Top Retailers

ITASCA, Ill. — New Albertson’s has acquired five Dominick’s locations and appointed Shane Sampson, currently president of the company’s Boston-based Shaw’s Division, as president of the Jewel-Osco division based in Chicago. 

Sampson fills the role that had been held by interim division president Jim Rice since January 2014.

Sampson’s first project highlights the company’s commitment to investing in Chicago: Remodeling and reopening five additional former Dominick’s locations.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu on Thursday announced that two of its directors, Mark Neporent and Lenard Tessler, have stepped down from the board of directors effective immediately. Neporent and Tessler were both appointed to the board in 2013 as designees of Symphony Investors, a Cerberus Capital Management L.P.-led investor consortium, under the terms of the Tender Offer Agreement entered into with Symphony Investors and Cerberus in connection with Supervalu's sale of five banners to an affiliate of Symphony Investors.  

BALTIMORE, Md. — Indie beauty brand Oyin Handmade has announced that, starting in April, its products will be available in select Target stores across the country and online at Target.com.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco reported on Thursday a decrease in second-quarter net income, which it attributed to weaker sales and gross margin results in certain non-foods merchandise categories, weaker gross margins in its fresh foods business and lower reported international profits.

Net income for the quarter was $463 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, compared with $547 million, or $1.24 per diluted share, last year.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Cerberus won the bid for Safeway.

Safeway and Albertsons on Thursday announced a definitive agreement under which AB Acquisition will acquire all outstanding shares of Safeway in a deal valued at more than $9.1 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. 

The companies will operate independently until closing. 

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid on Thursday posted a 1.5% increase in same-store sales for the five weeks ended March 1. February front-end same-store sales decreased 1.8%, of which 0.5% was attributable to a decrease in sales of flu-related over-the-counter products. Pharmacy same-store sales, which included an approximate 138 basis points negative impact from new generic introductions, increased 3.1%. 

CINCINNATI — Kroger danced around "the elephant in the room" in declining to discuss future merger and acquisition plans on its fourth-quarter conference call Thursday morning. While neither Kroger executives nor analysts actually referenced any potential Safeway transaction, Rodney McMullen, Kroger CEO did provide some color as to what strategic opportunities the company would be interested in: "The thing that was attractive about Harris Teeter as a transaction — it's a well-run company that overall we admired a whole lot," he said.

NEW YORK — Cerberus Capital Management is attempting to lock down a deal to secure Safeway as part of an acquisition that could exceed $9 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.