Supermarkets

Tesco will call its new chain of grocery stores in the U.S. the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the British retailer said. The company was eyeing sites for 300 small grocery stores in Southern California, Las Vegas and Phoenix and was prepared to spend as much as $2 billion over five years on its launch, Tesco USA Chief Executive Tim Mason said. The first stores will open this year. Each market will be 10,000 square feet, about the size of a Trader Joe's grocery store.

Gelson's has become the second Southern California supermarket chain to reach an agreement with its workers union, removing the threat of a strike at another regional grocer as talks continue with the three national players. The Gelson's contract follows a deal last month between Stater Bros. of Colton and the United Food and Commercial Workers. Union officials say the contracts give them ammunition in negotiations with Supervalu Inc.'s Albertsons chain, Safeway Inc.'

The contract for 65,000 Southern California grocery workers is likely to expire in a little more than a week without a new pact. But the prospect for an imminent strike, a possible work stoppage or prolonged negotiations remains a big question mark. The current contract expires March 5. "It would be an uncertain state of affairs," said Michael Shimpock of SG&A Campaigns, a Pasadena media and political consulting firm hired by the local unions to speak about the talks. Steven Burd, Safeway Inc.'

Of all those who've lauded Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan for universal health coverage -- Democratic lawmakers, administration factotums, think-tank policy wonks and assorted others -- none has stood out quite like Steve Burd, the chairman and chief executive of Safeway Inc.

The contract for about 65,000 Southern California grocery workers will expire Monday without a new agreement but also no immediate threat of a work stoppage, representatives of the three major chains and the United Food and Commercial Workers union said Friday. Sources familiar with the talks said Kroger Co.'s Ralphs and the union were close to agreeing to extend the existing contract for a minimum of two weeks.

The union representing 65,000 Southern California grocery workers reached an agreement with the major supermarket chains to extend for two weeks a contract that was set to expire Monday night. Almost no substantive negotiations have taken place in the weeks leading up to Monday's original contract expiration date. But now the two sides have agreed to meet on dates to be determined by federal labor mediator Linda Gonzalez.

When Freshia Market opened a store last month within walking distance of his Torrance home, Ron Gold was pleased. The 79-year-old retired insurance agent was thrilled with the fresh vegetables and fruits at bargain prices, although he didn't know what to make of the chili pastes, sun-dried squid, marinated raw blue crabs, boiled codfish eggs, sweet rice cakes, tofu, seaweed and other Korean specialties.

With the help of a federal mediator, the union that represents 65,000 Southern California grocery workers and the three major supermarket chains agreed to a second extension to a contract that was set to expire two weeks ago. This latest extension will last until April 9. It will run day to day after that and will have a 72-hour notice-of-cancellation clause that can be invoked by either party.

Just a day after agreeing to extend contract talks for three weeks, the union that represents 65,000 Southern California grocery workers targeted Albertsons for a strike vote Sunday. Union officials say that despite the extension, negotiations are moving at a "glacial pace" and they need leverage to reach an agreement with Albertsons, Vons and Ralphs, the region's largest supermarket chains.

The prospect of a strike at Albertsons grocery stores conjured up an unhappy sense of deja vu for workers and customers Sunday as they wondered what was ahead. The three-year contract for workers at the three largest Southland grocery chains is set to expire April 9 after two extensions in the last month. On Sunday, union workers at Supervalu Inc.'s Albertsons were voting on whether to give union leaders the authority to call a strike.