Real Estate

MINNEAPOLIS -- Fleming Companies c.e.o.Mark Hansen told analysts yesterday that there are a number of suitors interested in purchasing its Rainbow Foods chain, which operates 44 supermarkets in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

PHILADELPHIA, -- Acme Markets, Inc., a unit of Albertsons, has purchased a prominent portion of the former Defense Supply Center Philadelphia and plans to erect a 50,000 sq. ft. combo store on the South Philly site. Food-drug combo stores, such as its Albertsons Sav-On and Jewel-Osco formats, form the Boise, Idaho-based chain's key strategy for growth.

PHILADELPHIA-With 39,000 Pennsylvanians on its payroll, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has become the biggest employer in the Keystone State, according to a report in Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer

PITTSBURGH - German-owned discount retailer Aldi is considering the Pittsburgh market for a 400,000-square-foot distribution warehouse, the Pittsburgh Business Times reports.

NEW YORK - Target Corp. and Starbucks Corp. have supposedly reached an agreement to put a Starbucks coffee shop in all new Target stores beginning in fall 2003, according to Dow Jones Newswires reports.

CINCINNATI - Kroger Co. president David B. Dillon said yesterday he expects approval of the chain's acquisition of 18 Raley's stores in Las Vegas to come down soon from the Federal Trade Commission.

AMSTERDAM - Dutch retailer Royal Ahold NV today completed a bid for shares it did not already own in Chilean supermarket firm Santa Isabel for approximately $50 million, boosting its stake to 97 percent, according to a Reuters report.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said on Tuesday it plans to add about 8 percent more selling space in the coming fiscal year, continuing its aggressive growth despite a slumping economy, Reuters reports.