Since Kroger and Albertsons, two of the largest grocery chains in the country, announced plans for a merger almost two years ago, Jane St. Louis and her co-workers have been on edge. To assuage federal concerns about creating a grocery monopoly, the companies announced in April they would sell 579 locations of their various respective supermarket chains — including Mariano’s, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Ralphs and Pick’n Save — to C&S Wholesale Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. and current owner of the Piggly-Wiggly supermarket franchise.
St. Louis works at a Safeway, one of Abertsons’ subsidiaries, in Maryland and, while she and her fellow employees knew the merger would result in stores being sold, they had no idea which stores would be on the chopping block.
