Delhaize and Ahold, European rivals and longtime owners and operators of East Coast supermarkets, confirmed last month they were in talks about a potential merger.
The combination would create a company with some 2,000 U.S. stores, sales of more than $44 billion, and millions in synergy savings with which the combined companies could presumably plow into ongoing programs to improve price competitiveness and consumer relevance. Analysts in Europe estimate a deal has a better than 70% chance of happening. Beyond those headlines, here are five reasons Ahold and Delhaize need one another.