Mass Market Retailers articles from January 2008

Mass Market Retailers archives from January 2008

Target mulls options.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... TARGET MULLS OPTIONS: Target Corp. has delayed a decision on whether or not to sell its credit card receivables portfolio, saying that a review of alternatives that was announced in September is taking longer than expected. The retailer says it...

Ahold pact reached.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... AHOLD PACT REACHED: Former U.S. Foodservice chief executive officer James Miller has agreed to pay $8 million to Ahold in a settlement deal related to the company's 2003 accounting scandal. The settlement, which does not imply any...

Walgreens ceo upbeat.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... WALGREENS CEO UPBEAT: Walgreen Co. chief executive officer Jeffrey Rein said during a recent conference call with analysts that while he expects the first half of 2008 to be challenging, sales and profit margins should improve in the second...

Wakefern adds chain.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... WAKEFERN ADDS CHAIN: Wakefern Food Corp. has entered into a wholesale agreement with New York City-based Gristedes, a 40-unit supermarket chain. In addition to supplying Gristedes with branded nonfood products, Wakefern will be making its...

Penn Traffic closure.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... PENN TRAFFIC CLOSURE: Penn Traffic Co. plans to close its Penny Curtis commercial bakery as part of a strategy that seeks to focus corporate resources on enhancing the in-store experience for its customers. Penn Traffic blamed overcapacity in...

Sammons, Mastrian are Retailers of Year.(MMR Retailers of the Year)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- The editors of MMR have named Mary Sammons and Jim Mastrian, the architects of Rite Aid Corp.'s stunning acquisition and ongoing assimilation of the Brooks Eckerd drug chain, the publication's 2007 Mass Market Retailers of the...

Basse is cited as top merchant.(MMR Merchant of the Year)
January 14, 2008... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp. has set the performance bar in the membership warehouse club industry, not only for financial results but for the creativity and flair of its merchandise assortments. No other retailer in any trade...

Chains endure a Christmas they'd like to forget.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... NEW YORK -- The most disappointing holiday selling season in this century proved to be an equal-opportunity disappointment, impacting retailers across segments, price points and geographies, across weather systems, across promotional and...

Safeway promises growth via innovation.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Executives of Safeway Inc. are projecting an earnings increase of 13% to 15% for 2008 in spite of single-digit sales expansion, but the retailer is finding it difficult to persuade Wall Street to accept its growth...

Albertsons sells Wyoming stores.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Supervalu Inc. and Albertsons LLC have reached an agreement that will see Supervalu take over all eight of the Albertsons units in Wyoming. The acquisition is expected to close later this month. Neither company has...

Correction.(NEWS)(Correction notice)
January 14, 2008... A story on the compensation of store managers in the December 10, 2007, issue of MMR misquoted Lloyd Lippman, chief executive officer of Career Management. The quote should have been: "Although our experience has shown that base salaries for...

Online service ended.(WAL-MART NEWS)
January 14, 2008... ONLINE SERVICE ENDED: Wal-Mart has shuttered an online movie download service after less than a year. The company says the move came after Hewlett-Packard Co., which provided the software behind the site, decided to get out of that business....

Group goes in-house.(WAL-MART NEWS)
January 14, 2008... GROUP GOES IN-HOUSE: Wal-Mart will take over the advocacy group Working Families for Wal-Mart. The group was originally created and run by Wal-Mart's public relations firm, Edelman, as part of an effort to counter the union-supported groups...

Chinese labor probe.(WAL-MART NEWS)
January 14, 2008... CHINESE LABOR PROBE: Wal-Mart has announced that it would investigate labor conditions at a factory in China that supplied it and other retailers with Christmas ornaments. The announcement came after a report by the National Labor Committee...

Clubs help on health.(WAL-MART NEWS)
January 14, 2008... CLUBS HELP ON HEALTH: Sam's Club locations around the country hosted health and wellness demonstrations during in-club events that were aimed at helping members keep their health-related New Year's resolutions.

Gift card problems.(WAL-MART NEWS)
January 14, 2008... GIFT CARD PROBLEMS: Some Wal-Mart shoppers had trouble redeeming their gift cards on the day after Christmas because of glitches in the retailer's card verification system. Wal-Mart says the problems were due to processing errors at a...

