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C&S RAISES $150 MILLION IN SALE-LEASEBACKS KEENE, N.H. C&S Wholesale Grocers here has sold four warehouses to an Illinois real estate company from which C&S will lease the spaces back. Inland American Real Estate, Oak Brook, Ill., purchased facilities in Westfield, Mass.; North Hatfield, Mass.; South Hatfield, Mass.; and Aberdeen, Md., from C&S or affiliated companies, Inland said in a government

C&S RAISES $150 MILLION IN SALE-LEASEBACKS

KEENE, N.H. — C&S Wholesale Grocers here has sold four warehouses to an Illinois real estate company from which C&S will lease the spaces back. Inland American Real Estate, Oak Brook, Ill., purchased facilities in Westfield, Mass.; North Hatfield, Mass.; South Hatfield, Mass.; and Aberdeen, Md., from C&S or affiliated companies, Inland said in a government filing. C&S will rent back the space, around 1.7 million square feet overall, at rates between $4 and $7 per square foot.

FORMER HANNAFORD EXECUTIVE SENT TO PRISON

PORTLAND, Maine — Martin Greeley, the former Hannaford Bros. vice president who pleaded guilty last year to fraud and tax evasion charges, was sentenced to 46 months in prison, an Associated Press report said. Hannaford fired Greeley in 2005 after officials discovered charitable organizations set up by Greeley had funneled more than $650,000 to him. Greeley was a 26-year employee of Hannaford and most recently served as vice president of government relations for the retailer.

FORMER U.S. FOODSERVICE CONTROLLER FINED

WASHINGTON — Suzanne Brown, the former controller at Ahold's U.S. Foodservice division, agreed last week to pay a $100,000 fine and be barred from serving as an officer of a public company for five years in a settlement of fraud charges related to U.S. Foodservice's misstatements of income in 2001 and 2002. Brown was charged with making or directing others to make entries in USF's books that Brown “knew, or was reckless in not knowing, were false,” the complaint said. Brown settled the charges without admitting to or denying the allegations.

OAKVILLE GROCERY WILL LICENSE NAME, FORMAT

BERKELEY, Calif. — Oakville Grocery Co., an upscale specialty store with four locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, has signed an agreement to license its name and format in other parts of the U.S., according to reports. The first licensed Oakville Grocery is scheduled to open in Dallas sometime next year, according to the Dallas Morning News. The licensing agreement is being arranged by Woodside Capital Partners, a Nevada-based company that acquired exclusive rights to license the Oakville concept, which features imported and gourmet foods. The Oakville Grocery in Dallas will be a 7,000-square-foot store with a 1,600-square-foot patio located in a retail complex on the ground floor of a 28-store luxury residential building.

LONG BEACH RESIDENTS TO VOTE ON BIG-BOX BAN

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Residents here will vote in June 2008 on whether to repeal the city's ban on big-box stores after a local group collected enough petition signatures to force a referendum on the matter. Published reports said Long Beach Consumers for Choice, reportedly funded by the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Wal-Mart, collected signatures from 33,391 registered voters who support repealing the ban that was implemented by the Long Beach City Council last September. Wal-Mart operates two discount stores here but no supercenters.

LOBLAW EXECUTIVE SUED BY FORMER EMPLOYER

TORONTO — Allan Leighton, the recently named deputy chairman of Loblaw Cos. here, is being sued by his former employer — Wal-Mart-owned United Kingdom chain Asda — over tax benefits on stock options exercised during Leighton's reign as chief executive officer there, reports said last week. Asda is trying to recover about $1.1 million it claims to have mistakenly paid in taxes on Leighton's share options when Leighton left the company in 2000. In a statement to British press, Asda said it filed suit because it had been unable to resolve differences with Leighton before a time limit to take such matters to court expired. “We're still hopeful that Allen will take this opportunity to put this issue to bed amicably and settle out of court.”