The Food Institute Report articles from December 2004

The Food Institute Report archives from December 2004

Food price increases to continue outpacing overall inflation rate.
December 6, 2004... Consumer food prices are seen rising between 3% to 4% in 2005--the same as the expected increase this year, and above the 2.5% overall rate of inflation. With the Consumer Price Index for fresh produce jumping nearly 8% in October, USDA...

Membership club industry could exceed $96.9 billion in 2004 sales.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... The membership club industry is on track to reach and possibly exceed J.M. Degen & Company, Inc.'s Supermerchants forecast of $96.9 billion in retail sales for calendar year 2004, baring any surprises. In 2003, sales reached $88.9 billion. ...

J.M. Smucker Company to sell industrial business, close CA plant.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... The J. M. Smucker Company will sell its U.S. industrial business in support of its branded strategy, discontinue operations at its Salinas, CA, facility and restructure its U.S. distribution operations. The company entered into an agreement to...

Some Baja Fresh restaurants to close; rest of the chain will be revamped.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Seeking to strengthen the chain's performance, Wendy's International Inc. will close 15 to 18 underperforming Baja Fresh stores, resulting in a charge of $17 million to $18 million. Meanwhile, executives are planning to revamp the Mexican...

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is still the dominant force in several mainstay retail categories, including food.(Wal-Mart Watch)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is still the dominant force in several mainstay retail categories, including food. The Bentonville, AR-based company commands more than 17% of the U.S. food and drug retailing market. Although Target Corp. has focused on...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Japan's Aeon Co. and Izumiya Co Ltd placed competing bids to buy Carrefour SA's Japanese outlets.(Wal-Mart Watch)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Japan's Aeon Co. and Izumiya Co Ltd placed competing bids to buy Carrefour SA's Japanese outlets, all valuing the business at more than $300 million, according to a report in the Asian Wall Street Journal......

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(Wal-Mart Watch)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hopes to open at least 11 new stores in China next year as the country eases restrictions on foreign retailers under World Trade Organization requirements.

Wal-Mart.(Wal-Mart Watch)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * In separate news, Wal-Mart noted that it is expected to purchase about $18 billion worth of product from China this year, keeping the annual growth rate of over 20% consistent over two years. Last year, the firm bought $15 billion worth of...

Integration of two Ahold units nears completion.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Dutch supermarket chain Royal Ahold NV's integration of Stop & Shop and Giant Landover stores in the U.S., which is is practically complete, has cost $57.5 million, according to a senior executive. Meanwhile, all options remain open for the...

Yum! Brands Inc.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Yum! Brands Inc. plans to open over 1,450 new restaurants worldwide in 2005, including at least 350 new U.S. restaurants, at least 725 new International Division restaurants and at least 375 new China Division restaurants. The company also...

Panera.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Panera is ramping up new store development, using initiatives like Wi-Fi, takeout and even free bread samples for customers waiting in line. Panera expects to open a total of 140 to 150 locations this year and 150 to 160 stores in 2005......

San Diego's Petco Park and St. Louis's Busch Stadium plan to test sales of certified organic hot dogs and bratwurst next season.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * San Diego's Petco Park and St. Louis's Busch Stadium plan to test sales of certified organic hot dogs and bratwurst next season, pending availability of enough high-quality product... USA Today

Krispy Kreme.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Krispy Kreme's shop in the Prudential Center in Boston will now deliver to the Greater Boston area after testing a delivery service in nearby offices... The Boston Herald (Nov. 30)

Restaurants such as McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts and Jack in the Box will try to cash in on the popularity of reloadable gift cards just in time for the holidays.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Restaurants such as McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts and Jack in the Box will try to cash in on the popularity of reloadable gift cards just in time for the holidays. Gift cards are expected to be the top holiday gift this year, and sales at all...

Burger King.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Burger King expanded its Kids Meal options to include additional beverage options: 1% milk (white or chocolate), Minute Maid Apple Juice, or soda, as well as the previously reported addition of Mott's Strawberry Applesauce.

In other news, Burger King opened its first franchised restaurant in Sao Paulo, Brazil.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * In other news, Burger King opened its first franchised restaurant in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is one of 50 restaurants planned for Sao Paulo in the next five years.

