The Food Institute Report articles from March 2003

The Food Institute Report archives from March 2003

USDA's outlook for food prices in 2003.(United States Department of Agriculture)
March 3, 2003... Increased consolidation among food retailers has left a smaller number of companies with a greater share of the retail food market. As of 2000, the top four food retailers accounted for 27.4% of grocery sales, up from 16.2% in 1995. Many...

Northland offers to buy Ocean Spray.
March 3, 2003... Wisconsin Rapids, WI-based Northland Cranberries Inc. made a surprise bid to acquire the beverage business and brand name of Lakeville-Middleboro, MA-based Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. for about $800 million in cash and stock, but Ocean Spray...

Grocery stores and restaurants both saw increased real sales in January.
March 3, 2003... On the heels of its largest monthly decline in five years during December, preliminary "real" grocery store sales turned around and posted a 2.5% gain during January--the largest percentage gain since a year earlier. Some revisions were made in...

Yum! Brands focuses on multibranding.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... In 2003, Yum! Brands, the parent of five chains--KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food--plans to open 1,500 more restaurants and expects earnings to increase at least 10% and sales 7% or more, despite an...

Global nutrition industry dollar sales up 7.7% in 2001.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Global nutrition industry sales grew 7.7% to $150 billion in 2001, according to Nutrition Business Journal. In the U.S., dietary supplement, natural personal care and natural, organic and functional food sales totaled $53 billion, making the...

2001 sales of U.S. nutritional raw ingredients reach $5.6 billion.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... In 2001, sales of nutritional raw ingredients in the $53 billion U.S. nutrition industry grew 5% to $5.6 billion, according to Nutrition Business Journal. Price and volume declines in vitamin and herb raw materials contributed to a decline in...

Chef partners with foodservice provider to launch new restaurant chain.(Lauren Bell partnered with Sodexho to launch Wild Sage)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Chef Lauren Bell has partnered with foodservice provider Sodexho to launch Wild Sage, a healthy food and environmentally friendly quick-serve restaurant chain. Bell predicts Mill Valley, CA-based Wild Sage to be big news on college campuses,...

During 2002, AFC Enterprises, the franchisor and operator of Church's Chicken, Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, Cinnabon, Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia Coffee, opened 451 new units with 1,006 new commitments signed for future development.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * During 2002, AFC Enterprises, the franchisor and operator of Church's Chicken, Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, Cinnabon, Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia Coffee, opened 451 new units with 1,006 new commitments signed for future...

Carl's Jr. has unveiled a futuristic prototype restaurant the company hopes will distinguish the chain from other hamburger spots.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Carl's Jr. has unveiled a futuristic prototype restaurant the company hopes will distinguish the chain from other hamburger spots. Owned by Santa Barbara, CA-based CKE Restaurants Inc., the chain plans to remodel the interiors with the...

Panera Bread Co.(exploring meal-delivery )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Panera Bread Co. is joining the group of restaurant operators exploring the meal-delivery and to-go business. The initiative is called "Via Panera." Panera also has been pleasantly surprised by its sale of bagels in bulk.

SmokiFoods.(purchased a seafood processing plant )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * SmokiFoods, Seattle, WA, purchased a seafood processing plant in Seward, AK, from Wards Cove Packing Co-Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Feb. 26)

Winn-Dixie Stores.(closed two Mississippi stores)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Winn-Dixie Stores has closed two stores in Mississippi and sold one other, blaming the closures on competition and lack of business-The Clarion-Ledger (Feb. 21)

Target Corp. plans to open 32 new SuperTarget locations this year.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Target Corp. plans to open 32 new SuperTarget locations this year, the same number it opened in 2002, accounting for 30% of its new square-footage growth of 94 stores planned for 2003. The company currently operates 94 SuperTargets. Target...

Ball Corporation.(to close Blytheville, Arkansas, plant)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Ball Corporation will close its metal food can manufacturing plant in Blytheville, AR and consolidate its operations into the company's metal food can plant in Springdale, AR. The consolidation is expected to occur by June.

Performance Food Group Co. introduced a new product category called "Irradiated Ground Beef Products".(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Performance Food Group Co. introduced a new product category called "Irradiated Ground Beef Products," to categorize meat that is electronically disinfected. The company will partner with SureBeam to market a line of 10 irradiated ground beef...

U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. backed out of the bidding for UK-based Safeway.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. backed out of the bidding for UK-based Safeway, although it said it would continue to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, William Morrison Supermarkets shareholders overwhelmingly approved...

