(Reuters) – A U.S. district court judge ruled on Tuesday that the No. 1 office supply store Staples (SPLS) may not merge with its smaller rival Office Depot (ODP), granting the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction on antitrust grounds.
Staples CEO Ron Sargent had said in March that he would most likely scrap the deal if Judge Emmet Sullivan granted the preliminary injunction. In general, companies struggle to hold mergers together during lengthy litigation.