THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES last week passed a tax-cut bill that contains a 10-year phaseout of the estate tax. However, repeal of the tax, a supermarket-industry legislative goal, is far from certain, as the White House opposes the entire package and the Senate is set to vote on a different plan.
l 1999 fourth quarter as a result of the closing.
GROCERY MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA and the FOOD MARKETING INSTITUTE, both in Washington, said a study they conducted revealed there is no single practice that causes unsalables, but rather a series of industry-wide practices create the $4.2 billion problem. The study said among the reasons products become unsalable are senior management indifference and out-of-code product.
MERKERT AMERICAN CORP., Canton, Mass., a leading U.S. food broker, said here last week it has signed a letter of intent to acquire The Sales Force, Chicago, a brokerage firm with 13 offices in nine Midwestern states. Sales Force had revenues of $33.5 million last year.