In 2001, Japanese consumers spent $87.5 billion at the tiny island nation's nearly six million vending machines--an average of about $730 a person.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * In 2001, Japanese consumers spent $87.5 billion at the tiny island nation's nearly six million vending machines--an average of about $730 a person. At last count, there was one machine for about every 23 people in the country. From 1998 to...

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Chicago, IL, may consider buying Tootsie Roll Industries Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Chicago, IL, may consider buying Tootsie Roll Industries Inc., Crain's Chicago Business reported, citing unidentified people-Omaha World-Herald (Feb. 25)

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.(Surpass Antacid gum discontinuation)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Meanwhile, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. will stop making Surpass Antacid chewing gum, effective Mar. 28, because sales did not live up to expectations.

Singapore Airlines.(spends more money on food and beverage per customer than other airlines)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * At a time when other airlines are scaling back on foodservice, Singapore Airlines is taking the opposite approach. The airline spends about $20 per passenger for food and beverages in economy, $40 in business class and $50 in first class....

Soy nuts helped women lower their blood pressure, according to results of a new health study reported by Cornell University.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Soy nuts helped women lower their blood pressure, according to results of a new health study reported by Cornell University. The study was conducted by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, MA, and has been...

Smithfield Foods Inc.(to build in Utah)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Smithfield, VA-based Smithfield Foods Inc., the nation's largest pork producer, will build a $20 million facility in Utah that will use waste from 500,000 hogs to make biodiesel, a renewable vehicle fuel...Forbes.com (Feb. 21)

Zagat.(restaurant guide for wireless handhelds)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Zagat has a new restaurant and nightlife guide for wireless handheld organizers and computers, featuring ratings and reviews for 20,000 restaurants in 45 cities in the US and abroad, and 1,600 nightspots in New York, Los Angeles, San...

Sonic Corp.(to expand breakfast program)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Sonic Corp. plans to expand its breakfast program across the company's entire system. Currently, Sonic offers its breakfast menu at about one-half of its chain. The company expects to complete this rollout, which will cover approximately...

Denver, CO-based Giesen Restaurant Enterprises closed 11 of its Steak Escape franchises nationwide.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Denver, CO-based Giesen Restaurant Enterprises closed 11 of its Steak Escape franchises nationwide, citing slow sales at the mostly strip-mall locations...Rocky Mountain News (Feb. 26)

Mergers & Acquisitions.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... A&P has agreed to sell seven Kohl's supermarkets in Madison, WI to The Copps Corp., a unit of Roundy's, Inc. Montvale, NJ-based A&P, which currently operates 31 Kohl's stores in the Madison and Milwaukee markets, also is exploring the sale of...

Latest financial reports (000 omitted).
March 3, 2003... LATEST FINANCIAL REPORTS (000 omitted) Current % Chge. Year Year Ago AURORA FOODS, INC. (St. Louis, MO) Qtr. To Dec. 31: Sales ...

New products boost Coke's market share.
March 3, 2003... Atlanta, GA-based Coca-Cola's volume share of the 2002 U.S. soft drink market climbed 0.6 percentage points to 44.3%, fueled by the growth of Diet Coke and the introduction of Vanilla Coke, according to Beverage Digest/Maxwell. Purchase,...

Wild oats new store developments.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Wild Oats Markets, Inc., Boulder, CO, opened its first Henry's Marketplace farmers market prototype store in Costa Mesa, CA, on Feb. 28, two Wild Oats stores in Lexington, KY and Franklin, TN in the third quarter of 2003, and five additional...

Behind the scenes of new product development.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... San Francisco, CA -- based Center for Culinary Development's group of 85 chefs and food experts develop food products and concepts based on current trends. The company's clients include Burger King, Del Monte, General Mills, Haagen-Dazs, Heinz,...

SEC looking at supplier "Bonuses" at U.S. Foodservice . . .(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... U.S. regulators are examining whether some of the supplier rebates booked by the U.S. Foodservice unit of Dutch retailer Ahold NV were deliberately inflated, people familiar with the situation said, reported The Wall Street Journal (Feb. 27)....

. . . And SEC steps up probe of Fleming.(Securities and Exchange Commission; Fleming Cos. Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Meanwhile, federal securities regulators have stepped up their probe of Fleming Cos. Inc., the top U.S. groceries distributor. The SEC is now formally investigating various issues at Fleming, including its vendor trade practices, the...

Global Organic Brands. (On The Organic Front).(new products from the Mediterranean Coast)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Global Organic Brands, Katonah, NY, is marketing Mediterranean Organic Organic Sun-Dried Tomatoes made from pear-shaped tomatoes which are organically grown on the Aegean Coast. The product comes in an 8.2-ounce jar filled with organic extra...

