Research & Analysis

CLEVELAND -- Charter One Financial, Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Kroger to open 22 new banking centers in greater Indianapolis.

LONDON - J Sainsbury plc has announced the appointment of Justin King as group chief executive, effective April 2004. He will succeed Sir Peter Davis, who takes over as chairman on Sir George Bull's retirement at that time.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Rick Thorne, chairman and c.e.o. for Tree of Life, Inc. and executive board member of Koninklijke Wessanen, has announced he will retire following the selection and transition of his successor.

BOISE, Idaho - Albertsons, Inc. has named Duncan MacNaughton its new group v.p., grocery merchandising. In his new post, MacNaughton will lead Albertsons' efforts in key center store categories, including grocery, dairy, and frozen, and will also oversee Beer/Wine/Liquor as well as the company's growing fuel center operations.

HERNDON, Va. - Biometric payments leader BioPay, LLC said that Marsh Supermarkets is now using BioPay's Paycheck Secure to stop check fraud at nine stores in Indiana and Ohio.

NEW YORK - Discount retailer Dollar General Corp. today said it expects to open 675 new stores in the current fiscal year, and anticipates a similar growth rate in the next three fiscal years.

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. - Sales at the nation's grocery stores last month grew 3.4 percent compared to the same period last year, the Food Institute reports. Total sales in October 2003 reached $38.2 billion. Meanwhile, growth at the nation's eating and drinking places is more than doubling the small gain seen at food and beverage stores.

NEW YORK - Wholesale beef and veal prices rose 18.3 percent in October -- the biggest one-month increase since 1974, according to a Department of Labor report released on Friday.