NEWS ROUNDUP 1994-09-05 (1)

Richfood Completes Rotelle Buy

hfood Holdings here has completed the acquisition of all the outstanding stock of Rotelle Inc., a Philadelphia-area frozen food distributor.

Richfood, as reported, said it would pay $52.8 million cash for the West Point, Pa.-based distributor.

Rotelle, with annual sales of about $340 million, is one of the nation's leading frozen food distributors. It supplies about 550 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and New York, including Acme Markets, Malvern, Pa.; Genuardi Super Markets, Norristown, Pa., and Clemens Markets, Kulpsville, Pa.

The deal should add more than 25% to Richfood's annual sales volume of $1.3 billion.

John F. Rotelle, president of the family-owned distributor, and Alfred F. Rotelle, president of the food-service division, will remain with the company in their current positions.

Wal-Mart Pushes South in Florida

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores here will push its supercenter format farther south into Florida with the opening in October of a unit in Cape Coral.

Wal-Mart, which operated 87 supercenters as of July 31, operates supercenters in the Florida panhandle region near Tallahassee. The new unit scheduled to open next month is 375 miles farther south and is near Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast.

A supercenter includes a full-line supermarket and a general-merchandise store under the same roof. Among the departments in the Cape Coral supercenter will be an in-store full-service bank operated by BankAtlantic Bancorp., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

BankAtlantic, in a statement, said it will offer a full range of services at the Wal-Mart location and will be open seven days a week.

Alabama Awards for Gregerson's

GADSDEN, Ala. -- Gregerson's Foods here received several awards at the Alabama Grocers Association convention, which was held recently in Mobile, Ala.

Gregerson's was named the 1994 AGA Retailer of the Year. The award is given for outstanding accomplishment for progressive marketing programs, community involvement and fund raising for student scholarship programs, according to the company.

Also at the convention, Peter V. Gregerson Sr., chairman of Gregerson's, was presented a Spirit of America Award by the National Grocers Association, Reston, Va. NGA's award is given to executives for leadership ability, patriotism and community involvement.

Gregerson's owns and operates six stores in Alabama.

Environmental Workshop Set

TACOMA, Wash. -- Washington State Food Dealers here and Larry's Markets, Seattle, are among the supporters of a comprehensive environmental management workshop for grocers. The workshop is scheduled to be held Oct. 25 in Seattle and will be repeated Nov. 29. It will focus on proven environmental management techniques that cut costs and reduce a store's negative environmental impact. Topics include chlorofluorocarbon coolants and food-waste composting, environmental laws and regulations, recycling and packaging.

Participants will bring information about their stores for analysis.

The fee for the all-day workshop is $75. For more information from the food dealers association, telephone Bob Sheffels at (800) 732-1889 or Brant Rogers at (206) 243-2951.

TV Ads Show Hometown Faces C

HARLESTON HEIGHTS, S.C. -- Joseph T. "Buzzy" Newton 3rd, president of Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. here, and Piggly Wiggly store employees were featured in three recent television commercials.

The TV spots, which also included members of Newton's family, were shot at Piggly Wiggly's employee appreciation picnic and a local barbecue.

The commercials are part of the chain's series built around the theme, "When you see this face, you're in the right place." Using locations unique to the region, the commercials focus on Piggly Wiggly's hometown roots.

Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. owns 55 stores and supplies 42 others in South Carolina and the Savannah, Ga., area.