Short Liners...

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Activist investor Bill Ackman is urging Target to move to a sale-leaseback model, in which Target would sell its real estate holdings to a subsidiary that would then lease the stores back to Target.

Target currently has stores in Brooklyn and the Bronx and will open its first Manhattan store next year.

Two new grocery stores to open in Downtown Brooklyn.

More on the re-vamped Gristedes.

Fresh Market coming to NY, Wal-Mart scales back growth, Wednesday Morning One Liners...

Tops rolls out 'We Proof Everyone' Policy for Alcohol/Tobacco products.

Gristedes Brooklyn Heights update...Hiring begins Nov. 5

The Fresh Market Eyes N.Y. Entry

Southern-bred specialty operator The Fresh Market appears to be heading north to the home turf of Golub Price Chopper in New York State, according to a report in the Schenectady Daily Gazette, which identified The Fresh Market as a tenant in a redevelopment in the town of Colonie, bordering Schenectady County, N.Y.

The LA Times covers UFCW's campaign against Fresh & Easy

Wal-Mart presents a more scaled back growth strategy to analysts.

Wal-Mart's Sam's Club is planning to test a new warehouse store catering specifically to Hispanics and featuring products from Mexico, executives of the chain said at the company's annual analyst meeting here yesterday.
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Wal-Mart U.S. CEO Says Cutting U.S. Store Openings

During day one of a two-day meeting with analysts, Eduardo Castro-Wright said the mega retailer is attempting to adjust to a down economy

Stop & Shop and Giant Stores are introducing a new shelf label to point out healthy foods, said Jim Dwyer, chief business development officer, Ahold USA, speaking at the Ahold USA "Media Days" meeting here Monday.
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Bankrupt shopping-cart maker Rehrig-United, backed by Woodside Capital Partners, is suing three of its customers, including the Home Depot Inc. and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc., for neglecting to pay for hundreds of thousands of dollars of products....

Great Editorial:
It's tempting to say “it's the economy's fault” in describing shortfalls in retail financial results. But recently, both Supervalu and A&P took at least partial blame for errors in pricing that hurt performance. It was further proof that a lot of things can go wrong in this economy if you don't get strategies exactly right.

A trial date of Dec. 23 has been set for four former executives of Ralphs Grocery Co. following their filing earlier this week of not guilty pleas in U.S. District Court here on charges that they hired locked-out workers during the 2003-2004 labor dispute in Southern California.
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Several food retailers were among those companies that saw their stocks rise in double digits yesterday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 10.9%, reportedly in anticipation of interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
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King Kullen here, and its subsidiary Wild by Nature, have joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, a voluntary program to promote green refrigeration technologies and practices.
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Vermont farmers in search of mutually beneficial professional partnerships will get their chance to do some networking today at a "Matchmaker" event consisting of a series of brief meetings with food buyers from supermarket operators, restaurants, food co-ops, and colleges.

Politics

Betsy Gotbaum, the New York City public advocate, will not run for re-election next year, she said in an interview on Monday

Jimmy Vacca's term-limit vote is a disappointment
East Bronx City Councilman Jimmy Vacca's last-minute switch to vote for extending term limits - a bill he bitterly opposed down to the wire - has a lotta folks sadly shaking their heads.

Newsday (James Madore): Economic downturn expected to cost 160,000 New York jobs

Monday Morning One Liners...

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United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23 members who work for Penn Traffic have ratified a new three-year agreement

Target Corp. here yesterday said it will open fewer new stores than previously projected during the next two years, according to reports.
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UFCW Muslim workers are demanding a time for prayer.

The UFW is urging Trader Joe's to fight for labor rights after a 17-year-old employee died of a heat stroke earlier this summer.

Ahold's U.S. banners posted a combined 6.4% sales gain in the third quarter, with comparable-store and identical-store sales gains at all U.S. divisions, the retailer here said in a trading statement Friday.
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Assembly Member Micah Kellner distributed environmentally friendly re-usable shopping bags at the Roosevelt Island Farmers Market this past Saturday.

Wakefern Food Corp.'s ShopRite banner has launched a weekly circulars widget.
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The Fresh Market, a fast growing gourmet store from South Carolina is still eagerly trying to expand throughout the North-East, and is now heading to the Albany area.

The Times Union tells their readers it's not Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

More on the development here.

