Perimeter

SALISBURY, N.C. -- Food Lion asked, and Bloom shoppers have answered: We want more fresh foods.

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Vitasti, Inc., based here, a food company specializing in the health-and-wellness sector, has developed a new line of vitamin-rich granola with an antioxidant supplement and a hip new featured ingredient -- the acai berry. Harvested in the Brazilian rainforest and touted by the media as "nature's perfect food," the acai (pronounced "AH-sci-EE") has been used for thousands of years by Brazil's indigenous peoples, who attribute various healing and nutritional properties to the fruit.

Indianapolis -- Marsh Supermarkets is in the final stages of preparing to open its first location in Illinois on Aug. 22 with a new 66,000-square-foot Lifestyle format store in Naperville, a community that was recently ranked third on Money Magazine's list of the top, "100 Best Places to Live" for 2005.

NEW YORK ¿ Beer, when consumed in moderation, offers a number of health benefits for mature men and women, according to a noted Harvard professor who spoke yesterday at a media luncheon sponsored by Anheuser-Busch.

Clamping down on retail losses should be everybody's business.

SAN ANTONIO -- Central Market, the successful gourmet spinoff of H.E. Butt Grocery Co. here, continues to build a distinctive own-brand franchise for its seven Texas stores. The retailer last week brought shoppers up to date in its e-mail newsletter, touting an armload of products bearing the CM private label.

While snacks, beer, and soft drinks score biggest for Super Bowl, retailers can gain yardage with many nontraditional products, too.

NEW YORK -- In a sign that manufacturers have upped the ante on their coupon promotions, FSI coupon use was on the rise in the first half of the year, led by a 15.7 percent jump in personal care product coupons, according to the latest Marx FSI Trend Report issued yesterday.