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CHICAGO - Leading Internet grocer Peapod, LLC, and Giant Food, both divisions of Ahold, yesterday announced the expansion of their online ordering and delivery service to the Baltimore area, with delivery set to begin Aug. 17.

SALISBURY, N.C. - Food Lion Supermarkets has signed a partnership agreement with Chicago-based CoolSavings, Inc., an online direct marketing and media company, to join the latter's Grocery Solutions Network, an Internet-based distribution network for printable and electronic coupons, as well as requested product samples.

PITTSBURGH ¿ On the heels of reports that Pennsylvania health department officials suspect that a third, rare strain of salmonella bacteria may be linked to tomatoes served at Sheetz convenience stores, the Altoona, Pa.-based chain ran full-page advertisements in the Sunday editions of leading daily newspapers in its core Pittsburgh market.

SUNBURY, Pa. - Weis Markets opened a new-design 53,712-square-foot superstore Saturday in Honeygo Village Center in White Marsh, Md.

WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Shaw's Supermarkets workers Saturday voted to ratify two four-year contracts that were agreed to late last week by the grocer and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 791 with the help of a federal mediator, on the final day of a five-day extension of an expired three-year contract. At issue were salary and health care concerns for about 6,000 employees.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Natural food supermarket chain Earth Fare has said that it will remove all products containing high-fructose corn syrup from its shelves by Dec. 31. "As far as we know, we are the first chain to do a ban," the company's director of sales and marketing, Troy DeGroff, told Progressive Grocer.

CHICAGO - The non-alcoholic beverage market is expected to reach $79 billion by the end of 2004, registering an increase of 20 percent during 1999 to 2004, according to a new report from Mintel. By 2009, the market could be worth $98.2 billion, the report suggests.

NEW YORK - Grocers' cross-channel competitors offered a mixed bag of July sales reports, with warehouse clubs riding fuel price hikes to the stronger results, while other discounters delivered softer performances in the month.