<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="42979" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="conspiracy">Conspiracy</keyword> theorists have wildly claimed that a brick company owned by <keyword id="6358963" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Warren-Buffett">Warren Buffett</keyword>'s <keyword id="6362665" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="berkshire-hathaway">Berkshire Hathaway</keyword> is in cahoots with <keyword id="45830" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bill-Gates">Bill Gates</keyword> and <keyword id="5002721" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="antifa">antifa</keyword> to arm protesters with bricks.</li><li>Unfounded claims of <keyword id="232575" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Acme-Brick">Acme Brick</keyword> deliberately planting bricks at protest sites have spread across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.</li><li>Fox News and the White House have linked the bricks to antifa and "professional anarchists."</li><li>Acme Brick said on its website that it "has not done, and will not do, anything to intentionally promote violence."</li></ul>Online conspiracy theorists have wildly claimed that a brick company, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, conspired with Bill Gates and antifa to plant bricks at police-brutality <keyword id="6354896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="protests">protests</keyword>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-13/buffett-s-brick-company-linked-to-antifa-in-online-conspiracies">according to Bloomberg</a>.Unfounded accusations that Texas-based Acme Brick was intentionally leaving bricks for protesters to hurl at police have spread across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok in recent weeks, Bloomberg said.Fox News has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFYnbLtySus">run segments</a> on the bricks. The White House also tweeted out, then deleted, a compilation of video clips showing piles of bricks. The video accused "professional anarchists" and antifa of placing them to spur violence at Black Lives Matter protests across the country, SFGate <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Antifa-Trump-misinformation-George-Floyd-protests-15317216.php">reported</a>."Ladies and gentlemen, we've now discovered who is delivering bricks to over 20 cities," Alex Jones, the right-wing conspiracy theorist, said on his June 2 radio show, according to Bloomberg."It's Acme Brick, owned by Berkshire Hathaway and Bill Gates." Jones continued. "Can't make that up."Acme Brick didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. It dismissed the rumors <a href="https://brick.com/qa-socialmedia">on its website</a>. "Acme Brick Company is in the business of building, not destroying," the group said, adding that it "has not done, and will not do, anything to intentionally promote violence.""Neither Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, nor anyone else at Berkshire Hathaway directed us to position brick for an unlawful purpose," Acme added.Gates has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-vaccine-conspiracy-theories-are-stupid-2020-6">the target of false claims</a> that he masterminded the coronavirus pandemic in order to profit from selling the vaccine for it, or to implant tracking microchips using vaccines.The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist is a close friend of Buffett. He resigned from <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-bill-gates-directors-14-board-members-2020-5-1029262390#greg-abel3">Berkshire's board</a> in March, but the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation remains one of its biggest shareholders.Numerous fact-checkers and media outlets have found no evidence of an organized effort to place bricks at protest sites, Bloomberg said. Insider <a href="https://www.insider.com/were-bricks-planted-at-protests-by-police-video-debunk-2020-6">has reported that many of the claims appear to be false</a>.<h2>"Everything from bricks to candy"</h2>Berkshire bought Acme's parent company, Justin Industries, for $570 million in cash, according to Buffett's <a href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2000pdf.pdf">shareholder letter for 2000</a>.Buffett said that Acme produced more than 1 billion bricks annually or about 12% of national output, and described it as "the premier producer of brick in Texas and five neighboring states."The famed investor cracked several jokes about Berkshire's bet on bricks in his letter."We have embraced the 21st century by entering such cutting-edge industries as brick, carpet, insulation, and paint," he said. "Try to control your excitement.""I can't resist pointing out that Berkshire — whose top management has long been mired in the 19th century — is now one of the very few authentic 'clicks-and-bricks' businesses around," Buffett quipped."You can bet this move by Berkshire is making them sweat in Silicon Valley," he added."Come prepared to carry home everything from bricks to candy," he advised shareholders planning to attend Berkshire's annual meeting, where products from See's Candies and the conglomerate's other subsidiaries are on sale.

