C&S Wholesale Grocers, a grocery store chain, agreed to acquire 579 stores, 8 distribution centers and 2 offices from Kroger, a retail company that operates supermarkets and multi-department stores, and Albertsons, a grocery store company, for $2.9bn. "We have reached an agreement with C&S for an updated divestiture package that maintains Kroger's commitments to customers, associates and communities, addresses concerns raised by regulators, and will further ensure that C&S can successfully operate the divested stores as they are operated today. Importantly, the updated divestiture plan continues to ensure no stores will close as a result of the merger and that all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading health care and pension benefits alongside bargained-for wages. Our proposed merger with Albertsons will bring lower prices and more choices to more customers and secure the long-term future of unionized grocery jobs," Rodney McMullen, Kroger Chairman and CEO.