A Human Rights Researcher says Wal-Mart has "perfected the art of Union busting."

The NY Times endorsed Mike McMahon.

'Nightmare scenario' in State Senate

It's being called "the nightmare scenario": a State Senate unable to work because Democrats and Republicans win an equal number of seats in the Nov. 4 elections. Such a tie hasn't occurred before in modern New York history but is looking more likely because there are only a few close races out of 6

Quinn-Quinn situation for the speaker

The biggest winner - after Mayor Bloomberg - of the City Council's vote to extend term limits may be Speaker Christine Quinn.

And John Casamatidis can now carry a gun.

A UFCW Local strikes in Canada, Target fined for overcharging, Whole Foods Gowanus is a lingering question mark, Thursday One Liners...

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Nearly 800 workers at Loblaw Cos Ltd's 13 Maxi stores in eastern Quebec went on strike on Wednesday over wages and benefits, the union said.

More from Supermarket News

The Brooklyn Paper says Whole Foods needs a partner in the Gowanus project.

Whole Foods stock yesterday hit all time seven-year low.

Sears Holdings will remove grocery departments at four Super Kmart stores and convert them to the nonfood Big Kmart format, a company spokeswoman told SN Wednesday.
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Target stores have agreed to pay a $1.7 million civil penalty for overcharging California customers through electronic cash register scanners that rang up too-high prices, the Sonoma County district attorney's office said Tuesday.

Wal-Mart's new Green sustainability push.

Politics

Newsday writes on the nasty State Senate race between Craig Johnson and Barbara Donno.

Palin's $150,000 wardrobe.

Whole Foods in Gowanus will open never?, Wal-Mart "upgrades" products from China, Wednesday One Liners...

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Wal-Mart has announced it will step up its quality of products from China.

Here's more from the WSJ.

Wal-Mart Stores, Bentonville, Ark., is scheduled to convene a conference here today with many of its leading global suppliers, plus Chinese officials and non-government organizations, to outline "a series of aggressive goals and expectations to build a more environmentally and socially responsible global supply chain," the company said yesterday.
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The Wal-Mart Foundation has delivered $577,000 to New York state's network of food banks as part of a partnership that will also have the retailer conducting food drives inside its stores.

A federal judge has awarded $4.6 million in back pay and damages to 36 delivery workers at two Saigon Grill restaurants in Manhattan, finding blatant and systematic violations of minimum-wage and overtime laws.

The Federal Trade Commission here has appointed an administrative law judge to oversee its administrative antitrust case against Whole Foods Market’s acquisition last year of Wild Oats Markets.
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Stew Leonard's has offered reusable canvas bags to customers since last year, but its new crop of bags, introduced this week, reflects consumer preferences in materials and design.

To help it improve its gluten-free product selection and services, Wegmans Food Markets surveyed shoppers on their gluten-free item needs

The Gowanus Lounge writes about the long awaited Gowanus Whole Foods, and says residents will have to continue their waiting...

Political

Obama says McCain is 'running out of time.'

Leaders of three major state employee unions met with Gov. David Paterson on Tuesday for what was described as a freewheeling discussion of how the state can save money to deal with its growing budget deficit.

Rep. Vito Fossella's conviction last week in Virginia for drunk driving should also be the final nail in his political coffin.

Tuesday Afternoon One Liners...

A&P, SuperFresh and Waldbaum’s stores have begun introducing products under the Hartford Reserve label — a new store brand featuring “premium artisan products at value prices,” the retailer here said.

Wal-Mart is posting videos of presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama in hopes to educate customers.

Whole Foods stock was downgraded again this morning.

Political

Elliot Spitzer and his wife celebrated their 21st anniversary at Eli's.

If there is a Patterson Suozzi ticket in 2009, Cuomo will have a tough road.

Newsday writes on the 18th Assembly District.

Hiram Monnserrate opposes Term Limits Change.

The city comptroller said Sunday that Mayor Michael Bloomberg is strong-arming City Council members to support his plan to change the city's term-limits law so he can run again, but a Bloomberg spokesman denied it.

Wal-Mart Shuts down another Unionized Store...

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, said it closed a unionized Quebec tire and lubrication shop because of costs tied to the first labor agreement imposed at any of its North American locations. 

More from Wal-Mart Watch.

