Two of the nation’s largest grocers, competitors in Chicago via the Mariano’s and Jewel Osco chains, have agreed to merge in a deal they say would help them better compete with Walmart, Amazon and other major companies that have stepped into the business.
Kroger, which owns Mariano’s, on Friday bid $20 billion for Albertsons Cos. Kroger will also assume $4.7 billion of Albertsons’ debt. Albertsons is the smaller company of the two, but it is the market leader in the Chicago area with its Jewel stores.
