US grocer Kroger has announced that the Federal Trade Commission has completed its review of the company’s proposed acquisition of 18 Raley’s stores in Las Vegas.

Kroger and Raley’s now expect to close the transaction on Friday 15 November. Kroger’s Smith’s and Food 4 Less will begin converting the stores to their banners later this month.

The FTC said it had concluded that the deal was not likely to hamper competition among supermarkets in the Las Vegas area.

“Rather, consumers in this market have benefited and are expected to continue to benefit from rivalry among at least the four remaining major competitors, including Wal-Mart,” the FTC was reported as saying by Reuters.