Citing "an unworkable union contract" that increased costs by more than 30%, Wal-Mart Canada on Thursday closed the Tire Lube Express automotive center at its discount store in Gatineau, Quebec.
Read more of this story [Super Market News]

Reuters

Nike is also suing Wal-Mart for patent infringement.

Politics

Obama & McCain took part in Charity Roast last night here in NY.  Here's the video.

NYSUT moves to back GOP slate

Concerned about possible job losses through state budget cuts, the powerful New York State United Teachers is taking a vote today about endorsing all 30 state Senate Republicans 

Bill Thompson, the city Comptroller said he's running for mayor - no matter what

Wal-Mart's Right Wing Agenda, Whole Foods cutting store expansion?, Thursday Morning One Liners...

Recently Wal-Mart Watch launched a site [click here] that tracked Wal-Mart's political past, mainly donating to the right wing....The site is now getting national attention.

Kroger has won the 2008 Supermarket News retail excellence award.

A&P’s sharply devalued stock rebounded somewhat Tuesday after the retailer here reported increased second-quarter sales and reduced losses despite encountering additional transition problems that sunk margins at its newly acquired Pathmark stores.
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Here's more on A&P stock from the AP

Fresh Direct announced that they have eliminated over 50% of the Styrofoam from their packaging and are working to remove the rest. In early 2009 their goal is to dramatically reduce the number of boxes containing just 1 or 2 items. This will result in 1,000,000 fewer boxes each year sent into their customers' homes and recycling bins.

Pepsico to cut 3,300 jobs.

One of AOL's top stories today featured a piece telling consumers not to purchase Milk at the Supermarket now, and to purchase 5 particular items at Drug Stores like CVS for a cheaper price..

The Fresh Market became one of more than 4,500 grocery stores and restaurants participating in The Humane Society's ProtectSeals campaign to help end Canada's commercial seal hunt. 

In response to a new study that says their private-label bottled water brands contain contaminants and are basically no different than tap water, Giant Food of Landover, Md., and Wal-Mart Stores, Bentonville, Ark., say their products are held to strict standards.
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More press on the Riverhead Wal-Mart being overturned. 

Kroger Co. here said sales trends have continued to improve in its fiscal third quarter.
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Blog refers to Whole Foods cutting store expansion (in Brooklyn) due to financial difficulties.

Political

NY1: Hillary Clinton Calls Push To Extend Term Limits "Disturbing"

Senator Hillary Clinton, in a Wednesday interview on NY1's "Inside City Hall," said that since city voters have shot down the proposal to extend term limits twice, their voices should also be taken into consideration.

NY Times (David Chen): Clinton Says Path on Term Limits Is 'Disturbing'

Bill Clinton will appear with Anthony Weiner.

Craig Johnson and Barbara Dunno are in the midst of a heated campaign as Newsday reports.

An attorney for the Nassau Democratic Party has asked Cablevision to pull Republican-sponsored campaign ads against state Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington).

The State Senate’s top Democrat is accusing Senate Republicans of offering to block any cuts to education in an upcoming emergency special budget session in return for campaign help from a powerful teachers union.

NY Times: Change to win touts it's Campaign Machine.

Anthony Weiner will not quit the Mayoral race.

The Suffolk Legislature yesterday rejected County Executive Steve Levy's proposal to fast-track legislation to hold public hearings and issue a request for proposals to sell the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility.

And Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio continues his probe of the Yankee Stadium deal.

Wegmans closes Photo Dept, New Trader Joe's in NYC 2009, Tuesday Morning One Liners...

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Wegman's officially closed all of their photo departments this past Saturday. 

BJ's Wholesale Club of Massachusetts says it will close its store in Greenville, putting about 60 people out of work.

The Gotham Gazette writes on the retail boom in Brooklyn.

A homeless man has been arrested on charges of shoplifting two raw steaks from a Hampton Bays supermarket, Southampton Town Police said.  Robert Noble, 50, took the steaks, worth $24.70, from a King Kullen meat case Wednesday around 2:45 p.m. and left, police said.

Price Chopper Supermarkets is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its recipe-sampling program.
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UFCW Local 74D representing 148 workers at MGP Ingredients voted Friday to accept a new contract.

Members of the UFCW Local 1400 have ratified a new collective agreement with their employer, Westfair Foods in Phoenix.

