Deals

BOISE, Idaho - Albertsons Inc. today announced it is pulling out of the New Orleans market, which has become unprofitable, Reuters reports.

TROY, Mich. - Kmart here is suing hundreds of municipalities nationwide in a lawsuit that claims the communities overcharged the discount retailer millions of dollars in property taxes on stores and other facilities, according to an Associated Press report.

MINNEAPOLIS - Supervalu, Inc. here said yesterday it had signed an agreement to sell its minority ownership interest in WinCo Foods, Inc., a privately held regional grocery chain that operates stores in California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington. The closing, although subject to contingencies, is expected to occur today.

NEW YORK - Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. has reportedly been shopping itself to private equity investors because the family that owns the supermarket chain fears losing its fortune in a bankruptcy filing, according to investment bankers who spoke to TheDeal.com.

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - Kroger Co. is taking on Wal-Mart in the metro Atlanta market by building several 70,000-square-foot stores close to the retailing giant's supercenters, according to a report in the Gwinnett Daily Post.

DALLAS - Retail analysts say J.C. Penney Co. may have more success selling its troubled Eckerd drug store chain piecemeal, The Associated Press reports.

LONDON - Tesco, the United Kingdom's leading food retailer, is in advanced talks to purchase a 50 percent stake in Ting Hsin International, owner of 25 hypermarkets in China, according to the Financial Times.

ZAANDAM, The Netherlands - Ahold today announced it has reached agreement on the sale of its stake in CRC.Ahold, operating in Thailand, to its partner, the Central Group. The divestment, which is effective immediately, is the final step in the overall sale of Ahold's Asian operations.