Trading Partners

LONDON - Questions are being raised by an analyst about the way British chain Safeway accounts for supplier rebates, according to a report in The New York Times. Safeway, which is the subject of a bidding war in the UK, said there was nothing unusual about its practices.

BOISE, Idaho - Food and drug retailer Albertsons Inc. today reported lower fourth-quarter profits as it battled falling sales and fierce competition. The retailer also announced that it has changed the timing on how it accounts for vendor allowances.

WASHINGTON - Auditors at Deloitte & Touche became aware of potential accounting irregularities at U.S. Foodservice Inc. after at least two of the company's suppliers disputed rebate figures, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the situation.

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.

LONDON - Ahold announced on Friday that it has no fixed deadline for an internal investigation of its accounting.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - UCCnet announced on Thursday that Albertsons will begin implementing the organization's item registration and data synchronization services for its more than 2,300 retail stores in 31 states nationwide.

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.

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.