Nature's Path Foods. (On The Organic Front).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Nature's Path Foods, Blaine, WA, has launched Nature's Path Organic Optimum Power Waffles...New Product News (February)

The Natural Marketing Institute. (On The Organic Front).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Nearly 20% of the shoppers polled by The Natural Marketing Institute of suburban Philadelphia reported they had purchased natural or organic salty snacks.

Gevalia Kaffe, a division of Kraft Foods, has introduced Gevalia Peruvian Organic Coffee. (On The Organic Front).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Gevalia Kaffe, a division of Kraft Foods, has introduced Gevalia Peruvian Organic Coffee, and Gevalia Kaffe Select Varietal Peruvian Organic Ground Coffee...New Product News (February)

Muir Glen, a part of Small Planet Foods, a unit of Minneapolis-based General Mills, Inc., has extended its organic pasta sauce line with three zesty new flavors. (On The Organic Front).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Muir Glen, a part of Small Planet Foods, a unit of Minneapolis-based General Mills, Inc., has extended its organic pasta sauce line with three zesty new flavors: Four Cheese Pasta Sauce, Fire Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce, and Spicy Tomato Pasta...

Organic Trade Association. (On The Organic Front).(All Things Organic conference)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 3, 2003... * North America's All-Organic Conference, All Things Organic, presented by the Organic Trade Association, will be held May 14 - 17 at the Austin Convention Center in Texas.

Organic program not without controversy. (Washington).
March 3, 2003... On Feb. 26, 12 days after Congress passed legislation allowing organic livestock to be fed non-organic feed when organic feed is twice the price of conventional feed, Agricultural Secretary Ann Venemen issued a statement, saying, "I am...

Frozen Food Group issues white paper regarding country of origin labeling. (Washington).
March 3, 2003... Warning of U.S. job losses, a white paper issued by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) describes specific scenarios that could result from the country of origin labeling regulation from USDA, which is now voluntary but will become...

Supreme Court to hear challenge to California Milk pricing law... (Washington).
March 3, 2003... Wisconsin and six other states are challenging California's milk pricing law in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, noted Wisconsin State Journal (Feb. 26). The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Apr. 22 in the case, which is a...

...While High Court rules in price-fixing and Kosher Law Cases. (Washington).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc. and A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co., makers of corn sweeteners, must face a trial over price-fixing claims after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to throw out a $4 billion suit by food companies. The suit...

Acrylamide research continues. (Washington).
March 3, 2003... Frito-Lay and Procter & Gamble outlined some simple steps that might eventually remove acrylamide from at least some foods, without risking safety or taste. Acrylamide, a substance that at very high doses may cause cancer in animals, was...

Food recalls reported. (Washington).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Barbara Lotts Cakes, Sylvester, GA, has recalled the following types of pound cakes: Lemon, Butter, Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, Pineapple, Banana, Sock it to Me and Kentucky. The products were distributed by delivery trucks to Bi Lo Food Chain,...

You should know ...(legal briefs)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... ... Maine Attorney General G. Steven Rowe rejected a request by Monsanto that the state abandon its Quality Trademark Seal program that indicates when milk is free of artificial growth hormones. Monsanto argued that the seal, which was adopted...

Fortified Juices. (Noted In The Federal Register).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... FORTIFIED JUICES: FDA is amending the food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of vitamin D3 as a nutrient supplement in calcium-fortified fruit juices and juice drinks, excluding fruit juices and juice drinks specially formulated...

Pasta from Turkey. (Noted In The Federal Register).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... PASTA FROM TURKEY: On Aug. 19, 2002, the Department of Commerce initiated an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain pasta from Turkey, covering the period July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, and one manufacturer/exporter...

Produce. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... Del Monte Starts Shipments of Fresh-Cut Fruit Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. began initial shipments of its long-awaited fresh-cut citrus products in mid-February. After a long wait, the company's Plant City facility finally received USDA...

Canned vegetables. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... CORN--Approximately 42.0 million pounds were imported last year, 8% more than a year earlier and 54% higher than the previous four-year average. The value of the imports was $12.5 million, up 13% from 2001. CANNED SWEET CORN IMPORTS...

Tomato Products. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... *USDA HAS PURCHASED TOMATO PRODUCTS* *Shipments between Mar. 1, 2003 - June 30, 2003* Cases Delivered Cost Spaghetti Sauce (24/300) 124,740 $903,539 Hirzel Canning Company...

Frozen vegetables. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... BRUSSELS SPROUTS--California growers say their harvest has virtually ended. Growers say this was an exceptional year, as weather was perfect. The quality of the vegetable was the best in 15 years, and prices remained strong throughout the...

