Industry

MILWAUKEE - Customer satisfaction with the quality of goods and services available to American consumers in the retail, finance and e-commerce sectors rose during the final quarter of 2001, offsetting a drop that began in late 2000, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

WASHINGTON - A florist research group says husbands are likeliest to buy their Valentine's Day flowers at the supermarket, primarily because they are likely to cost less there, The Associated Press reports.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The U.S. convenience store industry grew 4.0 percent in 2001, increasing to a record 124,516 stores, according to the new NACS/Trade Dimensions Official Industry Store Count 2001.

NEW YORK - U.S. discount chains, led by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., boosted January retail sales above year-earlier levels, Reuters reports.

CHICAGO - Kraft Foods Inc. is once again a target of Genetically Engineered Food Alert, the Washington-based group whose research led to Kraft's recall of taco shells containing StarLink last year, Reuters reports.

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is on pace to record more than $220 billion in revenue for the 2001 fiscal year, which would make it the world's largest company according to Fortune magazine's annual list, The Associated Press reports.

NEW YORK - U.S. consumers felt their most upbeat in a year in January, the University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment showed today.

LONDON - Asda, the U.K.'s third largest supermarket chain, said it hopes to create up to 10,000 new jobs this year, the BBC reports.