While T.G.I. Friday's traffic is up 2% overall in the past year, it is up 6% at remodeled stores.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * While T.G.I. Friday's traffic is up 2% overall in the past year, it is up 6% at remodeled stores. The 740-unit casual dining chain is owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson Cos... USA Today (Nov. 28)

Wingstop Restaurants Inc.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Wingstop Restaurants Inc. has signed four franchise agreements to open 32 restaurants. The 200-unit chicken wing chain was founded in 1994... Nation's Restaurant News

Carl's Jr. will soon open the first of 25 new restaurants to be developed in Singapore and Malaysia over the next eight years.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Carl's Jr. will soon open the first of 25 new restaurants to be developed in Singapore and Malaysia over the next eight years. The company entered into a franchise agreement with Aspac F&B Pte. Ltd. and expects to open Singapore's first...

Ultimate Franchise Systems, Inc.'s newly formed publicly traded company, Obee's Franchise Systems, Inc.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Ultimate Franchise Systems, Inc.'s newly formed publicly traded company, Obee's Franchise Systems, Inc., began trading on the stock market and hopes to generate the funds to open an additional 70-plus restaurants already in development and an...

Pizza Hut Switzerland.(On The Foodservice Front)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Pizza Hut Switzerland is closing its six remaining restaurants, revealed swissinfo.org. The company, which was present in the country for 16 years, was declared bankrupt after it failed to attract new investors.

Thinking local key to H.E. Butt's success.(H.E. Butt Grocery Co.)
December 6, 2004... Charles E. Butt and his HEB supermarkets have found a formula for thriving in the same markets as Wal-Mart by playing off a simple creed: "We're the local guy," Mr. Butt says. H.E. Butt Grocery Company's 304 stores with $11 billion in annual...

Mergers & acquisitions.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Charlesbank Capital Partners, a Boston private equity firm, and Grotech Capital Group, a Timonium, MD-based investment firm, are acquiring fast food fish chain Captain D's Inc., Nashville, TN. The deal value could not be determined, but the...

Latest financial reports (000 omitted).(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... LATEST FINANCIAL REPORTS (000 omitted) Current % Chge. Year Year Ago ALBERTSONS, INC. (Boise, ID) 13 Wks. To Oct. 28: Sales $9,995,000 15.0% Net...

Carlos Steffens, Inc.(FI Member Profiles)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Headquartered in Livermore, CA, Carlos Steffens, Inc. is one of the largest industrial ingredient brokers in the U.S., specializing in concentrated fruit juice products. With suppliers located throughout the world and mainly in South America,...

Lakeside Foods.(FI Member Profiles)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Founded in 1887, Lakeside Foods is a privately held, leading international food processor. Headquartered in Manitowoc, WI, Lakeside has 15 plants and eight distribution centers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio and employs 1,700. Lakeside...

RB International Company.(FI Member Profiles)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Headquartered in Sacramento, CA, RB International specializes in helping companies succeed with international marketing. International sales opportunities are plentiful, but often difficult to capture. RB International offers a unique...

Technomic Inc.(FI Member Profiles)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Technomic strives to provide clients with the research findings, insights and strategic consulting support they need to enhance their business strategies, decisions and results. For nearly 40 years Technomic has helped clients grow profitably;...

Food Institute Membership--it makes you knowledgeable, it makes you known.(FI Member Profiles)
December 6, 2004... Your company's profile can be featured annually in both The Food Institute Report and our Daily Update, the food industry's most comprehensive opt-in daily email news service read by thousands of executives per day. And the best part is that...

Supermarket chain Pathmark Stores Inc.'s board is considering selling the company.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Supermarket chain Pathmark Stores Inc.'s board is considering selling the company. Pathmark confirmed it retained Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein to aid in reviewing strategic alternatives, which could result in a decision to sell itself. That...

Peapod.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Peapod is expanding its delivery service into the Watchung area of New Jersey. It will be Peapod's 17th market... The Chicago Tribune

Starbucks Corp.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Starbucks Corp. opened its seventh store in Paris... Rocky Mountain News

Tree of Life, Inc.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Tree of Life, Inc.'s two distribution facilities will be consolidated into one facility in Los Angeles... Gourmet Retailer

Ruiz Foods Inc.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Ruiz Foods Inc. broke ground on a $40 million expansion of its plant in Dinuba, CA that is expected to double production to six million burritos a day for the maker of frozen Mexican foods. The company still plans to build a plant in the East...

Unilever PLC.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Unilever PLC agreed to sell its frozen pizza business and baguette business to Dr Oetker of Bielefeld, Germany.

