Ahold Delhaize

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Roche Bros., a 17-store supermarket chain based here that runs stores under the Roche Bros. and Sudbury Farms banners, will be going head to head with Peapod by Stop & Shop by offering a rival online grocery delivery service starting Nov. 2, according to published reports. The retailer is the first to launch such a business in the Boston area since 2001, when the dot-com collapse left Peapod the only local Web-based grocery service standing.

AMHERST, N.Y. -- Tops Markets, LLC, a unit of Ahold-owned Giant Food, based in Carlisle, Pa., has agreed to sell 12 of its eastern New York state stores to Keene, N.H.-based C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc., according to published reports. The purchase will be the biggest for the 31 New York stores that Tops put on the market in July. Terms of the deal were not revealed.

SALISBURY, N.C. -- Food Lion here is up and running with the One Network Retail grid, joining other top retailers from around the nation including Kroger, Safeway, Publix and Hannaford.

SALISBURY, N.C. -- Food Lion here will unveil its latest round of makeovers, at 63 stores in Maryland and Delaware, later this week.

BRUSSELS -- Following a challenging second quarter, the Delhaize Group's management said yesterday it is optimistic about the remainder of the year for its retail banners, including U.S. grocers Food Lion, Hannaford, and Kash 'n Karry.

ZAANDAM, Netherlands -- Ahold said yesterday it has named John Rishton, a British national, c.f.o. The appointment will take effect Jan. 1, 2006.

SALISBURY, N.C. -- Cathy Green, a supermarket veteran who was named an s.v.p. of retail operations at Food Lion here just over a month ago, has now moved even further up the corporate ladder, this time to the role of chief operating officer.

SKOKIE, Ill. -- Ahold Internet grocer subsidiary Peapod has begun installing software that will allow it to track the status of deliveries in real time and better respond to customer queries.