A Warren Buffett-owned company is battling wild conspiracies that it planted bricks for George Floyd protesters to hurl at police

People are posting photos of bricks they believe were 'planted' near protests to escalate tensions. Many of the claims, however, appear to be false.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kroger and Albertsons are engaged in talks around a potential merger, Bloomberg reported. </li><li>A merger would boost the joint chain to a store footprint of over 5,000 locations.</li></ul>Grocery store giants Kroger and Albertsons are discussing a potential merger, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-13/kroger-kr-in-talks-to-combine-with-rival-albertsons-aci">Bloomberg</a>.Talks are ongoing and could potentially conclude this week, the business news site said, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. But at least one liberal-leaning interest group already has flagged the possibility that such a merger could send food prices soaring for shoppers around the United States.In a note dated Monday, J.P. Morgan analysts described Albertsons as a "consistently improving company in a food-at-home industry that is proving resilient for longer than some observers anticipated," although they noted that Kroger has the edge in terms of "data analytics and delivery." Both chains boast a massive footprint in the United States. Kroger ran 2,726 supermarkets as of January 29, 2022. Kroger's supermarkets operate under its namesake brand, and "a variety of local banner names," according to the company's most-recent annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission.Albertsons' latest annual SEC filing listed 2,276 stores as of February 26, 2022, under a total of 24 different banners. Together, the two chains would combine for a total of 5,002 locations. The merger would make the combined chain one of the largest in the United States. As of its latest SEC filing, Walmart owned 4,578 retail locations in the US, which would give the edge to the possible merged grocery chain. But counting leased properties in addition to owned properties tips Walmart over to a total of 5,342 US retail properties across its banner. And Walmart's total retail units around the globe comes out to 10,593, as of January 31, 2022. "Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons would have a significant impact on the US grocery landscape, both in physical retail and online," Insider Intelligence senior analyst Blake Droesch said. "Kroger would nearly double its locations and have a bigger brick-and-mortar footprint than Walmart. Walmart will still be the leader in grocery sales, but the acquisition would allow Kroger to get closer in competition."Kroger's operation dates back to the 19th century, when Bernard Kroger entered the retail business in Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Albertsons was launched by Joe Albertson in Boise in 1939. Both own numerous banners. Kroger controls chains like Ralphs, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, and Dillons. Albertsons' subsidiaries include Acme Markets, Safeway, and Vons.The American Economic Liberties Project, an anti-monopoly group, took to Twitter to decry the possible merger. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—American Economic Liberties Project (@econliberties) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1580565353251639296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></blockquote>Anti-monopoly advocates have long sounded the alarm on massive mergers, citing the possibility that American consumers will be hit hard in terms of grocery prices. Open Markets Institute's Claire Kelloway wrote in <a href="https://time.com/6139127/u-s-food-prices-monopoly/">Time</a> that the data indicates that "monopolistic market structures are making things worse" in regards to rising food prices during the pandemic.According to Numerator, Walmart has the largest market share in the grocery industry, with 21%. Kroger takes the No. 2 spot with a 9.9% share, while Albertsons places fourth with 5.7%. Experts say a merger could have implications for both companies' digital capabilities."On the digital side, Kroger can make use of Albertsons' locations to drive click-and-collect growth, while Albertsons can leverage Kroger's fulfillment infrastructure to bring its online capabilities in-house, instead of relying on third-parties like Instacart and DoorDash," Droesch said.Click and collect services allow customers to buy products online and pick them up at the store.

You Searched For "Acme Brick" and got 3 results

A Warren Buffett-owned company is battling wild conspiracies that it planted bricks for George Floyd protesters to hurl at police

Theron Mohamed

People are posting photos of bricks they believe were 'planted' near protests to escalate tensions. Many of the claims, however, appear to be false.

Margot Harris

Kroger and Albertsons are reportedly in talks over a proposed merger that would swell the combined chain to a footprint of 5,000 stores

Áine Cain