Mergers & Acquisitions

Local 1564 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union today announced that it had negotiatedto retain nine former Furr's supermarkets under union contract. Union President Diane Vigil-Kimberle said that Smith's Food and Drug had agreed to union contracts for seven former Furr's stores. Raley's markets has agreed to twostores under contract.

Nestle, the world's biggest food company, said today that sales ofits packaged food increased in emerging markets, compensating for slower growth in the United Statesand in Western Europe and helping to lift first-half profit 13 percent.