U.S. supermarket chain Albertsons Companies Inc is in advanced talks to acquire closely held grocery store operator Price Chopper for around $1 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
A deal would underscore the wave of consolidation sweeping the U.S. grocery industry, as regional chains struggle to compete against online retailers such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), big box stores such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), and discount chains such as ALDI Inc.
These challenges put pressure on the Golub family, which has owned Price Chopper for more than eight decades, to explore a sale. Lewis Golub, a Russian immigrant who arrived at New York's Ellis Island in 1900, started a wholesale grocery warehouse in 1922, which his two sons launched as a supermarket chain in 1932.
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