Research & Analysis

ZAANDAM, The Netherlands - Ahold, the international food retailer and foodservice operator, on Wednesday announced that four of its six U.S. retail companies are further restructuring their back-office operations.

NEW YORK - Five supermarket companies made the 2003 list of "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" published annually by Fortune magazine. They are: Wegmans Food Markets (No. 10), Stew Leonard's (No. 30), Whole Foods Market (No. 32); Ukrop's Super Markets (No. 71), and Publix Super Markets (No. 87).

RICHMOND, Va. - Market Place Holdings, a large minority-based grocery chain based in Richmond, Va., opened its first new store from the ground up in Richmond on Monday. The retailer celebrated with a grand opening ceremony that included noted attorney Johnny Cochran and Governor Mark Warner.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - Time-pressured consumers are making convenience-oriented food and cleaning items some of the fastest-growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) products on the market, according to the most recent ACNielsen Consumer Pre*View survey of consumer attitudes and behaviors.

AMSTERDAM - The world's No. 3 retailer Ahold met expectations on Tuesday with a 9.2 percent rise in 2002 sales. The Dutch company also said the fourth quarter improved despite languishing consumer confidence in its key U.S. market.

TAMPA, Fla. - ADC Inc., provider of data communication technology to the supermarket industry, has licensed its InterScale scales management system to Food Lion, a subsidiary of Delhaize America.

AMSTERDAM - Dutch retail giant Royal Ahold NV said Friday that it is in dispute with Chile's main supermarket retailer D&S SA over the acquisition of 10 Argentine stores from D&S in 2000, Dow Jones newswire reports.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market, the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods, has agreed to be a major underwriter of Chefs A' Field, a 13-part Public Broadcasting System (PBS) cooking series that focuses on sustainable growing practices.