31.   The consolidation in retailing, banking and the grocery business eliminated many major advertisers.

32.   The differences between the stores illustrate the growing disparities in the grocery business that have made customers in many areas of the Northeast the also-rans of supermarket America.

33.   The folks at WebVan and HomeGrocer both say a little competition in the online grocery business is a good thing for everybody.

34.   The grocery business is known for intense competition and low margins, not to mention fragile and perishable inventory.

35.   The grocery business is typically a low-margin business, with on-line deliveries of perishable items considered a logistical nightmare.

36.   The majority partner is Juan Carlos Lorenzo of Mexico City, whose Spanish-born father leapt from the grocery business to canning.

37.   The purchase is the latest in a wave of consolidation to hit the European grocery business.

38.   The purchase is the latest in a wave of consolidation hitting the European grocery business.

39.   Then there is the threat posed by Wal-Mart Stores, which has been rapidly pushing into the grocery business with its Supercenter outlets.

40.   Their roots in the grocery business are apparent in their merchandising and retail philosophy.