Research & Analysis

LONDON - Britain threw cold water on a bidding war for the country's fourth-biggest supermarket chain Safeway Plc on Wednesday, ordering all but one of the five bidders to undergo a competition inquiry, Reuters reports.

BOISE, Idaho - Food and drug retailer Albertsons Inc. today reported lower fourth-quarter profits as it battled falling sales and fierce competition. The retailer also announced that it has changed the timing on how it accounts for vendor allowances.

WASHINGTON - Auditors at Deloitte & Touche became aware of potential accounting irregularities at U.S. Foodservice Inc. after at least two of the company's suppliers disputed rebate figures, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the situation.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Spartan Stores Inc. on Monday announced organizational changes under the direction of its new president and CEO Craig C. Sturken.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A push for downtown housing in Columbus, Ohio, has brought with it a drive to find a grocery store for support, Business First of Columbus reports.

MINNEAPOLIS - Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Supervalu has announced that its Save-A-Lot extreme-value concept could someday have 2,500 locations, according to a report in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

LONDON - Ahold announced on Friday that it has no fixed deadline for an internal investigation of its accounting.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - UCCnet announced on Thursday that Albertsons will begin implementing the organization's item registration and data synchronization services for its more than 2,300 retail stores in 31 states nationwide.