Ahold's Scandinavian subsidiary ICA plans to double its presence in Latvia within two years by opening 25 new stores. US multiple Target has brought a lawsuit against rival Kmart accusing it of false advertising, unlawful and deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud for its Dare to Compare' ad campaign comparing Kmart prices to competitors'. The first Eurospar supermarket in Russia opens in Moscow this week. National Vegetarian Week 2002 will run from July 8 ­ 14, with the focus on world cuisine. Nine Spar stores in the Glasgow area are trialling a home shopping catalogue returns scheme with Great Universal catalogue. "Significant rationalisation" will result from this week's merger of egg companies Stonegate Farmers and Thames Valley Foods, according to the new board. Countryside Free Range Eggs, formerly owned by Thames Valley, has hived off its operations from the new company. Dairy Crest has opened its first fully automated coldstore at its Chadwell Heath super dairy in Essex ­ the first of its kind in the UK. The British Security Industry Association has launched a new web site on best practice for retail security at www.bsia.co.uk. Sainsbury has extended its contract with ambient food distributor Grocery Logistics to provide a warehouse for high value, slow moving goods. The Scottish Grocers' Federation has recruited its second Co-operative Society ­ the Lothian, Borders and Angus Co-op. ALcontrol Laboratories has acquired Luton food testing business Micron Laboratories. Devro has agreed to sell its cellulose business to Teepak, a new company formed from the unit's management and private equity fund Lake Pacific Partners, in a £7.15m deal. Huhtamaki, supplier of disposables to the foodservice industry, has formed a partnership with Jenks Sales Brokers as it builds its cash and carry operations. Casino has announced plans to open a series of Leader Price supermarkets in Thailand. The news follows Tesco's plans to develop the Express convenience store concept at Esso service stations in and around Bangkok. Somerfield has sourced an extra 3,500 lambs though an appeal to farmers made when it ran low on stock earlier this month. The supermarket said it had been unable to find enough home produced lamb to meet customer demand despite the fmd export ban. Secretary of state for trade and industry Patricia Hewitt opened The Samosa Company's new finger food factor in Leicester last week. The phone number for PAYzone given on p30 of last week's issue should have read 01606 338200. {{NEWS }}

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