Safeway rises on speculation of buyout interest

New York -- Shares of Safeway Inc. shares rose as much as 9% on Wednesday on rumors of increased buyout interest for its Canada operations by Canadian grocer Metro Inc. and Loblaw Companies Ltd.



On Tuesday, Metro announced it was selling off nearly half its stake in Couche-Tard Inc. for $482 million.



In December, Loblaw announced plans to spin off the vast majority of its property assets into a real estate investment trust.