OAO Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * OAO Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods may acquire several companies in Russia's more remote regions this month in a bid to increase production capacity... The Wall Street Journal

Bruno's Supermarkets and Raley's Family of Fine Stores have begun pilot testing the Paycheck Secure biometric check cashing system from BioPay.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Bruno's Supermarkets and Raley's Family of Fine Stores have begun pilot testing the Paycheck Secure biometric check cashing system from BioPay. Bruno's has been testing the Paycheck Secure system for the past eight weeks at 37 of its 185...

Amy's Kitchen.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Amy's Kitchen, the Santa Rosa, CA-based maker of frozen vegetarian foods, will build a manufacturing plant in Medford, OR, despite Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to keep all the firm's operations in California... The San Francisco...

Sweetbay Supermarket, Tampa, is building three prototypes in Lee County, FL and revamping four Kash n' Karry stores.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Sweetbay Supermarket, Tampa, is building three prototypes in Lee County, FL and revamping four Kash n' Karry stores. All 103 of the Kash n' Karry stores in Florida will make the transition to Sweetbay by 2007... The News-Press (Nov. 30)

Tate & Lyle.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * The prospect of scarce supplies of Splenda has already started to ripple into the marketplace. Tate & Lyle sent letters to beverage industry insiders cautioning future sales of Splenda would be based on past usage. Tate & Lyle is spending $75...

Lund Food Holdings Inc. plans to build two smaller versions of its upscale supermarkets in downtown Minneapolis.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Lund Food Holdings Inc. plans to build two smaller versions of its upscale supermarkets in downtown Minneapolis. It currently operates eight Lunds stores, 12 Byerly's and three Rick's Markets in the Twin Cities and surrounding area......

CoolBrands International Inc.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * CoolBrands International Inc. entered into four new brand licenses for new frozen snacks it intends to distribute in the U.S. in 2005, including Care Bears, Justice League, No Pudge! and Snapple.

Alimentation Couche-Tard, having closed on its acquisition of the 16-state, 2,290-store Circle K chain last year, will continue its expansion with markets earmarked in its California and Southeast regions, according to president and CEO Alain Bouchard.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Alimentation Couche-Tard, having closed on its acquisition of the 16-state, 2,290-store Circle K chain last year, will continue its expansion with markets earmarked in its California and Southeast regions, according to president and CEO Alain...

Publix Super Markets.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Publix Super Markets plans to build a 600,000-sq. ft. warehouse and distribution center in Charlotte County, FL... The News-Press.

Suburban Chicago-based Oberweis Dairy started franchising its Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy stores in seven Midwestern states.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Suburban Chicago-based Oberweis Dairy started franchising its Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy stores in seven Midwestern states. In the next five years, Oberweis expects to franchise 500 of its stores, which blend a soda fountain with retail...

F. Cappiello Dairy Products Inc.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * F. Cappiello Dairy Products Inc. developed Asian-Italian fusion recipes to support the company's move into international markets. The recipes, which the company is handing out in stores that sell its products, are part of an effort to...

McCain Foods Ltd.(News In A Minute)(french fry processing facility )(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * McCain Foods Ltd. began construction of a french fry processing facility in Harbin, China, its first processing facility in Asia. Commercial production is expected to begin in September 2005... China Daily.

Aldi.(News In A Minute)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... * Aldi is planning to open 200 more stores over the next seven years in the UK as part of 500 million [pounds sterling] expansion drive. The German chain has 278 outlets in the UK, but believes it can eventually build a network of 1,500 shops...

President Bush selects new USDA, commerce heads.(Washington)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Nebraska Republican Gov. Mike Johanns, has been tapped to be Secretary of Agriculture by President Bush. Gov. Johanns, if approved by the Senate would succeed Ann M. Veneman, who recently announced her resignation As governor, Johanns led...

Consumers read nutrition facts, says New York Times.(Washington)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... About 85% of consumers read the food product labels some or all of the time, and two-thirds say they have used that information to decide whether or not to buy something according to a survey of 554 adults by The New York Times. Some...

FDA updates data on perchlorate in food products.(Washington)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Data on perchlorate found in foods during the first eight months of 2004 was released by the Food & Drug Administration last week showing that 90% of lettuce samples tested contained traces of the rocket fuel component, which is both natural...

