Albertsons to Buy Rite Aid, Combining Groceries and Drugstores<br />In December, the drugstore giant CVS Health said that it would merge with the health insurer Aetna in a $69 billion deal<br />that could reshape the way health care is delivered in the United States.<br />The online giant made an aggressive push into the grocery business last year, acquiring the upscale chain Whole<br />Foods for $13.4 billion in a deal with the potential to transform the supermarket industry in fundamental ways.<br />Under the terms of the deal announced on Tuesday, Rite Aid shareholders would get $1.83 in cash<br />and a share of Albertsons stock for every 10 shares of Rite Aid they own.<br />Rite Aid agreed last year to sell 1,932 stores and three distribution centers to Walgreens<br />for $4.38 billion after the companies failed to complete an even bigger deal.<br />The company recently teamed up with Berkshire Hathaway<br />and JPMorgan Chase to form an independent health care company to serve the three firms’ employees and potentially revamp the broader industry.<br />The supermarket operator Albertsons agreed to buy the remnants of the Rite Aid drug chain on<br />Tuesday, the latest deal to shake up a grocery industry already experiencing major upheaval.
