Deals

LONDON - William Morrison Supermarkets PLC has offered 3 billion pounds ($5.22 billion) for Safeway PLC, Britain's fourth-largest grocery chain, The Associated Press reports.

LONDON - Wal-Mart-owned ASDA allegedly has offered Safeway UK close to 2 billion British pounds ($3.487 billion) for 70 of its stores in light of an anticipated takeover bid by William Morrison, according to a report in The Times of London.

AMSTERDAM -- Ahold, which is selling assets to reduce its debt, has sold the Santa Isabel supermarkets in Peru to Grupo Interbank and a group of investors headed by Nexus Group for an undisclosed sum, according to Reuters.

LONDON -- The U.K. government announced today that the country's three largest supermarket chains had agreed not to bid for Safeway, allowing their smaller rival, William Morrison, to make a new offer later in the month, Reuters reports. Morrison has 21 days to bid again for Safeway.

TORONTO - In an effort to increase its presence in the province of Ontario, the Sobeys supermarket chain has acquired Commisso's Food Markets and Commisso's Grocery Distributors, Canadian Press reports.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - A source close to the deal says Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is close to an agreement to purchase Bompreco, Brazil's third-biggest retailer, from Ahold, Reuters reports.

ZAANDAM, Netherlands - Chilean retailer Cencosud S.A. has reached an agreement with Ahold for the acquisition of the Netherlands-based company's controlling stake in the Argentine supermarket chain Disco S.A.

NEW YORK - New York buyout firm Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co. LLC has reportedly put Parsippany, N.J.-based B&G Foods Inc. up for sale, TheDeal.com reports.