Walmart

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 - UK supermarket operator Tesco is conducting a trial of radio frequency identity tags on Gillette razor blades at one of its stores, the BBC reports.

CHICAGO - Discount retailer Kmart Corp. said on Tuesday its board approved the closure of 326 of its 1,800 stores in hopes of emerging from bankruptcy as soon as April 30. The retailer also said it would cut as many as 37,000 jobs.

LONDON - The world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores, said Tuesday it may offer to buy Britain's fourth-largest supermarket chain, Safeway PLC, which already has two attracted bids from two UK supermarket companies.

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.

NEW YORK - Noah Hanft, general counsel for MasterCard International, has issued a statement concerning MasterCard's arguments for dismissing the Wal-Mart lawsuit against MasterCard and Visa.

ONTARIO - Canadian supermarket operator Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is the latest on a growing list of Canadian retailers to nix the check payment method, the National Post reports.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - Time-pressured consumers are making convenience-oriented food and cleaning items some of the fastest-growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) products on the market, according to the most recent ACNielsen Consumer Pre*View survey of consumer attitudes and behaviors.