The collapse of the Kroger-Albertsons merger Wednesday was greeted in the Seattle area with sighs of relief and lots of questions about the future of local grocery stores

Two federal court rulings blocked the $25 billion merger of the supermarket giants and Albertsons sued Kroger for its handling of the deal. What now?

The supermarket chain had tried to join forces with Kroger, but judges sided with federal and state regulators who charged that the merger would reduce competition.