SAFEWAY ALASKA TALKS TO STAY PRIVATE

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Safeway has won the right to keep private its negotiations for the sale of seven Alaska supermarkets.

R> However, representatives of the Alaska Public Interest Research Group, which originally tried to block Safeway's acquisition of Carr Gottstein Foods here, said the ruling denies consumers "meaningful input" on who will buy the stores.

At the time the merger agreement was completed late last year, Safeway operated 12 stores in Alaska and Carr Gottstein had 49, including 25 supermarkets, 17 liquor stores and seven tobacco stores.

In a lawsuit settled in late February, Safeway agreed to divest six of its stores and one of the Carr Gottstein units by Oct. 13 or pay the state $1 million for each store not divested.

The seven stores include a Carrs in Fairbanks and four Safeways here, one in Eagle River and one in Wasilla.

Safeway closed the deal in April to acquire Carr Gottstein for $330 million, including $110 million in cash and assumption of $220 million in debt.