Friday at 10:14 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Packaged foods
By Dow Jones Newswires
A shopper at a Cub Foods grocery store in Burnsville, Minn. (AP/Jayme Halbritter)
A sampling of grocery store meat in five U.S. cities has shown a type of drug-resistant bacteria is contained in about one quarter of beef, chicken, pork and turkey for sale, a study said Friday.
Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that can cause skin infections, pneumonia, sepsis or endocarditis in people with weak hearts, was found in 47 percent of samples, said the study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Get the full story »
Thursday at 11:35 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Packaged foods,
Updated
By Tribune newspapers
A shopper outside of a Jewel-Osco at 370 N. Desplaines in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune photo by Antonio Perez)
Stock for SuperValu Inc., the Minneapolis-based grocery giant that owns Jewel-Osco, soared 20 percent Thursday when the company’s full-year income fell less than expected — despite poor performance in the Chicago and Northeast markets.
The company was able to stem its drop in gross margins, helped by better timing of special offers and more financial backing for deals from vendors. Get the full story »
March 24 at 3:07 p.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Packaged foods,
Updated
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
A shopper outside a Jewel at Roosevelt and State Street, April 29, 2008. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Jewel-Osco parent Supervalu Inc. hopes to save millions of dollars a year by training workers to avoid double-bagging, putting more items in each bag or skipping the bag altogether.
“We’re in a very competitive industry. Anything we can do to lower our expenses will help us keep our prices as fair as possible,” says Supervalu spokesman Mike Siemienas. Get the full story »
Baked goods at Fox & Obel, May 12, 2008. (Candice C. Cusic/Chicago Tribune)
From Chicago Real Estate Daily | Gourmet grocery store Fox & Obel could face eviction from its Streeterville location after falling more than four months behind on rent. The receiver for the former North Pier Terminal filed a petition in Cook County Circuit Court on Jan. 26 seeking possession of the nearly 22,600-square-foot space occupied by Fox & Obel, alleging the grocer had missed rent payments totaling about $330,600. Get the full story>>
March 8 at 2:58 p.m.
Filed under:
Retail
By CNN
Shoppers at a Target on Elston Ave. in December. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
Wal-Mart’s slogan may be “Save Money. Live Better,” but rival Target is challenging it by offering even lower prices on everyday products.
Two recent price comparisons of grocery and household goods revealed that Target’s prices are lower than at No. 1 retailer Wal-Mart.
Craig Johnson, president of retail consulting firm Customer Growth Partners, compared 35 brand-name items sold at Wal-Mart and Target stores in New York, Indiana and North Carolina. They consisted of 22 common grocery goods such as milk, cereal and rice; 10 general merchandise products such as clothing and home furnishings; and three health and beauty items. Get the full story »
Feb. 24 at 8:51 a.m.
Filed under:
Earnings,
Food,
Packaged foods
By Reuters
Dominick’s Finer Foods parent Safeway Inc. reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street’s view as sales trends at its grocery stores improved.
The company, which also operates Safeway and Vons grocery stores, fourth-quarter net profit of $229.6 million, or 62 cents per share, topping analysts’ average call for a profit of 57 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Get the full story »
Feb. 21 at 9:58 a.m.
Filed under:
Retail
By Emily Bryson York
Supervalu Inc., the supermarket giant that owns Jewel-Osco, is opening five Save-A-Lot discount grocery stores on the South Side this week. It’s also closing a Jewel store, signs of the rapidly changing and increasingly cutthroat grocery business.
By Dow Jones Newswires
Kraft Foods Inc. said an appeals court agreed to hear arguments over whether Starbucks Corp. can proceed with taking over distribution of its bagged coffee as planned on March 1.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday said it would hold an expedited appeal, according to Kraft, which must file its argument by Feb. 9. A final ruling on the appeal could come by the end of the month.
Kraft planned to appeal last Friday’s ruling, where the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a preliminary injunction that would block Starbucks from taking over the distribution from Kraft in just a couple of weeks. Get the full story »
By Tribune staff report
Sears Holdings Corp. has named company executive Scott Freidheim executive vice president and president for Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard — key brands for the retailer. The move comes after several other key personnel announcements at Hoffman Estates-based Sears, including a new chief of home fashions and another for grocery and pharmacy. Get the full story »
By Mary Ellen Podmolik
Jewel-Osco’s president for the past four years has announced plans to retire, and parent company Supervalu Inc. is sending an executive from its Eden Prairie, Minn., headquarters to replace him.
The change in leadership comes at a time when Supervalu is struggling to remain competitive against rivals like Wal-Mart, Target and even drugstore chains that have greatly expanded their selection of grocery items.
Keith Nielsen, who started working at Jewel more than 40 years ago as a grocery store clerk, will retire, effective Feb. 28. Succeeding him will be Brian Huff, currently senior vice president of specialty retail at Supervalu, who will join Itasca-based Jewel on Feb. 7. Get the full story »
Jan. 27 at 9:45 a.m.
Filed under:
Retail
By Mary Ellen Podmolik
Meijer continues to expand its footprint in the Chicago area and edge closer to the city of Chicago.
This summer it will open a store in Melrose Park and this week, Berwyn’s City Council approved plans to locate a Meijer store at the southeast corner of Cermak Road and Harlem Avenue, a store that will create 100 jobs. Get the full story »
Jan. 27 at 8:35 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Jobs/employment
By Associated Press
Nearly 1,100 people turned out to apply for the 50 full-time jobs available at a Joliet distribution center. The jobs with Central Grocers drew long lines of applicants interested in the positions, which are union jobs and pay benefits. Get the full story »
Jan. 12 at 5:01 p.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Food,
Personnel moves
By Emily Bryson York
Kraft Foods has chosen Sam Rovit to be its executive vice president of strategy. He replaces Michael Osanloo, who is now Kraft’s president of North American grocery.
Starting Jan. 29, Rovit will head Kraft’s strategy team, which works with the company’s various business units, to emphasize growth and savings targets. The team is also charged with improving performance in the company’s brands and its sales in the channels where they are sold, like supermarkets or gas stations.
As a member of Kraft’s executive team, he will report directly to chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld. Get the full story »
Jan. 11 at 7:34 a.m.
Filed under:
Earnings,
Food
By Reuters
Supervalu Inc., the third-biggest U.S. supermarket chain, posted quarterly results below Wall Street estimates and lowered its forecast for the year, sending its shares down nearly 8 percent in premarket trading.
The company, which also operates Jewel-Osco and Albertsons stores, said in October that it was preparing new price cuts to win back customers lost to rivals like Kroger Co and Safeway Inc. The promotions did not work as expected, Chief Executive Officer Craig Herkert said. Get the full story »
Jan. 7 at 6:21 a.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food,
Packaged foods
By Reuters
Starbucks Corp. told a federal judge it gave Kraft Foods Inc. ample warning of its plans to end their grocery partnership and that the food maker is now standing in the way of an orderly break-up.
In legal filings on Thursday, the world’s biggest coffee chain asked U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Seibel to deny Kraft’s request to stop Starbucks from ending their 12-year-old deal and moving the business to a new partner. Get the full story »
