Market Trends

BOSTON - A former food buyer for Demoulas Supermarkets on Monday pleaded guilty to fraud committed against Demoulas and Campbell's Soup.

SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio-based H-E-B is once again tailoring itself to local markets, this time with a new store in southwest Houston that will cater to the predominantly African-American and Hispanic residents in the area.

BRUSSELS - The European Commission today cleared Swiss Food group Nestle SA's joint venture with French cosmetics giant L'Oreal to develop a new range of healthy cosmetics, Dow Jones newswire reports.

ELIZABETH, N.J. - Wakefern Food Corp. announced that it closed on its purchase of Big V Supermarkets, Inc. on July 12, 2002 for approximately $185 million in cash and assumed liabilities.

CINCINNATI - The Kroger Co. announced today that it is continuing to accept ground beef products as part of a recall launched a week ago by the ConAgra Beef Co.

NEW YORK - Two of the world's biggest food companies - Nestle and Kraft Foods - are expected to lead the pursuit of Hershey Foods, whose controlling shareholder announced it would be selling its stake in the renowned chocolate-maker.

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.