Royal Ahold's Merger Talks With Delhaize Move Forward

Royal Ahold NV and Delhaize Group are moving forward with their merger negotiations, aimed at creating a grocery trade giant with $60 billion in annual sales. Seeking to complete the deal before July 2015, merger talks are focused on the structure of the deal and annual cost savings of €300 million to €700 million. Announced on May 12, the proposed merger deal has boosted the prices of the companies' shares, with Delhaize shares gaining 8.3 percent and Ahold seeing 3.3 percent increase.