Sysco/US Foods Deal Delayed Again

Sysco Corp. has pushed back the timeline for completing its acquisition of US Foods citing longer-than-expected talks with antitrust regulators, reports The Wall Street Journal. Sysco originally said it expected the deal to close by the end of September, then pushed that to by the end of this year. It now says the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015 at the earliest. The proposed combining of foodservice distribution's two largest national broadline companies has raised concerns not only in Washington but among operators as it significantly impacts the dynamics of purchasing in many local markets.