Costco Wholesale Corp.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--Despite intense supercenter and warehouse club competition in its core market, officials at Spartan Stores here, said they were able to hold the line on performance in the second quarter, with sales and earnings basically comparable to the year ago period.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Warehouse club chain Costco Wholesale Corp. started off its fiscal 2006 strong, with September net sales of $5.14 billion for the five weeks ended October 2, an increase of 13 percent from $4.53 billion in the same period last year.

SEATTLE -- The governor-proclaimed Washington Wine Month drove $4.6 million in wine sales in the Western Washington and Spokane markets during the month of August, representing a 28 percent increase over August 2004 sales.

In a retail world of seemingly infinite choices, any channel is a viable option for the food shopper. Here's a look ahead at some of the most viable.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Warehouse Club Costco Wholesale Corp. saw a 9 percent jump in same-store sales for the month of August, beating Wall Street's estimate of 8 percent. Net sales were $4.09 billion for the four weeks ended August 28, an increase of 12 percent from $3.64 billion in the same period year.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. ¿ Although losing a day of sales to the 4th of July holiday negatively impacted Costco's sales for that month to the tune of 3 percent to 4 percent, the warehouse club's net sales for the four-week period ending July 31 was $4.02 billion, an 8 percent increase over the last year's 28-day total of $3.71 billion.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Membership warehouse retailer Costco plans to leverage its existing technology to boost its online offerings in the United States and abroad.

NEW YORK ¿ Launched last year and originally aimed at retailers and other food industry players, the "European Authentic Tastes" (EAT) campaign has now broadened its focus to include consumers, according to EAT representatives at the 51st Fancy Food Show here.