Helping men shop.(WAL-MART NEWS)
January 14, 2008... HELPING MEN SHOP: Wal-Mart's efforts to boost holiday sales in its stores included developing an online tool to help men make appropriate gift selections. The Web tool, at www.helpaguybuy.com, featured a short quiz designed to produce gift...

Bashas' contests union's 'lies'.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Bashas' Supermarkets has filed a defamation lawsuit against the United Food & Commercial Worker's Union (UFCW). The suit, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, charges that the union has been waging a malicious...

Giant gives Rx patients new option.(NEWS)(Giant Food LLC)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... LANDOVER, Md. -- Giant Food LLC has begun offering prescription labels and information in Spanish at all of its pharmacies. "We are pleased to offer this new service to our pharmacy customers," senior vice president of pharmacy operations...

Federal court places Medicaid cuts on hold.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Retail pharmacy won a temporary victory when a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction last month halting the pharmacy reimbursement plan created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The National...

Online sales are one bright spot.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... NEW YORK -- While the holiday period's online sales gain was down from prior years, at 19% it still dramatically outpaced brick-and-mortar volume growth. The advance in e-commerce sales was well below the 25% to 30% increases of recent...

Walgreens to develop synergies.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- With a dearth of blockbuster generic drug introductions on the horizon, Walgreen Co. is looking to its specialty pharmacy and in-store clinics to bolster its traditional pharmacy business this year. During the company's...

Stater Bros. taps Frahm, McIntyre.(NEWS)
January 14, 2008... SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Stater Bros. Markets has promoted two executives. George Frahm, a 35-year company veteran, has been named executive vice president of retail operations, while Dennis McIntyre has been appointed executive vice president...

A record of obstacles is overcome.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- With Rite Aid Corp. having passed a major growth milestone with its acquisition of the Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy operation, it is worth remembering that the company faced a very, very different situation when Mary Sammons and Jim...

Coutu has presence on Rite Aid board.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- The acquisition of the Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy chain from the Jean Coutu Group did more than give Rite Aid Corp. a quantum growth leap. It also forged a major bond between the two companies through the Rite Aid board of...

MMR Retailers of the Year.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... 2007--Mary Sammons Chairman, President, CEO and Jim Mastrian Special Advisor on Corporate Strategy, Rite Aid 2007 Merchant Joe BasseVP and GMM, Global Nonfoods Costco 2006--Tom Ryan Chairman, President, CEO, CVS 2006--Mac Crawford...

Assimilation process in full swing.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Looking back, 2007 will very likely emerge as the key turning point in the history of Rite Aid Corp. It was the year that saw the chain drug industry's third-largest player make a breathtakingly bold expansion bid with the...

Exec ranks bolstered by blending old, new.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid is undertaking the massive task of integrating its Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy acquisition with a senior management team that features several new faces but which boasts unusual depth and breadth of retail experience. ...

Rite Aid is investing in its Rx operations.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- The acquisition of 1,800 Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy outlets from Jean Coutu Group PLC has strengthened Rite Aid Corp.'s pharmacy business in a number of ways. On the simplest level it boosts the Rite Aid Rx network up to some...

Health care offerings set chain apart.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)(Medical condition overview)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid has launched a number of health care initiatives that both reinforce its pharmacy business and tie it to the front end. One example is a promotion launched last summer in partnership with the American Pain...

Medicaid cuts prompt concern.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CAMP HILL, Pa. -- While Rite Aid Corp. continues to expand and deepen its health care initiatives, uncertainty about reimbursement rates on prescriptions filled for Medicaid patients clouds the company's future, as...

A leader in the fight against diabetes.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- The strong relationship Rite Aid Corp. has forged with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) was highlighted by the chain's participation in a special diabetes awareness promotion that extended from October through December....

Shopping experience keeps getting better.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- While the integration of 1,800 former Brooks Eckerd stores into the Rite Aid network carries a formidable enough challenge for the company's field operations team, they face an even more fundamental task: improving the...

'Take 10' keeps focus on service.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HELL Pa. -- Improving the customer experience has become a mantra at most retail chains in recent years, and Rite Aid is pursuing that goal through a number of different initiatives. One, dubbed Take 10, is a weekly manager-led...

Rite Aid front end has it all.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- While pharmacy remains at the core of Rite Aid's business, contributing about 68% of overall sales, the front end is nonetheless vital, in part because it contributes higher gross margins than the Rx department. Moreover,...

