- The New York Times reports this morning about how Whole Foods success in New York has “shown the potential for high-end niche foods. Now, some of New York's home-grown grocery chains are planning to test the market well beyond Manhattan.”
The result is that companies like Balducci’s, Dean & DeLuca, are developing expansion plans that will see their banners and approach to marketing getting a lot more exposure around the country.
- Hannaford Bros. has received federal regulatory approval for its $175 million purchase of Victory Super Markets, which has stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The acquisition is now final, and Hannaford plans to convert the stores to its corporate banner next year.
- As expected, last week the Canadian House of Commons voted to ban processed trans fats from food sold in Canada within a year.
- UK retailer Marks & Spencer is denying press reports that it plans to sell off some of its Simply Food c-stores, and is in fact saying that it plans to open a half-dozen more of the format in gasoline service stations.
- Published reports say that Ahold is close to selling its Bi-Lo and Bruno’s divisions to a private equity group, and will meet its self-imposed deadline for doing so by the end of the year.
