Joseph Spector reports in the Poughkeepsie Journal that the Federal Trade Commission signed off on the merger of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets on Nov. 8. Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets first announced the planned merger in February 2021. Price Chopper/Market 32 is based in Schenectady and operates 130 Price Chopper and Market 32 grocery stores, employing 18,000 people. Based in Williamsville, Tops Markets operates 162 grocery stores; they are the largest private, for-profit employer in western New York with more than 14,000 associates. In Greene County, Tops has stores in Greenville, Tannersville and Coxsackie. Price Chopper has a store in Catskill. The Federal Trade Commission and the state Attorney General's office are mandating that the company sell off 12 stores to ensure competition in those parts of New York. Read more about this story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.