Albertsons close to buying Price Chopper?

Albertsons Cos. Inc. is said to be in “advanced talks” to acquire the 130-store Schenectady, N.Y.-based Price Chopper for about $1 billion.

Both Albertsons and Price Chopper — whose grocery stores are located in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts — declined to comment on the speculative acquisition, with Price Chopper referring to published report as “rumors.”

A Reuters report notes that the deal would be in keeping with the tendency toward consolidation in the U.S. grocery industry, including such well-publicized deals as the Ahold-Delhaize merger last summer, as regional chains struggle to hold their own against online retailers, mass merchandisers and deep discounters. Such pressures may have induced Schenectady, N.Y.-based Price Chopper to explore a sale.