Don't Forget Kash n' Karry
ways enjoy your editorials, but in ["Delhaize's Big Change," Aug. 23, 1999] you neglected to acknowledge Food Lion's purchase of Kash n' Karry, Tampa, Fla. In fact, that acquisition seems to have been a factor in the [decision this month to acquire] Hannaford Bros because of its success. SN reported that some Food Lion stores would be converted to Kash n' Karry's banner. [Food Lion's] Texas experience was the flip side of developing a new market area. [Food Lion withdrew from several Southwestern markets a few years ago.] Most major chains have found out that buying into new markets in the long run may be much more efficient than trying to steal market share from existing competitors.
John McCormick
account manager
Roehl & Associates
private-label food broker
Oconomowoc, Wis.
Editor's Note: The writer (and several others) is correct. It should have been mentioned that Food Lion, a company controlled by Delhaize Le Lion, Brussels, closed on a deal that made Kash n' Karry a wholly owned subsidiary in late 1996. The front-page news article about the proposed Hannaford buyout acknowledged Kash n' Karry.
