Market Trends

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - ACNielsen announced that its Web-based category management intelligence system, Category Business Planner (CBP), will soon include information from Raley's, a leading West Coast retailer. Raley's owns and operates Raley's Superstores, Bel Air Markets, and Nob Hill Foods.

DALLAS - Dean Foods Company and Land O'Lakes, Inc., today announced an expanded strategic alliance and licensing arrangement that will allow Dean Foods to use the Land O' Lakes brand name nationally on a broad range of fluid milk and cultured dairy products.

MINNEAPOLIS - Some 8 million boxes of General Mills's Big G cereals will carry free DVDs in a joint promotion with Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment beginning in October.

LOS ANGELES - Citing the pressures of increased competition and added costs, Smart & Final Inc. reported a 40 percent fall in net income for the second quarter ended June 16. Income was $2.1 million versus $3.6 million in 2001's second quarter. Year-to-date, net income totaled $2.6 million, compared with $4.2 million during the same period last year.

NEW YORK - U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer PLC sold New Jersey-based Kings Super Markets to D'Agostino Supermarkets for $160 million in cash, Dow Jones reported.

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif. - Net income for the quarter ended June 30 at 99 Cents Only Stores rose 23.7 percent to $13.5 million compared to the year-earlier period.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart and Safeway were two of the most notable names among the many retailers nationwide affected by the second largest beef recall in history.

WASHINGTON - ConAgra Foods Inc. on Friday launched the nation's second-largest recall of ground beef after the U.S. Agriculture Department said the meat may be contaminated with a deadly bacteria that sickened at least 16 people, Reuters reported on Friday.