Associations

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. -- Sales at the nation's grocery stores, consisting mainly of supermarkets, totaled $37.4 billion during June, just 1.6 percent more than a year earlier, according to Advance Retail Sales Estimates from the Census Bureau, cited by the Food Institute in Elmwood Park, N.J. This brought first-half 2003 sales to $223.7 billion, or 2.7 percent more than a year earlier.

LONDON -- The chief executives of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Safeway, and Asda, as well as the British Retail Consortium director general, met Wednesday with Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett to discuss their reservations about consumer faith in the safety of GM food.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a ruling that had prevented a union from recruiting members inside Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores nationwide, The Associated Press reports.

WASHINGTON -- Safeway on Monday said it would resume control of its Tracy, Calif. distribution center, removing Summit Logistics as a third-party operator.

The companies that sell most of America's food are being called on to combat the overeating epidemic. Some of them were promoting healthy eating long before it became a national priority.

With able relatives to help run his four-store operation, Alabama's Greg Calhoun lends some of his talents to the FMI board and to charity.

CHICAGO - Teamster-represented pharmacists at Albertsons Corp.'s Osco Drug stores have voted to authorize a strike if a contract can't be reached.

TRENTON, N.J. - Raising cigarette taxes will only lead to broader tax increases across all categories, according to the Enough Already Coalition, a group of New Jersey convenience store operators, retail trade associations, and tobacco companies.