- Bi-Lo/Bruno’s reportedly has succeeded in its bid to acquire 14 Winn-Dixie locations in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. The locations were being closed by the bankrupt Winn-Dixie; Bi-Lo/Bruno’s president Dean Cohagan said that “aggressively investing in its core markets is a cornerstone of the chain’s long-term plan that was announced in May. Purchasing these stores is consistent with the company’s strategy of building on areas where they enjoy a leading market or where there is strong growth potential.”
- The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has issued subpoenas to Ingles Markets and "certain existing and former officers and directors."
Ingles said it is cooperating with the investigation. The company originally disclosed an informal SEC investigation of the company's accounting in December, and that investigation was raised to “formal” status last May. The company later restated earnings for fiscal years 2002 and 2003 and three quarters of FY 2004.
- Published reports say that the deal that will have Select Retail Holdings acquiring the legendary Irish retailer Superquinn is set to close sometime in the next two weeks. When concluded, Simon Burke will become executive chairman, and Feargal Quinn will become president; the Quinn family reportedly will maintain an ownership position in the company through its investment in Select Retail Holdings.
- Gillette has announced that it will sell its Oral-B Rembrandt teeth whitening brand, which it purchased for $300 million about 15 months ago. The reason: divesting the line will help Procter & Gamble gain regulatory approval from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of its $57 billion acquisition of Gillette.
The Boston Globe notes that P&G has two-thirds of the nascent teeth whitening market with its Crest Whitestrips.
P&G also plans to sell its Crest SpinBrush in order to garner European approval of the acquisition.
- McDonald’s announced that it will offer MasterCard International Inc.'s Pay Pass service – which uses radio frequencies to allow customers to pay for transactions simply by tapping or waving the cash card near a checkout - in more than 13,600 U.S. stores after introducing it in about 7,500 units.
The move comes as competitors such as Pizza Hut, KFC and 7-Eleven also adopt the technology.
- Walgreen Co. announced that it will move all products containing pseudoephedrine – an ingredient used to make methamphetamine — behind its pharmacy counters by the end of October – going a step farther than it did last April, when it moved removed products in which pseudoephedrine was the single ingredient from store shelves.
- A study by IHL Consulting Group says that self checkout systems will account for about $161 billion in transactions this year, and will increase to $450 billion within the next three years.