Consumer insights help determine course.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Throughout its long and difficult path toward recovery and now growth, the Rite Aid management team that took over in 1999 has utilized consumer research to guide its moves. The goal has been to leverage the knowledge gained...

Exclusive lines, PL key part of mix.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Private label goods and exclusive brands play an important role in the product mix at Rite Aid Corp. As is true for all retailers, store brand items deliver a much heftier profit margin than branded goods. Their consumer...

Consumers get the word about the transition process.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid's acquisition of the Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy operation created the need for a whole new communications campaign from its marketing department. Having found through consumer surveys that Brooks Eckerd shoppers did not...

Alliance with GNC a differentiator.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- It has often been pointed out that the leading drug chains really have little to differentiate themselves from each other as far as their front-end offerings are concerned. When it comes to health and beauty aids in...

Web site helps retailer get 'personal'.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)(Website overview)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Not long after Mary Sammons arrived at Rite Aid, the company launched a new marketing campaign around the theme "With Us, It's Personal." That tagline has virtually become a statement of the retailer's core values under her...

Customer world.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Rite Aid has kept the pharmacy at the center of its evolving store formats, adding consultation rooms and a comfortable seating area, but the chain has also listened to customers' wishes for an easy-to-shop,...

Sammons, Mastrian prevail in turbulent times.(NEWS/RETAILERS OF THE YEAR)(Jim Mastrian )(Chronology)
January 14, 2008... 1998 * In July Rite Aid hires Jim Mastrian as executive vice president of category management. The Revco D.S. veteran promptly launches a reorganization of the department that doubles the number of category managers and reconfigures it...

Product quality, value are overriding objectives.(NEWS/MERCHANT OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco's approach to merchandising is clear from its mission statement: "To provide our members with the highest-quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices." The company says that one of the ways it delivers...

Limited range provides edge.(NEWS/MERCHANT OF THE YEAR)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- The highly edited selection of merchandise available at a Costco club gives the company a big advantage over retailers with broader assortments. "Because of our limited selection, we can visit every factory, and we can...

Results tell the story.(NEWS/MERCHANT OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco's unique approach to the warehouse club format has made it popular with its members, but the proof of the company's prowess can be seen on its top- and bottom-line results. Costco reported that its profits for the...

Shopping Costco is fun, exciting.(NEWS/MERCHANT OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- One of Costco's great strengths is its ability to turn each trip to one of its clubs into a kind of treasure hunt. The nature, variety and value of Costco's constantly changing and evolving...

Different approach to private label pays big dividends.(NEWS/MERCHANT OF THE YEAR)
January 14, 2008... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Private label has been another success story for Costco. The company did not offer any private label merchandise 15 years ago. Now its Kirkland Signature brand accounts for about one in five products Costco sells. "It...

Tesco moves into American market with Fresh & Easy.(2007 in Review)(Industry overview)
January 14, 2008... EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- One of the biggest mass retailing stories of 2007 was the much anticipated arrival of Tesco PLC in America. Details about the British retailer's plans had been leaking out over the course of much of the year, and then...

Wal-Mart fine-tunes its expansion strategy.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The big news at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in 2007 was the announcement that the giant retailer plans to throttle back its domestic growth plans in order to improve financial returns. Wal-Mart officials told shareholders at...

CVS merges with Caremark.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Before CVS Corp. finally struck a deal to acquire Caremark Rx Inc. last spring, the drug chain was engaged in a heated battle with another suitor for the nation's second-largest pharmacy benefits management company. ...

Rishton succeeds Moberg at Ahold.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... AMSTERDAM -- Ahold NV president and chief executive officer Anders Moberg, brought in to restore Ahold's fiscal health and credibility following an accounting scandal, left the company on July 1, 2007. Before Moberg took the reins Ahold had...

Community Rx contests Medicaid cuts.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Pharmacy associations last month claimed an initial victory in their lawsuit to prevent Medicaid prescription reimbursement cuts. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Association of Community...

Schreiber takes reins at SDM.(2007 in Review)(Jurgen Schreiber)(Shoppers Drug Mart Corp.)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... TORONTO -- Last March marked a leadership change at Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. (SDM), when Glenn Murphy stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer and was succeeded by Jurgen Schreiber, who at the time was the company's president and...

