Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

WASHINGTON - For the fourth consecutive time, Worldwide Food Expo, a trade show sponsored by several leading food industry associations, has been accepted into the prestigious International Buyer Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

NEW YORK - Grocery distributor Fleming Cos., which has seen several top executives depart in recent weeks as it rides out a federal investigation of its accounting practices, declined to comment Thursday on speculation that it may soon file for bankruptcy, Dow Jones Newswires reports.

CHICAGO -- Shares of Nash Finch Co. rose more than 59 percent on Wednesday after the food distributor said U.S. regulators would not object to how it accounts for certain vendor charges.

MINNEAPOLIS - Nash Finch Co. said on Tuesday the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will not object to how the company accounts for certain vendor charges, based upon the food retailer and distributor's oral and written representations.

WASHINGTON - Reflecting continuing concerns over the direction of the U.S. economy, consumers are twice as likely to consider price as a reason for purchasing a brand-name product as they were a year ago, according to a survey released Friday by the Grocery Manufacturers of America.

AMSTERDAM - Ahold USA Inc., the parent company of six U.S. supermarket chains, has mounted a campaign to reassure suppliers and customers in the wake of a major accounting scandal at parent company Royal Ahold NV, according to an article in the Washington Post.

CHICAGO - Fleming Cos. has filed a $1.4 billion prepetition claim in Kmart Corp.'s bankruptcy case, seeking payment for profits it believes would have occurred under a canceled contract, a spokesman said Thursday.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Royal Ahold NV told federal regulators on Thursday that its accountant, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, no longer stands behind its audits for 2000 and 2001. The latest announcement raises questions about whether problems with the company's financial statements began earlier than had been acknowledged.