USDA reports progress controlling Listeria.(Washington)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... A report outlining the impact of the interim final rule designed to further reduce the incidence of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products and making recommendations for possible future actions was released...

Listeria control comment period extended.(From The Federal Register ...)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... LISTERIA CONTROL COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED: USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is extending the public comment period on the interim final rule "Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products" issued in June of...

You should know ...
December 6, 2004... ... .Federal regulators filed civil fraud charges against three former Kmart Corp. executives and five current and former managers of vendor companies, saying they engineered a $24 million accounting fraud by the retailing giant in 2000-2001....

Arsenic levels in bottled water.(Noted In The Federal Register)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... ARSENIC LEVELS IN BOTTLED WATER: FDA is proposing to amend its bottled water quality standard regulations by revising the existing allowable level for the contaminant arsenic. Bottled water manufacturers would be required to monitor their...

And/or soft drink labeling.(Noted In The Federal Register)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... AND/OR SOFT DRINK LABELING: FDA is withdrawing certain advance notice of proposed rulemakings, proposed rules and other proposed actions that published in the Federal Register more than five years ago. These proposals are no longer considered...

Crawfish from China.(Noted In The Federal Register)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... CRAWFISH FROM CHINA: The Commerce Department has rescinded the antidumping duty new shipper review of freshwater crawfish tail meat from the People's Republic of China from Qingdao Xiyuan Refrigerate Food Co., Ltd. because the firm said it...

Produce.(Markets)
December 6, 2004... USDA HAS PURCHASED FRESH SWEET POTATOES * Deliveries between Jan. 31,--Apr. 30, 2004 * Cases Estimated Cost Fresh Sweet Potatoes (190/5-lb.) 418 $114,932 All American Farms, Inc....

Canned vegetables.
December 6, 2004... Processor Shuts Down Processing Lines Following a comprehensive review of its production capacities, Seneca Foods announced the closure of processing facilities in Walla Walla, WA and Marion, NY (not including the can manufacturing plant),...

Tomato products.(Markets)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... MEXICAN SAUCE--During the third quarter of 2004, supermarket sales totaled 102.9 million pounds, up over 1% from last year and the highest level in the past five years. Dollar sales totaled $237.9 million in the quarter, up 3% from the previous...

Frozen vegetables.(Markets)
December 6, 2004... USDA HAS PURCHASED FROZEN SWEET POTATOES *Shipments between Jan. 16 - Mar. 31, 2005* Cases Total Cost Frozen Sweet Potatoes, Cut 13,200 $263,987 Bright Harvest Sweet Potato...

Canned fruits.(Markets)
December 6, 2004... PEACHES--The California Canning Peach Association's unsold pools handled deliveries in excess of 30,000 tons from more than 100 participating growers in 2004. The Association was able to place all pool tonnage with sales made both to CA...

Processed fish.(Markets)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... SHRIMP--The U.S. decided to reduce tariffs on Vietnam's shrimp exports, but China will see increased duties. The U.S. Commerce Department upheld the imposition of penalty tariffs on shrimp imports from Vietnam and China. With the exception of...

Dried vegetables.(Markets)
December 6, 2004... DRIED PEA AND LENTIL PRICES Current Week Year Ago Per cwt. (f.o.b.) Green Split Peas $13.50-$14.00 $16.00-$16.50 Green Whole Peas $10.50-$11.00 $13.50-$14.50 Yellow Split Peas $12.50-$13.00 $15.00 Yellow...

Dried fruit & nuts.(Markets)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... PEANUTS--As of Nov. 1, peanut stocks in commercial storage totaled 2.29 billion pounds of equivalent farmer stock, 4% higher than this point last year. This includes 1.7 billion pounds of actual farmer stock. Shelled peanuts on hand totaled...

Frozen fruits.(Markets)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... PRIVATE LABEL SALES--For the 52-weeks ended June 19, total sales of private label frozen fruits totaled $198.5 million, up 7% from one year earlier. Private label sales totaled 82.0 million units, up about 1% from 2003. Frozen fruit sales...

Juices & concentrates.(Markets)
December 6, 2004... USDA HAS PURCHASED CRANBERRY JUICE CONCENTRATE * Shipments between Jan. 1-June 30, 2005 * Cases Delivered Cost Cranberry Juice Concentrate (12/11.5 oz.) 741,600 $6,491,693 ...

