Steve Burd, Safeway chairman and CEO, told analysts that parent company of Arcadia-based Vons/Pavilions expects to continue rebounding from the 5-month labor strike that ended March 2004. Safeway reversed losses with a $202.7 million fourth-quarter profit in 2004.
Safeway Inc.'s profit slid 4% in the second quarter as the nation's number 3 supermarket chain continued to battle lingering effects from last winter's polarizing labor strikes.
Last winter's 4 1/2 month strike had a devastating impact on Safeway Inc., parent company of Vons/Pavilion headquartered in Arcadia. First quarter profits fell 73.5 % to $43.1 million from $162.6 million during the same quarter for the prior year.
Safeway shares rose 10% but analysts question the future. Arcadia-based Vons/Pavilions, which is owned by Safeway, faces a tough food environment and the many problems confronting the economy.
A large demonstration was held at the Vons division headquarters on Michillinda Avenue in an effort by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union to get the corporation to settle the labor dispute that has lasted for more than three months.
Shares of Safeway Inc. fell 4.5 percent after the Pleasanton-based parent company of Arcadia-based Vons/Pavilions said it expects second-quarter earnings will be below Wall Street estimates.
Safeway Inc., parent company of Arcadia-based Vons/Pavilions, is changing operations to comply with a new law that calls for a 25 percent reduction in California's carbon emissions by the year 2020.
Arcadia Chamber of Commerce takes Bank of America, Ralphs Grocery Co., Albertsons and Washington Mutual to task for not joining the Chamber of Commerce.
A new Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has opened in Arcadia. It is owned by Tesco, a British food giant. Tesco's labor practices have come under fire for relying on part-time workers, which may limit the ability of workers to earn a living wage.
Residents in much of the San Gabriel Valley can now shop for groceries online from Arcadia based Vons Company. Vons.com offers the same products as found in the stores at the same price, but charges $9.95 for delivery.
Arcadia Police Officers Association has used a billboard to advertise its contract dispute, claiming crime is up while the number of police officers is down. The billboard is shown in a photograph.
Safeway, Inc., the parent company of The Vons Companies, Inc., announced layoffs which will include 28 workers at the Vons Pavilions headquarters in Arcadia.
Eighty local Falun Gong practitioners go on a 268-hour vigil representing the 268 practitioners who have died from persecution in China. Three Arcadia women began a 7-day hunger strike in front of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles.
A federal judge overturned several charges in the case of Arcadia man George Torres, 52, accused of running his Numero Uno grocery store chain in Los Angeles like an organized crime ring. He had been convicted of racketeering charges, solicitation of murder and multiple tax and fraud charges when prosecutors came forward with new evidence that appeared to exonerate him on the more serious charges. Torres was released from federal custody after being held without bail for two years.
Sushi restaurant owner James Wei, 42, was shot dead by a robber who can be seen in surveillance videotape. The restaurant named Osaka Ya is in the Pavilions Shopping Center. Police are seeking the public's help in identifying the gunman.
Arcadia-based "The Vons Cos" pays reservist employees who are called up for service the difference between their company salary and the military compensation they receive.
State officials have shut down 5 Arcadia massage parlors and fined one business $1.83 million for alleged labor code violations. Inspectors discovered that employees were not being paid hourly wages but got paid every time a massage was given. New Life Acupuncture at 610 E. Live Oak was fined $1.83 million for allegedly violating laws requiring employers to provide pay stubs and workers' compensation insurance. The four other locations fined were Ocean Health Center, C.H. Health Center, Arcadia Spa, and Best Health Center. The fines and closures continued a crackdown on massage-related businesses in Arcadia.