Canned fruits. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... OLIVES--Supermarket sales of olives totaled 100.3 million pounds in 2002, up 3% from 2001, reversing a trend of declining sales for the previous four years. Dollar sales continued to increase, totaling $405.7 million. The fourth quarter...

Processed fish. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... Tuna Sales Boost Processors Profit Thai Union Frozen Products PLC (TUF) posted a 3% increase in 2002 net profit, due to strong global demand for tuna. TUF said net profit was 1.55 billion baht ($36.4 million), up from 1.5 billion baht in 2001....

Dried vegetables. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... ***USDA HAS PURCHASED*** DRY LEGUMES *Shipments between Apr. 1, 2003 - June 30, 2003* 12/2-lb. Delivered Cases Cost Pinto Beans ...

Dried fruits. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... Premier Valley Foods Sold In Major Dried Fruit Acquisition Premier Valley Foods, Inc., the licensee of the Del Monte brand for dried fruits and nuts has sold its business to a group led by Brent Enterprises, LLC. Premier Valley also owns...

Nuts & nutmeats. (Markets).
March 3, 2003... WALNUTS--The market is steady. Final crop figures are reported at 282,000 tons, 8% lower than 305,000 tons of the previous year. U.S. EXPORTS OF WALNUTS AUG. 1 - JAN. 31, 2002/2003 VS. 2001/2002 (Source: Walnut Marketing Board) ...

Frozen fruit. (Markets).(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... U.S. IMPORTS OF SELECTED FROZEN FRUITS, JAN. 1-DEC. 31, 2002 (Source: Bureau of Census) Volume % Chge. (1,000 Lbs.) Prev. Yr. Strawberries 112,651...

Juices & concentrates. (Markets).(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... ***USDA HAS PURCHASED*** CANNED JUICES *Shipments between Apr. 1 - June 30, 2003* 12/46 oz. Delivered Cases Cost Apple Juice ...

Butter. (Markets).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... BUTTER MARKET, WK. ENDING FEB. 28 (Source: USDA) Cents Per Pound: 02/28/2003 02/21/2003 Chge. Grade AA 102.75 100.00 +2.75

Cheese. (Markets).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... CHEDDAR CHEESE MARKET FEB. 28 Cents Per Pound: 02/28/2003 Chge. Fr. Last Wk. Baxrels 102.50 -1.00 Blocks 99.25 -2.75

Eggs. (Markets).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... EGG PRICES TO RETAILERS WEEK ENDING FEB. 28 (Source: USDA) This Wk. Ending Chng. From Wk. Cents per dozen: Week Feb. 21 Ending Feb. 21 Extra Large-NY 80-84 76-80 +4...

Chicken. (Markets).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... PRELIMINARY BROILER PRICES FOR DELIVERY THE WEEK OF MAR. 3 Cents Per Pound: This Week Last Week Chicago 53.00-56.00 53.00-56.00 Cleveland Too Few Too Few Detroit Too Few Too...

Futures prices. (Markets).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... FUTURES PRICES (Source: Wall Street Journal) Cash Mar. May As of Feb. 27, 2003: Price Futures Futures Corn, bu. $2.29 $2.30 $2.32 Soybeans, bu....

Commodity prices. (Markets).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 3, 2003... COMMODITY PRICES (Source: Wall Street Journal) Week Week % Chge. Ended Ended Last Feb. 27...

Chiquita taking major step to trim operations; selling its canned vegetables unit to Seneca.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Cincinnati, OH-based Chiquita Brands International, Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to sell Chiquita Processed Foods, L.L.C. (CPF), the largest maker of private label canned vegetables in the country, to Seneca Foods Corp., Marion, NY....

Troubles continue at royal ahold NV and its U.S. foodservice unit.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... After disclosing that accounting problems at its U.S. Foodservice unit led to an overstatement of operating earnings in fiscal 2001 and 2002 of at least $500 million, Royal Ahold, NV told U.S. regulators that its accountant, Deloitte Touche...

Kroger to combine Michigan and Ohio retail divisions.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... In an effort to reduce operating costs, improve administrative efficiencies and invest additional capital in its core grocery business, Cincinnati, OH-based The Kroger Co. plans to combine its two retail divisions headquartered in Livonia, MI...

Sara Lee to close some bakeries and reduce number of private label breads.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Acknowledging that its 2001 acquisition of Earthgrains has not gone as smoothly as anticipated, Sara Lee Corp. announced it will focus on organic growth by introducing new products and expanding established brands. The Chicago, IL-based company...

Fast casual restaurant chains score high with fast food eaters.
March 10, 2003... The American public continues to be most satisfied with specialized regional restaurant chains, including many in the rapidly growing "fast-casual" segment, according to findings based on the quarterly syndicated Quick-Track research program...

