Shareholders of both Ahold and Delhaize voted yesterday to approve the $10.9 billion deal in which Ahold will by Delhaize, making the newly merged company one of the biggest in the US.
The deal is not yet finalized; it still has to be approved by US and Belgian antitrust regulators. But most experts don't foresee a problem, and expect that the deal finally will be done later this year.
While it is possible that a few stores will have to be sold off to satisfy regulators, the two companies have said that they complement each other nicely and that they expect more than $4 billion in savings once synergies are realized.
The deal is not yet finalized; it still has to be approved by US and Belgian antitrust regulators. But most experts don't foresee a problem, and expect that the deal finally will be done later this year.
While it is possible that a few stores will have to be sold off to satisfy regulators, the two companies have said that they complement each other nicely and that they expect more than $4 billion in savings once synergies are realized.
- KC's View:
-
I think they've been clear enough about the savings and efficiencies. What I want to know is how the combination is going to make their stores better - more effective, more relevant, and more differentiated. Haven't really heard that yet.