Carrefour perseveres during year of turmoil.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... PARIS -- The year 2007 was one of upheaval for Carrefour SA, even as the world's second-largest retailer posted reasonably solid financial results and continued to implement a new banner strategy. In March chairman Luc Vandevelde was forced...

India is new frontier for Wal-Mart.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... NEW DELHI -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has gained a foothold in India by striking a deal with Bharti Enterprises, an Indian company with diverse interests, to set up a jointly owned wholesale cash-and-carry and back-end supply-chain management...

Rite Aid gets 'bigger and better'.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- In June 2007 Rite Aid Corp. completed its $3.4 billion acquisition of 1,854 Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy stores and six distribution centers. The acquisition created the largest drug chain on the East Coast, significantly...

Whole Foods builds synergies with Wild Oats purchase.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... AUSTIN, Texas -- Whole Foods Market Inc. won its six-month battle with the Federal Trade Commission in 2007 and completed a $565 million purchase of rival organic and natural food grocer Wild Oats Markets Inc. "Words cannot fully express...

Changing of the guard occurs at Walgreens.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The top executive changes that followed the decision of Walgreen Co. chairman Dave Bernauer to retire last year after four decades of service underlined the stability in the executive ranks of the nation's largest drug store...

A new era begins at Dollar General as KKR takes control.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. -- In July Dollar General Corp. was taken private with its acquisition by private equity firm Kolberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR). in a deal valued at $7.3 billion including $380 million in debt. KKR made its initial...

Hannaford empowers shoppers.(2007 in Review)
January 14, 2008... PORTLAND, Me. -- In September 2006 Hannaford Bros. introduced its revolutionary Guiding Stars system for evaluating the nutritional value of food products in its stores. After one year the system, which has been applied to over 25,000...

Scoreboard.(MONEY NEWS)(Statistical table)
January 14, 2008... SCOREBOARD Quarter Dollar % RETAILERS ended Sales Change Big Lots (1) 11/03 1.03 bil -1.8 Costco (2) 11/25 15.81 bil +10.3 Dollar Tree 11/03...

A&P consummates bond offering.(MONEY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... A&P CONSUMMATES BOND OFFERING: A&P has completed the issuance of about $420 million in convertible senior notes. The proceeds will be used to help repay debt related to the company's acquisition of Pathmark Stores Inc. A&P issued $165 million...

Wal-Mart's credit ratings affirmed.(MONEY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... WAL-MART'S CREDIT RATINGS AFFIRMED: Fitch Ratings has affirmed Wal-Mart's investment-grade credit ratings, citing the retailer's dominant market position. The ratings agency reiterated Wal-Mart's long-term issuer default rating, bank facility...

Rite Aid cuts 2008 outlook after loss.(MONEY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... RITE AID CUTS 2008 OUTLOOK AFTER LOSS: Rite Aid Corp. reported a net loss of $84.8 million in its third quarter, citing costs associated with the Brooks Eckerd acquisition. That announcement was followed by the company cutting its 2008 outlook....

Penn Traffic closes equity deal.(MONEY NEWS)
January 14, 2008... PENN TRAFFIC CLOSES EQUITY DEAL: Penn Traffic Co. has closed a private placement of $10 million in new equity financing with three of its largest common stockholders (Bay Harbour Management LLC, CR Intrinsic Investors LLC and King Street...

Biggest gainers.(MONEY)(Statistical table)(Brief article)(Company rankings)
January 14, 2008... BIGGEST GAINERS Close Change % Stock 12/14/07 vs. 11/23/07 Change Cost Plus 4.39 +1.38 +45.8 Rite Aid ...

Biggest losers.(MONEY)(Statistical table)(Brief article)(Company rankings)
January 14, 2008... BIGGEST LOSERS Close Change % Stock 12/14/07 vs. 11/23/07 Change Retail Ventures 4.16 -2.57 -38.2 Big Lots ...

Most active.(MONEY)(Statistical table)(Brief article)(Company rankings)
January 14, 2008... MOST ACTIVE Vol. (000) As a % Change vs. 1 Wk. Ended of Total 1 Wk. Ended Stock 12/14/07 Shares 11/23/07 A&P ...

Kroger: 'our strategy is working'.(SPOTLIGHT)
January 14, 2008... CINCINNATI -- With a tax benefit countering the effects of lower margins and higher spending on customer service initiatives, Kroger Co. rang up an 18.2% gain in earnings on a 9.8% increase in sales for the quarter ended November 10. While top-...

