Shop owner Mimi Ko said she was “shocked” when she heard about the sale Thursday of Albertsons grocery stores to an investment group.

She was worried about the effect on her business, which is next to one of two Albertsons locations in Redondo Beach.

“We need it,” said Ko, who owns Mimi’s Cleaners. “All my customers go to this market. When they go there, they come here. … It’s so important to me. ”

Minneapolis, Minn.-based SuperValu Inc. said Thursday that it sold its Albertsons stores and four other grocery chains to AB Acquisition LLC, an investment group affiliated with investment giant Cerberus Capital Management L.P. The stock deal was valued at $3.3 billion, including $100 million in cash and $3.2 billion in debt assumption.

Albertsons has been a major financial drag on SuperValu, which has tried to cut losses by closing locations.

In September, SuperValu said it was closing 60 underperforming Albertsons stores, including 18 in Southern California. Some of the affected stores were in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Northridge and Riverside.

In June, Albertsons announced layoffs of as many as 2,500 employees in Southern California and southern Nevada supermarkets. Albertsons has 228 stores in California from the Central Coast to San Diego and eastward to the Inland Empire and Southern Nevada.

Albertsons declined to answer questions about the chain’s future, whether more stores will close or if employees will be laid off.

Spokeswoman Christine Wilcox said in an email that the company will give more details about the sale today after the new owners “officially begin running the stores. ”

In a statement, SuperValu President and CEO Sam Duncan expressed confidence in the sale of the money-losing Albertsons.

“The successful completion of this transaction marks a significant milestone for SuperValu and our shareholders, customers and employees,” Duncan said. “I am pleased to be leading SuperValu during this time of change and strongly believe there is an exciting future ahead for us. ”

Albertsons has faced intense competition from other grocery chains as well as such retailers as Wal-Mart and Target, which often undercut the prices of traditional grocery stores to draw customers who then purchase household goods like children’s clothing and bed sheets.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, an El Segundo-based grocery chain owned by Britain’s Tesco retail giant, has also faced a difficult time getting out of the red. Tesco is currently looking for a buyer or partner for its Fresh & Easy chain, which is spread across Southern California and Nevada.

On Thursday, Jay Sheldon went to the Albertsons in north Redondo Beach to buy propane. He expressed concern for the fate of the employees there.

“If you keep this store open and they treat the employees as well or better, that would be good,” said Sheldon, 64, of Hermosa Beach. “It’s convenient. We’ll come by here and see what their specials are. ”

However, Sheldon offered an observation that speaks to the problems facing Albertsons.

“It’s never that busy,” he said. “The parking is easy here. ”

Reprinted from the Los Angeles Daily News (3/21/2013)

Almost 500 years after John Donne proclaimed that no man is an island, it can now be said that some men have a man aisle — a sign of the grocery-shopping times that illustrates how roles have shifted in 21st century families.

This month, the National Retail Federation’s Stores Magazine even reports that there’s a change afoot in who’s doing the shopping, though this shift first came to light via 2010 U.S. Census figures, which revealed 20% of fathers with preschool-aged children and working wives were the primary caregivers at home.

Yet, if the media needed more tangible proof, it found it in a somewhat silly place: the corner of a New York City grocery store dedicated to manly goods, and dubbed “The Man Isle” [sic] by the operators of Westside Market NYC. Media outlets such as the New York Post and Los Angeles Times couldn’t get enough, though a closer look reveals that this “man aisle” is more marketing gimmick than manly substance. Check out the store photos posted by Business Insider and you’ll see what we mean: Doritos? Ramen noodles? Teriyaki beef jerky? Hmmm. Could this really be the “caveman aisle” instead?

Still, the hype over one store’s cheap (and successful) publicity stunt can’t obscure the overarching facts: More men grocery shop today than the guys of previous generations. Chalk up the Great Recession as a key factor: The Center for American Progress reports that between December 2007 and mid-2009, a sharp rise occurred in the number of married couples where the woman was left to bring home the bacon because her husband was unemployed. And so the men (including yours truly) stepped up to literally bring home the bacon.

But do men need a “man aisle” to get the hang of grocery shopping, or is such a dedicated aisle merely a crutch for men to feel more comfortable and macho at the supermarket? Historical trends lead us to believe that the answer is no; just as women have diversified in skills and opportunities over the last few generations, we now see more men cooking at home, and taking an interest in the gourmet offerings at stores such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. And as the reporter of this story can attest, a family that’s bucking traditional gender roles in the name of making complicated economic times work, needs no incentive from gimmicky man aisles.

But don’t expect the “man aisle” trend to slow down anytime soon. Nielsen reported in 2011 that men are shopping more than ever, while the St. Louis Post-Dispatch cites statistics showing that 31% of grocery shopping is being done by men, up from about 14% in the 1980s.

That study, by the way, was done by the broadcast equivalent of the man aisle: ESPN, the sports network. That fact alone speaks volumes to us. But what say you, dealnews readers? Are you a household wherein the man handles the domestic duties? If so, do you find these man aisles enticing or irrelevant? Sound off in the comments below.

Reprinted from The Christian Science Monitory (3/26/2013)

California Republicans elected former GOP legislative leader Jim Brulte as their new leader Sunday, hoping he can produce a turnaround in the party’s finances and election prospects.

Brulte, who served in the Legislature until 2004, faced no serious opposition in his bid to become California Republican Party chairman. He replaces Tom Del Beccaro, who opted not to seek a second term after a rocky run as chair.

Brulte says he wants to focus on “blocking and tackling” – seeking to revive the party’s fundraising, voter registration and turnout programs. Supporters passed out buttons with a picture of nuts and bolts before the vote at the general session of the party’s spring convention.

He plans to continue as a principal of California Strategies, a governmental and public affairs firm, as he assumes the volunteer chairman post.

Republicans also elected San Francisco attorney Harmeet Dhillon as vice chair.

Reprinted from The Sacramento Bee (3/4/2013)