Save Mart Supermarkets [California] announced last week that its recently opened Riverbank, Calif., supermarket has received a $46,000 rebate from the Modesto Irrigation District (MID), a public power agency, in recognition of the store’s energy-saving initiatives.
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FITNESS magazine has named CEO of Wegmans, Danny Wegman, to its first-ever Fit 50 List,

Super 88, a chain of Asian supermarkets in Boston, has shuttered three of its six locations, including the chain’s original location in this city’s Chinatown, according to local reports last week.
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Trader Joe's will open a new two-level store in a tower under construction at Broadway and 72nd Street next year.

Spartan Stores has agreed to acquire VG’s Food Center and VG’s Pharmacy, a 17-store operator based in Fenton, Mich., that is Spartan’s largest distribution customer.
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Target Corp. said Friday it planned to stage 45 grand openings around the country yesterday, including its first two stores in Alaska.
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Costco Wholesale Corp.’s joint-venture partner in Mexico is seeking a financial reorganization, but that should not impact the Mexican operations of Costco, industry analysts said Friday.
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As part of a periodic series of consumer surveys, Wegmans Food Markets polled shoppers via email on their habits when it comes to purchasing prepared foods.

Eduardo Castro-Wright, president and c.e.o. of Wal-Mart Stores, USA will address Town Hall Los Angeles as part of its ongoing c.e.o. series on Tuesday, October 21 at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel. Angelenos have the opportunity to ask this industry leader how the current economy changes Wal-Mart's business strategies

Political

Several polls released this morning show Barack Obama with significant leads in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Chuck Schumer will be in Queens next week to campaign for City Councilman Joseph Addabbo,

NYC council speaker backs Bloomberg plan

The widely diverging views held by Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains, and Republican challenger Kieran Lalor of Peekskill present voters in the sprawling 19th Congressional District with concrete choices on Nov. 4.
 

Rapper Jay-Z, who recorded a robo-call for Barack Obama in Ohio before the primary, is out with a video for Michigan urging "all [his] people" to vote on November 4

President Bruce Both attends Bail Out Rally...

On September 25, 2008 United Food & Commercial Workers President Bruce W. Both, along with organized labor, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, working families and community activists across the metropolitan area joined the New York City Central Labor Council in an Emergency Mobilization Press Conference at noon in front of the NY Stock Exchange. The press conference was aimed to show the overall disappointment with United States Government's decision to "Bail-Out" irresponsible corporations that had brought us to this economic turmoil in the first place.

Riverhead Wal-Mart barred, Another Wal-Mart supplier accused of sweatshop conditions & Friday Morning One Liners...

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Newsday covers the barred opening of the Riverhead Wal-Mart.

Another Wal-Mart supplier has been accused of sweatshop conditions, employees were forced into 19 hour work days while being paid sometimes less than $20.00 a month.

Brooklyn Borough President and Atlantic Yards supporter Marty Markowitz has received between $680,000 and $1.075 million from Atlantic Yards-affiliated companies since 2003, via donations to non-profit companies he created

The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have reached a settlement over alleged violations of the Clear Air Act, which prohibits the sale or distribution of nonessential products containing ozone-depleting substances.

In a letter to Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber, City Council member John Liu spoke out against the Willets Point redevelopment plan

Supermarket stocks suffered a tumble along with the broader market Thursday as investors continued to sell.

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Two owners of an Associated Supermarket in Brooklyn were arrested this week and charged with filing false documents with the state, defrauding employees and paying illegal wages.

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Wal-Mart Stores wants to merge the ideas of price and sustainability in its message to consumers, the executive vice president of the company's grocery division said at a conference here yesterday.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday said it has charged two former top executives at drug store chain Duane Reade with accounting fraud, alleging that they executed false-payment schemes that inflated the company's profits.

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Politics

Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a McCain campaign co-chairman, edged up to an explicitly racial attack on Barack Obama on Thursday, describing the Illinois Senator as a "guy of the street" before raising his youthful drug use 

Associated Supermarket cheats workers, Thursday Morning One Liners...

The top two executives at an Associated supermarket in Brooklyn were arrested on Wednesday on charges that they had cheated workers out of more than $300,000 and had falsified business records that they gave to state officials.

Health Care for America Now, a coalition of liberal, labor, women's and Latino groups, has released a new ad critical of health care proposals put forth by John McCain and several Republican congressional candidates....Here for the Video....Here for the story

Edmonton and Calgary Superstore employees narrowly accepted a new contract yesterday. 

