Ralphs Grocery Co., Compton, Calif., has launched a new customer-service program, "Customers First," under which each store must establish a four-member Courtesy Committee to review courtesy and friendliness at their location. Store associates are urged to smile, thank customers for their business by name, greet shoppers and avoid use of the word "no" when handling customer requests, among other niceties, Ralphs reported.
including Mammouth and Atac, and Lil' Champ convenience stores in the United States. The bid, which Auchan described as "non-hostile," is valued at roughly $2.9 billion (14.7 billion francs) for Auchan to acquire Docks' shares it doesn't already own. Auchan began buying Docks shares earlier this year and now owns just more than 17% of Docks' capital and 14.7% of its voting rights.
Quaker Oats Co., Chicago, last week said it would cut prices an average of 15% on 22 of its cereals -- about 87% of its ready-to-eat cereal sales. Price cuts, ranging from 6% to 18%, included Cap'N Crunch, Life and Toasted Oatmeal. Other cereal makers -- Kellogg and General Mills -- also recently cut prices. Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, will sell to Roche Holdings, Basel, Switzerland, its 50% stake in the firms' joint venture. The sale means Roche will fully own Aleve, a pain reliever, and Femstat 3, a yeast-infection brand.
