NEWS WATCH: TESCO PLANS 100 U.S. STORES IN FIRST YEAR: REPORT...TWO KILLED IN SHOOTINGS AT DENVER SAFEWAY DC...AG SEATTLE NEARS DECISION ON FUTURE STRATEGY

Tesco Plans 100 U.S. Stores in First Year: Report

0 stores in the United States in its first year there, according to a report in the Financial Times last week. The British newspaper also reported that real estate firm Pacific Retail Partners was seeking 14,000-square-foot sites in Southern California, each with enough parking for 70 cars and with a nearby population of 15,000. Tesco previously has reported plans to enter the U.S. next year with a small-footprint concept, but it has not yet released specific details about the format. Previous reports said the company planned to call the stores "Fresh & Easy" and that it was looking for sites in Southern California and Arizona.

Two Killed in Shootings at Denver Safeway DC

DENVER - A Safeway warehouse employee here opened fire on co-workers June 25, killing one and injuring five, including a responding police officer, before officers shot and killed him. Parts of the 1.3-million-square-foot warehouse were closed last week while police investigated the crime, according to Safeway spokesman Jeff Stroh. He said the Pleasanton, Calif.-based retailer would call on warehouses in Dallas and Phoenix to help serve its distribution needs in the area. Police last week identified the shooter as Michael Ford, who worked as a produce selector for Safeway. "For Safeway, our single concern is with the victims and the families of our employees," Stroh said at a press conference.

AG Seattle Nears Decision on Future Strategy

SEATTLE - Associated Grocers here said last week it expects a recommendation sometime in August on whether to sell the company, form a partnership with another company or simply reinvest in itself. If the decision is to sell or form a partnership, "there are multiple interested parties, including investment bankers, lined up," John Runyan, chairman and chief executive officer, told SN. The recommendation will be contained in a report from Piper Jaffray, which was hired by AG in 2005 to help the company determine its long-term strategic direction - a process that was suspended last October, when Runyan was hired to succeed Robert P. Hermanns as president and CEO. Piper Jaffray resumed the process earlier this year, Runyan said.

California Chains Wage Triple Coupon Battle

LOS ANGELES - Triple couponing made a surprise appearance in Southern California last month, with Vons launching the first salvo and Ralphs Grocery Co. firing back. Vons, the Arcadia, Calif.-based division of Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., that eliminated double-value coupons chainwide in April, offered to redeem manufacturer coupons at triple their face value for a three-day period. A week later, Ralphs, the Compton, Calif.-based division of Kroger Co., Cincinnati, which offers double coupons as part of its regular marketing program, responded with a Sunday triple-coupon ad of its own. Vons began eliminating double coupons in 2002 in some markets and stopped offering to double coupon values here on April 19.

Family Dollar Testing Expanded Food Offering

MATTHEWS, N.C. - Family Dollar Stores here is testing an expanded food assortment at some stores that goes beyond the chain's current cooler initiative, Howard R. Levine, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a conference call late last month. The retailer is also accepting food stamps, Levine added. Family Dollar had installed fresh food coolers in around 3,100 of its 6,000 stores by the end of its fiscal third quarter on May 27. Levine said the expanded offerings would link to cooler offerings as part of an effort to boost comparable-store sales and traffic. Family Dollar said sales during the quarter increased 9.9% to $1.57 billion and comps increased 3.7%. Net Income rose 5.8% to $56.9 million.