Research & Analysis

Local 1564 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union today announced that it had negotiatedto retain nine former Furr's supermarkets under union contract. Union President Diane Vigil-Kimberle said that Smith's Food and Drug had agreed to union contracts for seven former Furr's stores. Raley's markets has agreed to twostores under contract.

The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR - news) today said it is cooperating with a ground beef recallannounced by American Foods Group, Inc., a wholesale meat supplier based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.American Foods announced the recall as a precautionary measure after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) detected thepresence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli) bacteria in a sample of beef processed by American Foods.

McCain Foods Limited will acquire the production facilities and food service business of Anchor Food Products Inc. in a three-party transaction. H.J. Heinz Company will purchase the company's branded products sold to retail outlets, including supermarkets and club stores.

Nestle, the world's biggest food company, said today that sales ofits packaged food increased in emerging markets, compensating for slower growth in the United Statesand in Western Europe and helping to lift first-half profit 13 percent.

Retalix Ltd. (Nasdaq: RTLX - news), today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to acquire all the outstanding shares of capital stock of privately held BASS Inc. of Dayton, Ohio. BASS is a market-leading provider of retail automation technology, primarily to tier-two grocery operators.

The viaLink Company (Nasdaq:VLNK - news) today announced that FlowersBakeries, a super-regional baking company and subsidiary of Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO - news), will use viaLink's syncLink(SM)for product, price and promotion synchronization.

Bread & Circus Whole Foods Market, the world's largest natural and organic foods supermarket, will open its third store in Cambridge on Aug. 22. Located at 340 River Street (just off Memorial Drive), the state-of-the-art natural foods supermarket is the company's largest in Massachusetts.

The Sperry & Hutchinson Company, Inc. (S&H) today announced that the S&H greenpoints digital rewards currency can now beearned and used in all 97 Lowes Foods stores throughout North Carolina andVirginia.