UFCW 8-Golden State President Jacques Loveall announced today that the union is expanding its informational picketing campaign against non-Union Foods Co stores to Fresno

 

BJ's food sales rose by double digits in September.

Fresh Direct is raising funds to fight Breast Cancer.

Eighteen percent of shoppers would never again set foot in a particular store if they believe it's unclean, according to a study conducted by M/A/R/C Research. Indeed, while cleanliness has long been associated with a high opinion of a particular store, the study found 46 percent of consumers deeming a clean shopping environment as extremely important.

Tesco is adding Fresh and Easy stores to Las Vegas.

Steve Burd, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Safeway, has been presented with the 2008 SPIRIT award by the U.S. Labor Department, recognizing Safeway’s leadership in furthering employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
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Wal-Mart Same Store Sales Up, But Miss Forecast. The world's largest retailer reported same-store sales in September rose 2.4 percent, slightly lower than analyst expectations of 2.5 percent

 

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market here said its investment in a massive solar panel installation at its warehouse here is providing nearly 75% of the facility’s energy needs and helping keep its grocery prices affordable.
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Political

Nassau County, traditionally one of the nation's most powerful Republican strongholds, has turned Democratic, according to Jay Jacobs, Nassau Democratic chairman. The party leader said Democrats closed the gap in voter registration, as of 11 a.m. yesterday, and by day's end had a 328,582 to 328,461 enrollment edge over county Republicans 

A broad-based Flushing/Corona community development group has strongly urged every City Councilmember to vote for the Willets Point redevelopment plan when it comes before the council for final approval in the near future.

Fresh Direct noise pollution, Whole Foods sued by Seattle, more Wednesday One Liners...

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Gristedes Grocery magnate John Catsimatidis has toyed with running for mayor for months - focusing his run on bringing the World's Fair back to New York City in 2014.




AFTER six years of political skirmishing, labeling laws that are supposed to tell shoppers whether their tomatoes, apples or chicken are homegrown or imported have taken effect. The new law gives retailers until March 30 to label the country of origin for foods including fruits, vegetables, beef, lamb, chicken, goat meat, ginseng, peanuts, pecans and macadamia nuts. Until now, only seafood has been subject to the labeling rule.

NY1 writes on the noise pollution Fresh Direct creates.

An out-of-control driver crashed through the window of a Brooklyn supermarket Friday and plowed into an elderly woman at the checkout counter, authorities and witnesses said, the driver was a representative from UFCW Local 342.

The 4th Street Food Co-op in Manhattan’s lower east side is still hanging in there six months after the city’s biggest Whole Foods supermarket moved into the neighborhood.

The Daily News gives readers advice on where to get the Falls best fruits and vegetables.

Whole Foods is being sued in Seattle for halting construction of a new store.

C&S Wholesale Grocers in NH is laying off around 250 workers related to the loss of Big Y Supermarkets as a customer, reports said.
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One local union in Western Canada settled with Loblaw while two others are scheduled to vote on tentative contract settlements, United Food and Commercial Workers Canada said.
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The Food Emporium, A&P's New York City-based grocery chain, has signed on as an official sponsor and has been named the official gourmet specialty store of the 2008 ING New York Marathon, A&P officials told SN.
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New York and eight other states sued the Bush administration Thursday over federal rules on water dumped from ships, claiming there is an illegal loophole that could hurt fisheries and contaminate drinking water

Wednesday Morning One Liners...

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Under the new rule, grocery stores will have to identify the country of origin for meats, produce and certain nuts; seafood is already labeled. Though it took effect on Tuesday, the Agriculture Department gave retailers six months to comply with the new law.

CBS News asks can you really tell where your food is from?

Whole Foods launches a body care line.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 880, the union representing thousands of area grocery workers, has reached tentative contract agreements with Giant Eagle Inc. and Heinen's Fine Foods.

The fledgling Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market operation showed heavy losses in its first reported results, but sales were improving, parent company Tesco said Tuesday.
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Wal-Mart Sets New Healthcare, Training Programs 



Whole Foods Helps Colorado Schools Go Gree  

Politics

Errol Lewis writes "Right-wingers are scapegoating hardworking American families"

 

The New York Times Editorial board has released a statement regarding Bloomberg and Term Limits.

Anthony Weiner said he’ll run against Bloomberg, but Bill Thompson was on the fence.