Supermarket/Grocery

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer recently joined the U.S. Environment Protection Agency's GreenChill Partnership. Created as a voluntary partnership, GreenChill members focus on reducing refrigerant emissions and decreasing their impact on the environment and ultimately people's health. By joining GreenChill, Meijer is pledging to meet higher standards that go beyond the regulatory requirements to protect the ozone layer and combat climate change.

New York -- Walgreen Co. said Tuesday it will pay $6.7 billion for a 45% stake in European health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots, which is based Nottingham, England, with an option to buy the rest of the company in about three years. It is the first international venture and biggest deal ever for the U.S. chain.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets has raised $191,000 in donations and pet supplies for 94 local animal shelters and rescue organizations in its five state market area through its Paws for Pets program, nearly double the total raised in 2011.

The four-week program ran through Memorial Day weekend in the Company's stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.  During this time, 64 stores also hosted pet adopt-a-thon events with local pet organizations.

CARLISLE, Pa. — The Federal Trade Commission has approved Giant Food Stores' proposal to acquire 15 Genuardi's stores from Safeway.

The news follows Giant's Jan. 5 announcement that it would acquire the Genuardi's stores, all of which are located in the greater Philadelphia market. Giant also noted that under the terms of a consent order approved by the FTC, the Genuardi's located in Newtown, Pa., will be purchased by Newtown Market and will be operated as a McCaffrey's supermarket.

New York -- Tesco PLC is leaving the Japanese retail market after nine years. The company will sell 50% of Tesco Japan to Aeon Co., Japan’s largest retail group.

Tesco said it will form a joint venture with Aeon and invest £40 million ($63 million), then sell the remaining 50% to Aeon at a later date.

Cambridge, Mass. -- Walmart Supercenter wins the pricing battle over Amazon and Walmart.com, according to a new study by Kantar Retail. The study evaluates how a Walmart Supercenter basket contends with its online equivalent, Walmart.com, and its key online competitor, Amazon.

New York -- Carrefour SA said Friday it will sell its Greek supermarket business to its local partner and exit the country, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The French retailer said it would sell its 50% stake in the chain to its local partner, the Marinopoulos family, for an undisclosed amount and will take a mostly noncash charge of €220 million ($277.9 million), the report said.

Carrefour’s announcement comes two days before elections that could prove key as to whether Greece decides to stays in the euro zone.

Even though no retailer has done more to enhance food safety in China than Walmart, the company found itself in the headlines again this week as regulators discovered products containing banned ingredients on the retailer’s shelves.

Media reports said Walmart removed products from shelves after a food safety official in Beijing discovered high levels of cadmium in squid and excessive benzopyrene in sesame oil. Walmart said it had received appropriate regulatory documents from suppliers prior to offering the products, according to reports.