DISTRIBUTION Briefs 2004-04-28

Mike Buzalka

Irwindale, CA—Ready Pac Produce has named former Dole Food Co. President/COO Larry Kern as its new president/CEO. Kern was previously president of Dole Fresh Vegetables and has also worked for the All American Gourmet Co. division of Kraft Foods as vp/general manager of the Birds Eye frozen vegetable division. He is the incoming chairman of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association.

Portland, OR—Greg Hall has been promoted to president of McCabe’s Quality Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Services Group of America. He comes from another Services Group subsidiary, Food Services of America.

Mt. Sterling, IL—Redistributor Dot Foods has purchased a former Best Buy Return Center in Ardmore, IL, and plans to add 60,000 sq.ft. to the 121,000-sq.ft. facility.

Salem, MO—The US Foodservice unit here has won a one-year $17.7 million contract from the US Defense Logistics agency to provide full-line food distribution for the US Army and Navy.

Rock Island, IL—Performance Food Group subsidiary Thoms Proestler Co. last week announced that it had negotiated a new tentative agreement with 224 warehouse workers and drivers.

London—Associated British Foods plc has acquired Unilever’s Mexican oils and fats brands and will manage them through its ACH Food Cos. US subsidiary. One objective of the deal is to introduce the newly acquired Capullo cooking oil brand to Hispanic customers in the US through ACH.

Thomasville, GA—Flowers Foods has acquired an 86,000-sq.ft. bakery facility located on a 17-acre site in McDonough, GA, from United Spring Wheat Processors. The operation produces fully-baked and par-baked hearth-style breads and rolls and will become part of Flowers’s specialty foods group.