Butter.(Markets)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... BUTTER MARKET, DEC. 3 (Source: USDA) Cents Per Pound: 12/03/2004 11/24/2004 Chge. Grade AA 205.25 205.00 +0.25

Cheese.(Markets)(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... CHEDDAR CHEESE MARKET DEC. 3 Cents Per Pound: 12/03/2004 Chge. Fr. Last Wk. Barrels 183.75 +5.75 Blocks (40-lbs.) 195.25 +12.75

Eggs.(Markets)(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... EGG PRICES TO RETAILERS DEC. 3 (Source: USDA) This Wk. Ending Chng. From Cents per dozen: Week Nov. 24 Nov. 24 Extra Large-NY 80-84 80-84 NC Large-NY ...

Chicken.(Markets)(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... PRELIMINARY BROILER PRICES FOR DELIVERY THE WEEK OF DEC. 6 Cents Per Pound: This Week Last Week Chicago 58.00-61.00 N/A Cleveland Too Few Too Few Detroit Too Few Too Few...

Futures prices.(Markets)(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... FUTURES PRICES (Source: Wall Street Journal) Cash Dec. Mar. 05 As of Dec. 2, 2004: Price Futures Futures Corn, bu. $1.90 $1.93 $2.04...

Commodity prices.(Markets)(Illustration)
December 6, 2004... COMMODITY PRICES (Source: Wall Street Journal) Week Week % Chge. Ended Ended Last Dec. 2 Nov. 23 ...

Lower fresh fruit prices push wholesale food price index lower for November.
December 13, 2004... The Producer Price Index for finished consumer foods (representing product sold at the wholesale level) declined for the first time since August from month earlier levels, during November. The volatile markets for fresh fruits and...

Final BTA recordkeeping rule impacts industry.(Bioterrorism Act )(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... On Dec. 9, the FDA published its long-awaited final rule on recordkeeping under the Bioterrorism Act (BTA) in the Federal Register. The major changes are listed below and an in-depth analysis can be found starting on page 9. * The final...

A&P takes another step towards reorganization.(Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. )(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. announced the next step of its reorganization. The initiative, affecting the company's U.S. business only, will reduce overhead costs by an estimated $50 million during fiscal 2005 and an...

Supervalu and Nash Finch look to increase profits from store brands.
December 13, 2004... While national name brands still dominate the market in terms of share, private labels in many categories are outpacing national brands in growth. To capitalize on this opportunity, both Nash Finch Co. and Supervalu Inc. are making significant...

Disney will launch frozen and packaged food products.(Walt Disney Co.)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... The Walt Disney Co. plans to introduce frozen meals and nutritionally balanced packaged foods by early next year, marking its first foray into the food industry. The company will roll out "comprehensive food products" like macaroni and cheese...

Restaurant operator explores strategic alternatives.(Worldwide Restaurant Concepts, Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Worldwide Restaurant Concepts, Inc. retained Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin as its financial advisor to assist the company in exploring strategic alternatives to enhance stockholder value. These alternatives may include repositioning of some or...

Smithfield backtracks on merging two subsidiaries.(Smithfield Foods Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc. will keep Gwaltney of Smithfield and Smithfield Packing as separate subsidiaries, backtracking on a 1 1/2 -year-old plan to merge the two subsidiaries. The combination created an organization that was large...

Premium menu items.
December 13, 2004... Premium menu items served by fast food chains have widespread appeal, but are more likely than average to attract women and those in the 35-44 age group, according to the quarterly syndicated Quick-Track research program, conducted by Sandelman...

Wal-Mart.(Retailer Round-Up)(opening of stores)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... * Wal-Mart will open its first New York City store in Rego Park, Queens. Ground will likely be broken for the 135,000-sq. ft. store in 2007 or 2008, Wal-Mart officials said, and the company plans to open up the new location as early as...

Kroger Co. is unveiling its Signature grocery concept in the Indianapolis market, which includes upgrades to two existing stores and the opening of a new 62,000-sq. ft. store.(Retailer Round-Up)
December 13, 2004... * Kroger Co. is unveiling its Signature grocery concept in the Indianapolis market, which includes upgrades to two existing stores and the opening of a new 62,000-sq. ft. store. The stores join a growing trend among grocers in Indiana that are...

Kroger.(Retailer Round-Up)(closing of stores)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... * In other news, Kroger will continue closing stores that do not perform well through the rest of the year. It closed 47 stores this year, but has also added or expanded 30 stores and remodeled 33. Another six stores were closed because they...