Friday Morning One Liners: New England Updates, Bay Ridge Key Food opening date

Boston Globe reports: Union leaders involved in contract talks with Quincy-based Stop & Shop have issued 24-hour notices to end the collective bargaining agreement, which could trigger a strike if an agreement isn't reached by noon Friday.

Boston Herald: Nearly 40,000 Stop & Shop meat-cutters, cashiers and other workers could go on strike as soon as noon today in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Providence Journal: Contract talks between Stop & Shop and its workers are snagged, and union representatives said Thursday they will terminate their contract Friday at noon.

Tell Stop & Shop that if workers' are forced to strike, they'll lose my business. [Facebook]

Price Chopper has agreed to acquire six P&C supermarkets from Tops Friendly Markets, Tops said Thursday.

The Shaw's grocery store chain, which is selling all of its Connecticut locations, says it will cut 967 jobs at those stores.

Stop & Shop post Q4 Gains: Ahold announced fourth-quarter operating income at the company’s Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover division rose 15%, to $238 million, and full-year operating income at the division rose 24%, to $869 million. As previously reported, sales for the year were up 4.6% at the division, to $17.9 billion, including an extra week of sales in the most recent fiscal year. Adjusted sales rose 2.6%.

Protesters in Chicago rally against Walmart's sick-day practice.  “Wal-Mart would rather have their employees come in even though they are very sick,” said Moises Zavala, “just for the sake of stretching their profits

A new Bay Ridge Key Food is set to open up on Thursday, March 11, 2010. 

Friday Lunch Time One Liners...New CEO for A&P

Image via Wikipedia

A&P Announces new CEO: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc. (A&P) has appointed Ron Marshall its president and CEO, effective Feb. 8.

Bloomberg News has more, Ron Marshall sat as the CEO of Borders before taking the A&P job.  Yucapia Investments, who holds a 27% ownership stake in A&P, and Aletheia Research & Management, out of Santa Monica, Calif.,  recently purchased 147 million shares of A&P in a series of purchases between Oct. 15 and Dec. 15, representing an investment of more than $136.5 million.  Aletheia, also last month, revealed it had bought a 10.8% stake in bookseller Barnes & Noble, another company in which Yucaipa has invested this year.

The InstoreMarketer.org gives a Field Report on A&P:
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. plans to scale back on a strategy which presented an array of short-term promotions that left shoppers "confused," its chairman recently told investors. The company had hoped to boost sales through a variety of programs that included both weekly and four-day sales, campaigns for its general loyalty program and distinct pet- and baby-related efforts, and a number of other promotions.

MY UFCW Blog: Whole Foods has a Bright Idea: Fat Tax for Employees.

ABC News wonders if this plan is fair.

Meanwhile John Mackey's pay was valued at $654K in 2009.

Supermarket News: Price Chopper here filed a lawsuit against Penn Traffic Co. this week alleging breach of contract after a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Penn Traffic to Tops Friendly Markets, Williamsville, N.Y., according to reports.

More: Price Chopper Sues Penn Traffic for Breach of Contract.

Philadelphia-based ShopRite owner Jeff Brown was recognized during President Obama’s first-ever State of the Union address for the strides he has made in bringing supermarkets to impoverished urban areas.

Target & Safeway announce new Sustainable Seafood Initiatives.

Gristedes has told Supermarket News they're switching wholesalers, from White Rose to Wakefern.

Union Spotlights Green Cleaning:
Green cleaning standards, including safer cleaning products, have become a key focus of ongoing negotiations over labor contracts for 650 supermarket janitors working at Save Mart and Safeway stores in Northern California.

The Penn Traffic sale to Tops was approved, the UFCW released a statement on what the sale means for the thousands of Penn Traffic workers: "Thousands of UFCW members are hopeful that today's sale will give them the opportunity to maintain their jobs, their health benefits and pensions. Rebuilding this company is essential to the economic security of our communities and will require a strong partnership between Tops Market and workers."

More:

Buffalo News

Wellsboro Gazette: Said Tops Public Relations Manager Kate McKenna, “Although I cannot tell you which stores will be kept open, I can say that it is Tops’ intention to retain as many of the stores and jobs as possible. Right now, we are evaluating all 79 stores. Our decision as to which to keep open and which to close will also be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission before any announcement can be made.”

Crain's NY: Labor-law violations seen costly for New York City workers.
Employer violations of minimum wage, overtime and other labor laws across an array of industries costs more than 317,000 low-wage workers in the city $18.4 million per week, according to a new study released Thursday.

FRESH



Recently two Bronx retailers, Foodtown & Western Beef submitted questionnaires that in order to receive NYC incentives from the recently passed Food Retail Expansion to Support Health bill (or F.R.E.S.H.), the city has posted them on the NYC FRESH website,
Western Beef's Questionnaire [pdf]
Foodtown Questionnaire [pdf]


Seeking Alpha looks at the top 6 trends for Supermarkets in 2010.

Wal-Mart Stores said Thursday it is realigning its Walmart US organization to leverage its scale and move closer to the customer, effective Monday.

2,500 Foxwoods dealers now have a tentative contract with the UAW.

Tuesday News...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Walmart and Chicago
Walmart-Chicago Deal Falls Apart: Chicago Tribune

Walmart Building Battle Drags On: Chicago Sun-Times

Walmart Stores in California has stopped giving out free bags at three stores in Northern California as a test. 

Walmart announced they will close 10 Sam's Club's in US.

AFL CIO Blog: Unions Battle Verizon-Frontier Deal and $600 Million Tax Break
There is an oddly named tax loophole—the Reverse Morris Trust—that is so big and lucrative Verizon is getting ready to pull $600 million through it if its sale of rural phone landlines in 14 states to Frontier Communications is approved.
Not only does Verizon stand to pocket the $600 million tax break, but a similar deal in New England shows consumers’ phone and Internet services are likely to deteriorate and workers’ jobs may be put in jeopardy.

Penn Traffic Sale Expected by Jan.25
Penn Traffic Co., parent company of Quality Markets in the Town of Lockport, is expected to be sold by Jan. 25 according to court documents from the company’s bankruptcy proceedings.

The top bidder remains Tops Markets, which on Friday put in an $85 million offer to purchase all of Penn Traffic’s assets including all 79 stores. The bid surpassed that of Price Chopper, which submitted a $54 million bid for 22 of Penn Traffic’s P&C Foods stores. Tops’ offer has been accepted by Penn Traffic but still needs court approval, which will be determined at a later hearing date. If Tops’ bid is not approved, then another bidder could step in, because according to court documents, bidders have until Jan. 19 to file offers.

Price Chopper on acquiring Penn Traffic stores: "It's pretty much over"


Harold Ford Jr. pleas his Senate case to New Yorkers in the NY Post.