedule in its history out of MIA saw 2% fewer passengers in the first half of this year. And there's been a drop in arrivals at MIA from Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Peru. Still, Argentines are one group increasing their travel to South Florida. And American Airlines continues to be bullish on the region. It has about 15,000 employees based at MIA.
23 minutes ago
Does Gov. Abbott have the power to remove Democratic lawmakers?
Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Texas Supreme Court Tuesday night to remove state Rep. Gene Wu, chairman of the Texas House Democratic caucus, from his seat, arguing that Wu abandoned his office by fleeing the state. Several legal experts, in interviews with ABC News, questioned the strength of Abbott's case to remove lawmakers. Wu, alongside other Democratic legislators, left the state on Sunday to delay a Republican redraw of the state's Congressional districts by denying the House enough legislators to conduct business. In an emergency petition for writ of quo warranto, Abbott argued Wu "forfeited" his office by fleeing the state, creating a vacancy that Abbott would then have the authority to fill. A quo warranto is "a process by which it can be said that somebody is improperly holding office and should be removed," New York University professor of constitutional law Samuel Issacharoff told ABC News. The proceeding was "most heavily used" in the U.S. after the Civil War to remove former Confederate officers, he said. Some experts appeared skeptical Tuesday night that Abbott's application of the proceeding to attempt to remove Wu from office had legal merit—though some said it's still possible the state Supreme Court would rule in the governor's favor. The Texas Supreme Court is composed entirely of Republicans, with six of the nine appointed by Abbott. "In Texas, the Supreme Court is directly elected in partisan primaries, meaning that Texas Supreme Court justices will seek to avoid doing things which might anger Republican primary voters," Rice University political science professor Mark Jones told ABC News. Charles Rhodes, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Missouri, said that if the state Supreme Court found that a legislator's "office has been intentionally abandoned or relinquished, they do have the authority and jurisdiction to hold that the office is vacated." However, Rhodes said that Abbott is seeking a ruling "that has no past precedential support in American jurisprudence." "I have never seen [quo warranto] used in the history of America, to my knowledge, in a situation in which you have a legislator who is breaking quorum," Rhodes told ABC News. David Froomkin, assistant professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center, argued that Wu has not legally abandoned his legislative position and created a vacancy. The legal precedent—which Abbott's petition cited—determines "abandonment" based on "the intent of the official to abandon their position," and Wu has shown no such intent, according to Froomkin. "What the governor is doing here is questioning, is challenging the legitimacy of his political opponents just because they oppose his legislative agenda," Froomkin told ABC News. He added that the legislative branch has its own remedy to remove members, a two-thirds vote of the chamber to expel lawmakers, and that "it would violate separation of powers for the executive or judiciary to intrude on an internal legislative matter." "Denying the governor a quorum was not an abandonment of my office; it was a fulfillment of my oath," Wu wrote in a statement. The state Supreme Court has asked Wu to respond to Abbott's petition by Friday afternoon. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, argued that Abbott did not have the authority to file the petition and promised to pursue punitive action Friday if Democrats refuse to return to the special session. Abbott has pushed back, arguing he does have such a right. According to Froomkin, Paxton's position as Attorney General does not give him more scope than the governor to remove Democratic legislators through the Supreme Court. "It confronts the same separation of powers problems," Froomkin said, since removing legislators is "a matter for the legislative branch to resolve" rather than the judiciary or executive. If the issue of removing legislators is eventually appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Issacharoff, the NYU professor, said they could take it up, since it would be a "powder keg" if other states' legislatures were allowed to follow Texas in mid-decade redistricting. "If Texas does it, California does it, and New York does it, then other states will do it in retaliation, so on and so forth," Issacharoff said. Issacharoff compared Texas's situation to the 2024 Supreme Court case Trump v. Anderson. In that ruling, the court stopped Colorado from removing President Donald Trump from the state's ballot as Republican nominee, noting they hoped to prevent a spiral of other states kicking candidates off their ballots. At the same time, the Supreme Court said in a 2019 decision that disputes over partisan gerrymandering should not be mediated by federal judges. "Federal judges have no license to reallocate political power between the two major political parties," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Eagles' Saquon Barkley turned down Donald Trump's special invitation
PHILADELPHIA − Citing a busy schedule, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said that he turned down a chance to serve on President Donald Trump's council on sports, fitness and nutrition. This after Barkley golfed with the President and flew on his private plane before the Eagles' visit to the White House on April 28 to celebrate the team's Super Bowl victory. EAGLES CAMP: These 2 DBs keep showing All Pro skills. Saquon Barkley's new role? But on Aug. 4, Barkley said he was flattered to be asked, but that he was going to be "super busy" with the NFL season rapidly approaching, and thus couldn't serve. "A couple months ago, it was brought to my team about the council," Barkley said after practice. "So I'm not really too familiar with it. I felt like I am going to be super busy, so me and my family thought it would probably be of best interest to not accept that. "I was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned. I'm assuming it's something great, so I appreciate it but was a little shocked when my name was mentioned." Celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl win with our new book Trump issued an executive order on July 31st establishing the council, which is tasked with advising the president and recommending actions on a number of fronts. That includes challenges and school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education; fitness goals for American youth, with the aim of fostering a new generation of healthy, active citizens; and strategies for reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test. Trump's executive order said up to 30 members will serve on the council. Some of those named, in addition to Barkley, were 49ers star Nick Bosa, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau. Others include retired golfers Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@ Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles' championship season in 'Flying High,' a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles' Saquon Barkley turns down spot on Donald Trump's fitness council
