Deals

LONDON - Britain's biggest supermarket group Tesco Plc on Wednesday joined its major rivals by considering a bid for the UK's fourth-biggest grocery chain Safeway Plc.

LONDON - The bidding war for the British supermarket chain Safeway PLC escalated Friday when U.S. buyout specialist Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. said it had made an approach to Britain's fourth-largest food retailer, The Associated Press reports.

LONDON - British supermarket giant Sainsbury PLC said Monday it was considering making an offer of more than 3 billion pounds ($4.8 billion) for Safeway PLC, raising the prospect of a bidding war for Britain's fourth largest grocery chain.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Spartan Stores Inc. on Thursday announced that it has completed the sale of seven Michigan shopping centers for $46.0 million in cash as part of its ongoing strategy of concentrating resources on its core grocery retail and distribution operations.

AMSTERDAM - Dutch retail giant Royal Ahold NV said Friday that it is in dispute with Chile's main supermarket retailer D&S SA over the acquisition of 10 Argentine stores from D&S in 2000, Dow Jones newswire reports.

TROY, Mich. -- Bankrupt discount retailer Kmart Corp. on Monday reported a wider quarterly loss as store closings cut into sales, and gave a mixed outlook for the critical holiday sales period.

QUINCY, MASS.L -- Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. said it has secured bankruptcy court approval for the lease rights for 18 former Ames department stores at a cost of $20 million.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A federal judge Thursday upheld an order preventing Puerto Rico's government from blocking Wal-Mart's recent acquisition of a local supermarket chain.