Seven states and the District of Columbia have adopted the most expansive laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Most recently, California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada all passed measures in November legalizing recreational marijuana.
It also would be Kroger's biggest takeover since 1998, when it bought the Fred Meyer food and merchandise store chain in the Northwest for more than $12 billion, according to financial data service Bloomberg.
Cincinnati-based Kroger operates dozens of stores throughout Oregon, including 53 under the Fred Meyer brand that started in Portland. There are now 132 Fred Meyer stores now operate in four states -- Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Idaho. Kroger also has a half-dozen QFC stores in the Portland metro area. It's unclear, though, how many of the new jobs will be based in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Fred Meyer division in the four states will have 1,700 openings, spokesperson Amanda Ip said.