Ahold Delhaize and Centerbridge Partners have closed the acquisition of FreshDirect US: Traditional grocers projected as ‘2021 winners’ Three of the nation’s four largest supermarket operators - The Kroger Co., Albertsons Cos. and Publix Super Markets - are expected to be “winners” in 2021 when it comes to store visits, according to location-based retail foot traffic specialist Placer.ai. All 3 retailers - grouped in a category dubbed “traditional grocery” - already turned in “a huge year” in terms of customer visits for the first 11 months of 2020, according to Ethan Chernofsky, vice president of marketing at Israel-based Placer.ai, which has U.S. offices in Los Altos, California.