Payroll cards reduce cost of paying employees.
March 10, 2003... To eliminate the expense of issuing payroll checks to employees that cannot use direct deposit, some companies have begun to transfer wages to debit-like cards that can be used at automated teller machines or at shops where Visa or MasterCard...

Debate over destination of leftover gift card money.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... States, retailers and consumers are debating who should acquire the unspent money on gift cards--which adds up to an estimated $2 billion a year or more and is growing, reported The Wall Street Journal. An estimated 5% to 10% of the value...

Sysco Corp. (Food Service Front).(sales outlook)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * Sysco Corp. said its vendor allowances comply with generally accepted accounting principles, distancing distance itself from the problems facing its competitor, U.S. Foodservice, a unit of Dutch grocer Royal Ahold NV, (see page 1)adding that...

McDonald. (Food Service Front).(switching to healthier cooking oil)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... McDonald's plans to switch to a healthier cooking oil have been put on hold, noted Tribnet.com. The change was originally slated to be made by the end of February, but in a news release, the firm said it will "extend the timeframe." The release...

Back Yard Burgers, Inc. entered into a 25-unit development agreement with Well Done Enterprises, Inc. (Food Service Front).(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Back Yard Burgers, Inc. entered into a 25-unit development agreement with Well Done Enterprises, Inc. The development agreement contemplates that Well Done Enterprises, Inc. will open 25 Back Yard Burgers franchises over the next 10 years,...

Dunkin' Donuts. (Food Service Front).(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Dunkin' Donuts has been testing a new line of espresso drinks at a few outlets in Maine and Florida and will unveil its national rollout plans this spring, hoping to have "significant penetration" by the end of this year. The chain hopes to...

Shoppers Visit Fewer Groceries, More Supercenters.
March 10, 2003... Consumer visits to supermarkets fell about 12% between 1999 and 2002, while visits to supercenters grew 40%, according to the latest "Channel Blurring" study from ACNielsen U.S., an operating unit of ACNielsen, a VNU company. While grocery...

Grand rapids, MI-based Spartan stores Inc. is closing 13 food town stores in the Toledo. (Retail Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * Grand Rapids, MI-based Spartan Stores Inc. is closing 13 Food Town stores in the Toledo, OH area, where intense competition and the economy hurt sales. It is also considering selling another 26 Food Town stores in Ohio and Michigan. If the...

Two years after closing its Atlanta, GA area Cub Foods stores, SuperValu plans to open 35 grocery stores in that area over the next five years. (Retail Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * Two years after closing its Atlanta, GA area Cub Foods stores, SuperValu plans to open 35 grocery stores in that area over the next five years. The stores will operate under the names Save-A-Lot and Deals, Nothing Over a Dollar. This year, at...

Sorensen associates. (Retail Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * Supermarket shoppers tend to move counter-clockwise around the perimeter of the store, says Sorensen Associates, Troutdale, OR. If the entrance is on the left, shoppers are almost forced to move clockwise, and end up abandoning the trip...

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is supplying 15 varieties of Green Mountain coffee to all 23 D'Agostino Supermarkets. (Retail Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is supplying 15 varieties of Green Mountain coffee to all 23 D'Agostino Supermarkets in New York City and Westchester County, NY. In addition, D'Agostinos is the first supermarket chain in New York City to...

Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. (Retail Roundup).(increased distribution with Albertson's)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. announced the distribution of a selection of its most popular coffees within 82 Albertson's stores across various Southwest territories, including Arizona and New Mexico. This is in addition to its distribution...

After spending $150 million in Houston, TX, last year, H-E-B will invest another $150 million in the coming year. (Retail Roundup).(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * After spending $150 million in Houston, TX, last year, H-E-B will invest another $150 million in the coming year, almost doubling the number of its Food Drug Stores, reported The Houston Chronicle. It will open 11 Food Drug Stores, following...

Publix Super Markets'. (Retail Roundup).(financial results in 2002)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... * Publix Super Markets' profits rose 19.2% in 2002 and sales rose 4% to $15.9 billion. Publix's same store sales declined 0.7% in 2002, hurt by Florida's sagging tourism industry and the slow economy, according to The Lakeland Ledger.

UK retailer John Lewis Partnership, which owns the 140-store Waitrose food chain. (International Retail Roundup).(is on the look out for acquisitions )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... UK retailer John Lewis Partnership, which owns the 140-store Waitrose food chain signaled that the group is on the look out for acquisitions and would be interested in acquiring stores that become available in the ongoing bid battle for Safeway...