Market Trends

DALLAS - Fleming on Thursday announced the company has been selected by Produce Warehouse Inc. to supply five supermarkets that serve central Long Island and Queens, N.Y.

ZAANDAM, The Netherlands - Ahold today announced a 3.8 percent rise in its first-quarter 2002 net earnings (first 16 weeks of the year through April 21, 2002) to Euro 328.0 million (2001: Euro 316.0 million).

SAN FRANCISCO - An activist group called the GE-Free Markets Coalition and regional anti-GE food groups are organizing "the National Day of Action" on June 8 as part of a multi-year campaign to get GE foods out of grocery stores.

BOISE, Idaho - Albertson's Inc. today reported a first-quarter loss due in part to restructuring expenses, but said its 2002 operating earnings should be in line with Wall Street's current consensus estimate, Reuters reports.

LAKELAND, Fla. - Publix Super Markets Inc. has launched a Web site to support its purchasing and reverse auction program.

MINNEAPOLIS - Jeff Noddle, CEO and president of Supervalu Inc., assumed the additional role of chairman of the board at last week's annual shareholders' meeting in St. Louis, Mo.

LONDON - Britain's Marks & Spencer Plc has signed a three-week exclusivity deal with New York-based Gristede's Foods Inc. on the sale of its U.S. Kings supermarkets unit, UK papers said on Sunday.

CINCINNATI and BOISE, Idaho - The Kroger Co. and Albertson's on Friday said separately that they continue to support the Food Marketing Institute's development of an animal welfare program and will require their suppliers to adopt the program's "best practice" guidelines when they are issued by FMI in early summer.