California Supermarkets Shaken but Intact After Temblor

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

LOS ANGELES — The 5.4 earthquake that hit Southern California late yesterday morning did not have much impact on local supermarket operations, several food retailers told SN. A Ralphs spokesman said 12 Ralphs units and six Food 4 Less stores had some breakage as a small number of products tumbled off the shelves, and some stores were closed for less than 90 minutes while they were cleaned up. But there was no apparent structural damage, and no customers or employees were injured, he told SN. Stater Bros. Markets, San Bernardino, Calif., said eight stores had some breakage “in the jams, jellies and pickle aisle,” but employees cleaned those areas up as the stores remained in operation. Jack Brown, chairman and chief executive officer, said the chain's new distribution center “didn't lose a single case of product.” That was also the report from Unified Grocers, Los Angeles, which said products in its warehouse suffered no damage whatsoever. An Albertsons spokeswoman told SN the chain was still assessing the earthquake’s impact. A spokesman for Vons Co., a division of Safeway, could not be reached for comment.

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