Costco profits rise 10.6% on 11.6% sales increase.(MONEY)
January 14, 2008... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp. recorded double-digit increases in both revenues and net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 and met Wall Street's expectations. But the retailer's gross margin improvement was not strong enough...

Ahold's earnings in the U.S. recede.(MONEY)
January 14, 2008... AMSTERDAM -- A solid performance at the Giant-Carlisle unit was unable to compensate for the effects of a pricing program at the larger Stop & Shop and Giant Food chains, triggering a single-digit decline in third quarter profits at Ahold NV's...

Fred's attracts interest as net falls.(MONEY)
January 14, 2008... MEMPHIS -- An accounting adjustment that moved inventory costs into the third quarter caused both net income and operating profit to take a double-digit dive at Fred's Inc. Overshadowing the third quarter results, however, was management's...

Parent company tops expectations.(MONEY)
January 14, 2008... AMSTERDAM -- While its United States unit was struggling to boost profitability, parent company Ahold NV saw third quarter earnings from continuing operations surge by almost a third. Income from ongoing lines vaulted 32.8% to 235 million...

Technology standards demand attention.(OPINION)
January 14, 2008... Uniform standards are essential to the efficient functioning of the supply chain, facilitating interaction among business partners and, increasingly, companies and consumers. The process of setting standards, therefore, is of the utmost...

Drug chains alter the equation.(OPINION)
January 14, 2008... Viewed from any angle, 2007 was a chain drug year. Among the mass retailing segments, only America's drug chains consistently made news of a compelling and game-changing nature. Consider the CVS Caremark merger. If nothing else, it has...

Exec talent needs to be nurtured.(OPINION)
January 14, 2008... EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. -With the retail industry clearly needing to invest more in employee development, companies desiring to groom executive talent should consider taking a page from the past and emulate the cross-training management training...

Galeazzi succeeds Casseb at Companhia Brasileira.(GLOBAL)
January 14, 2008... SAO PAULO -- Brazilian retailer Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao (CBD) has named Claudio Galeazzi as its new president. Galeazzi replaces Cassio Casseb, who was asked by the company's board of directors to step down from his post....

Tengelmann's exit.(GLOBAL NEWS)
January 14, 2008... TENGELMANN'S EXIT: German retailer Tengelmann Warenhandelsgesellschaft KG has agreed to sell its Plus Discount supermarkets in Portugal and Poland to Portuguese retailer Jeronimo Martins for about 320 million euros. Martins' officials say the...

Carrefour denial.(GLOBAL NEWS)
January 14, 2008... CARREFOUR DENIAL: French retailer Carrefour SA has denied media reports that it planned to sell its Dia and Ed discount supermarket chains for around 4 billion euros (about $5.75 billion).

Netto's Ukraine plans.(GLOBAL NEWS)
January 14, 2008... NETTO'S UKRAINE PLANS: Danish-owned supermarket giant Netto has announced plans to open stores in the Ukraine. The company, which says it will be the first discount retailer from western Europe to have operations in the country, says it could...

Dell teams with Tesco.(GLOBAL NEWS)
January 14, 2008... DELL TEAMS WITH TESCO: Dell Inc. plans to begin selling its notebook and desktop computers in Tesco stores in the United Kingdom, Ireland and several other European countries. The computer maker, which has built its business on a model of...

Online stores launch.(GLOBAL NEWS)
January 14, 2008... ONLINE STORES LAUNCH: Elgiganten, the leading Nordic electronics retailer, has launched individual online stores for digital downloads in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The new online stores follow the success of the retailer's Danish store, which...

Delhaize marches on.(SPOTLIGHT)
January 14, 2008... BRUSSELS -- Delhaize SA recently opened a new store in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, under the City Delhaize banner. Delhaize currently has 33 stores in Luxembourg and continues to expand in the country. At about the same time the retailer...

Soriana is acquiring 199 stores.(GLOBAL)(Organizacion Soriana SAB acquires Grupo Gigante S.A. de C.V.)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... MEXICO CITY -- Mexico's second-largest retailer, Organizacion Soriana SAB, has agreed to buy 199 stores in Mexico and seven in Los Angeles from rival Grupo Gigante for $1.35 billion. If the deal is approved by Mexico's Federal Competition...