Top 4 USA News - Supermarket Giants Kroger and Albertsons Announce Plan to Merge in $25 Billion Deal By BY LAUREN HIRSCH AND JULIE CRESWELL from NYT Business https://ift.tt/vWIV48T By Lauren Hirsch and Julie Creswell Oct. 14, 2022Updated 12:25 p.m. ET The grocery giant Kroger announced plans on Friday to acquire Albertsons in a deal that could reshape the supermarket landscape in the United States, uniting the country’s largest supermarket chains at a time when rising costs and competition from Walmart and Amazon squeeze the industry. But the deal, which values Albertsons at about $24.6 billion including debt, is likely to invite intense scrutiny from regulators who are focused on the potential for large companies to affect prices, and have a history of blocking deals that may directly impact consumers. Even before the deal was announced Friday, consumer advocates had raised objections to its possibility. The deal would bring together chains including Ralphs, Safeway and Vons