Supermarket/Grocery

Although Walmart won’t provide official fourth-quarter sales guidance until Nov. 15 when it releases third-quarter sales, company executives sounded very bullish about Walmart’s prospects for holiday success and longer-term growth during an all-day meeting with financial analysts on Wednesday.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway reported net income of $130.2 million (38 cents per diluted share) for the third quarter of 2011 compared with $122.8 million (33 cents per diluted share) for the third quarter of 2010.

Total sales were $10.1 billion in the third quarter of 2011 compared with $9.4 billion in the third quarter of 2010, due primarily to higher fuel sales, a 1.5% increase in identical-store sales (excluding fuel) and a higher Canadian exchange rate.

Boston -- Global private equity firm Advent International announced that Thomas Ryan, former chairman and CEO of CVS Caremark Corp., has joined the firm’s Operating Partner Program. He will advise and work closely with Advent’s investment professionals to identify attractive opportunities and generate post-investment value at retail and healthcare companies globally.

Ryan, who joined CVS Caremark in 1974 as a pharmacist, was appointed chief executive in 1994.

Promotions during September saw mixed outcome with some retailers increasing the number of pages and inserts, while the rest decreased the volume of promotions. The contrasting promotional strategies among the retailers led to the overall change being minimal. 

Like August, the largest decrease was Lowes, which saw a 61% drop in number of number of pages per market and 54% decline in inserts per market. This was a result of Lowes not having promotions in the second and third week of both August and September.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway reported a 6% rise in fiscal third-quarter profit amid stronger revenue from gasoline sales and cost control efforts. Net income rose to $130.2 million for the period ended Sept. 10, up from $122.8 million, or 33 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenue rose 7% to $10.06 billion, from $9.4 billion. Same-store sales, excluding fuel, rose 1.5%
 

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that has partnered with FishWish to help reach its goal selling only sustainable and traceable seafood in its stores by 2015. 

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation Wednesday said that legislation introduced in the House to repeal debit card swipe fee reform would cost consumers more than $6 billion a year in savings that merchants plan to pass along to their customers.

ST. LOUIS — Ralcorp Holdings announced that Robert Vitale will serve as CFO Post Holdings in conjunction with the previously announced separation of Ralcorp and the Post cereal business.  Vitale will join Post effective Nov. 1.