Trading Partners

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Putting action behind its statement earlier this year that organics and other healthy foods will play a bigger part in its stores, Wal-Mart Stores here is conducting a limited test market of Chicago-based Lifeway Foods, Inc.'s kefir product in up to 17 of its Chicago-land stores. The news, which came late Thursday, sent shares of Lifeway Foods soaring more than 20 percent early Friday.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Associated Food Stores, Inc. here has made the move to data synchronization, in a bid to clean up the data pool its shares with hundreds of independent retail accounts.

FARMINGTON, Conn. -- The Connecticut Food Association (CFA) and West Hartford-based Wittman Specialty Foods have teamed up to launch the Connecticut Food Trail, described as "the gateway to New England's finest specialty foods," at www.ctfoodtrail.com. The site is scheduled to go live in January.

NEW YORK -- Larry Johnston, c.e.o. of Boise-based Albertsons Inc. supermarket chain, was named one of the five "most outrageously overpaid CEOs" in an article Wednesday on MSN's Web site.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- For the third consecutive year, foodservice operators have named Tyson Foods, Inc. as the top manufacturer, according to the benchmarking survey report FoodservicElite "Leadership Through Innovative Solutions," released this month by Cannondale Associates, Inc. and Cognitio, LLC.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Publix plans to join the University of Florida IFAS's Center for Food Distribution and Retailing (CFDR), and electronic trading solutions provider RedTail Solutions, Inc., in a research pilot featuring RFID technology and network-based information exchange to improve the distribution of fresh produce.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- Marketing services company SPAR Group, Inc. here has received approval from the Chinese government to start a company aimed at providing its services to retailers in China.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ruddick Corporation, owner of the Harris-Teeter supermarket chain here, said yesterday its sewing thread subsidiary, American & Efird, Inc., has agreed to buy Robison-Anton Textile Co., a $24 million embroidery thread and yarn manufacturer. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.