Frozen Foods

With everybody trying to get ethnic at retail, supermarkets have to fight harder than ever to stake their claim.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Supervalu, Inc. said yesterday that it had completed its cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Milwaukee-based Total Logistics, Inc., a national provider of integrated third-party logistics services and manufacturer of refrigeration systems. The tender offer began Jan. 7 and expired at midnight EST on Feb. 4.

NEW YORK -- With Super Bowl XXXIX just days away, several VNU businesses yesterday released a marketing guide based on in-depth analysis of trends related to the big game, combining data from numerous sources including television ratings, advertising expenditures, Internet measurement, album sales, box-office, consumer and lifestyle information, merchandise sales, consumer segmentation and targeting, comprehensive market research, and retail consumer sales for of the event.

GILBERT, Ariz. -- Henry's Farmers Market, Wild Oats' fresh foods grocery store, plans to hire up to 220 full- and part-time employees for its new stores here in the Gilbert Commons shopping center and Mirador Square shopping center. Both stores are scheduled to open in late March.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Golub Corp., parent company of Price Chopper Supermarkets here, has announced plans to construct a $15 million state-of-the-art frozen foods distribution center in Schenectady County as the retailer solidifies its commitment to that area.

HOWARD, Wisc. -- Discount store operator ShopKo Stores has officially entered the big-box drug business here with the grand opening of ShopKo Express Rx, a neighborhood drug store featuring pharmacy and typical front-end categories, as well as an expanded food assortment several non-traditional special services.

CARTERET, N.J. -- Pathmark Stores, the Northeastern retailer known for its commitment to urban marketing, has opened a second supermarket in New York City's Harlem neighborhood. The new store, located at the intersection of 145th Street and Bradhurst Avenue in Central Harlem, comes just over five years after Pathmark built its first store in East Harlem, located on 125th Street.

ORRVILLE, Ohio -- J.M. Smucker Co. said on Friday that it has agreed to sell its U.S. foodservice and bakery products business and Canadian Gourmet Baker locations to Value Creation Partners, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio for $43 million.