Albertson S Inc

A U.S. appeals court ruled Wednesday that a financial mutual-aid pact among the three grocery chains involved in the Southern and Central California labor dispute last year could be challenged on antitrust grounds, a spokesman for state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said. Lockyer filed a lawsuit alleging that the agreement -- under which the chains shared nearly $150 million to help one another during the strike and lockout -- violated U.S. antitrust laws.

Supermarket chain Albertsons Inc. said first-quarter profit dropped 79% after a labor dispute at Southern California grocery chains hurt sales and the company shed its seven New Orleans stores. Net income was the lowest in seven quarters, declining to $36 million, or 10 cents a share, from $172 million, or 47 cents, a year earlier. Sales in the 13 weeks ended April 29 fell 2.5% to $8.69 billion.

Albertsons Inc., Safeway Inc. and the union representing workers at San Francisco Bay Area supermarkets agreed to keep negotiating past the expiration of their contract tonight. The No. 2 and No. 3 U.S. grocery chains and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, representing about 30,000 workers in the region, will extend the current contract. Both sides have the option of halting the talks on five days' notice.

A promotion to select carriers of the Olympic flame through Los Angeles on its way to the Athens Games has a significant catch: Forms to nominate candidates are available only at Albertsons stores, which are being picketed by locked-out supermarket workers. The contest will choose 30 winners, based on their inspirational qualities as detailed in essays due by Dec. 31. Allison Resner of Fast Horse Inc.

The three chains in the supermarket dispute held last-minute talks Monday with the state attorney general over his demand that they surrender a copy of their controversial mutual-aid pact. Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, citing potential antitrust violations, subpoenaed Safeway Inc., Kroger Co. and Albertsons Inc. on Dec. 1, asking them to produce the agreement by the close of business Monday.

While billboards and radio spots blare out L.A.'s latest supermarket takeover as nothing less than holy matrimony between Albertsons and Lucky, the bride has got to be having second thoughts. The honeymoon is barely over, and already the groom has confiscated the bride's plastic, consigning all her Lucky Rewards cards to the donation bin.

California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer won't drop his antitrust suit against the three supermarket chains involved in the California labor dispute even if union members ratify a proposed contract and end the 20-week strike and lockout, his office said Friday. "We definitely intend to pursue the case," Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar said. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles over a mutual-aid pact that was entered into by Albertsons Inc., Ralphs parent Kroger Co. and Safeway Inc.

A longtime Albertsons supermarket will close its doors in two weeks, leaving many residents, including several senior citizens, without a neighborhood grocery. "I've been coming here for years," said 75-year-old Jim Wetzel, as he left the market on El Camino Real with bags in hand. "Some prices are terribly high at the other end of town. I'm very disappointed to lose this sucker."

After receiving several calls from residents complaining about shopping carts strewn around the neighborhood near an Albertson's supermarket, the City Council this week cast about for solutions to cart clutter. Mayor Candace Haggard asked city staff to look into what other cities have done about the problem. Costa Mesa, for example, decided to hire a private firm to collect and return the carts.