Report: Supervalu tied to secret Walmart opposition

Eden Prairie, Minn. Supervalu is reportedly among several large grocery retailers that have funded secretive oppositions to new Walmart stores, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The chain was a client of Saint Consulting Group to block Wal-Mart Stores’ developments.

In one case, Saint delayed a proposed Walmart Supercenter in suburban Chicago to protect nine Supervalu-owned Jewel-Osco grocery stores in surrounding cities, the report said.

Former Saint employees told the Wall Street Journal that managers, under fake names, would coordinate calling blitzes to local politicians, hire attorneys and traffic experts to delay the projects and train grocery workers to speak out against Wal-Mart land-use requests.