News Watch 2007-12-10 (1)

MCCAIN PRAISES C&S IN CAMPAIGN STOP: REPORT

KEENE, N.H. — U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made a presidential campaign stop last week at C&S Wholesale Grocers here, praising the company for its efficient operations and suggesting the government could rely on such private-sector skills to assist in natural disasters, published reports said. “You have the technology, you have the capability, and you have the background of being able to address in the most efficient fashion the needs of people in a disaster,” McCain told C&S workers after touring the facility with company executives, the Associated Press reported. “As president, I will certainly at least make sure organizations like FEMA make use of the technology you have developed.”

CONVERTED STOP & SHOP DRIVES VILLAGE SALES

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — New sales from a converted Stop & Shop store helped boost quarterly sales by 4.8% for Village Super Market here, the retailer said last week. The new store, in Galloway Township, N.J., was acquired from Stop & Shop earlier this year and reopened under the ShopRite banner in October, said Village, which operates 25 ShopRite locations. For the fiscal first quarter ending Oct. 27, Village reported net income of $4.3 million on sales of $263.6 million. Earnings were up by 2% as aggressive promotions contributed to reduced gross margins, Village said. Same-store sales improved by 3.6%, reflecting higher sales from a replacement store in Somers Point, N.J., and one closure by a competitor.

MARSH RENOVATES DOWNTOWN O'MALIA'S

INDIANAPOLIS — Marsh Supermarkets here last week held official grand reopening ceremonies for a refurbished O'Malia's store in downtown Indianapolis. Rechristened Marsh the Marketplace at Lockerbie, the $3 million renovation offers a “fresher, brighter” store featuring a new layout, as well as expanded offerings of natural and organic items, the company said in a statement, while retaining O'Malia's reputation for service. Marsh said it will retain the O'Malia's name for the store's service meat department. O'Malia's built the store in 1986 as the first full-service grocery store in downtown Indianapolis. Marsh acquired O'Malia's in 2001.

FORMER WHOLE FOODS OFFICIAL SENTENCED

AUSTIN, Texas — A former benefits administrator for Whole Foods Market here was sentenced to two years in prison for stealing $24,000 in company stock, published reports said. Carmen Brewer resigned from Whole Foods in 2004 but was charged in 2005 for illegally accessing the company's stock administration database to steal and later sell 400 shares of stock belonging to a co-worker.

SPROUTS FARMERS MARKET TO OPEN IN COLORADO

PHOENIX — Sprouts Farmers Market, a specialty natural and organic retailer based here, will expand into Colorado in 2008, the company said last week. Sprouts currently operates 24 stores in Arizona, California and Texas. The company, founded in 2002 by the former operators of the Henry's Farmers Market chain, said it has plans to open at least six stores next year, including Colorado sites in Westminster and Parker.

ROAD CLOSURE SLOWS NORTHWEST DELIVERIES

SEATTLE — Retailers in the Pacific Northwest were coping last week with the loss of part of a major interstate highway due to flooding caused by heavy rains. A 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 — the road that connects Seattle with Portland — was shut down for several days last week, requiring drivers trying to get from one city to the other or to points in between to take a 450-mile detour. The situation resulted in significant distribution delays, a spokesman for Unified Grocers, Los Angeles, told SN.