Albertsons and Kroger want to merge to form a US grocery giant.

According to persons familiar with the situation, Kroger Co. and rival Albertsons Cos. are in discussions to merge, creating a US supermarket behemoth.

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One of the people said, requesting anonymity because the conversation involved secret information, that a cash-and-stock agreement might be finalized as soon as Thursday

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evening in New York, valued at approximately $25 billion for Albertsons. There have been no final choices taken, so the negotiations might still be postponed or fail.

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According to data provided by Bloomberg, the possible acquisition would be among the biggest US retail transactions in recent memory and the biggest supermarket sale

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since 2006, when Supervalu, CVS Health Corp., and a group of investment companies acquired Albertsons for around $9.8 billion.

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According to Numerator, Kroger is the second-largest grocery retailer in the US, with a 9.9% market share, only behind Walmart Inc.'s nearly 21%.

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Fourth place with 5.7% is Albertsons. With the growth of online grocery sales, a hypothetical merger would provide the merged company

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more purchasing power, a sizable customer loyalty program, and more investment weight in technology.

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