A version of this article originally appeared in Quartz’s members-only Weekend Brief newsletter. Quartz members get access to exclusive newsletters and more. Sign up here . When America’s creaky food supply chain was unwinding pandemic-era disruptions in 2022, two of the country’s largest grocery store owners looked around the market and figured out that if they were ever going to to compete with Walmart, they would have to grow. A merger seemed like an ideal solution for Kroger and Albertsons.