Midlands based CTN chain Rippleglen has acquired seven stores in Oldbury, Corby, Birmingham, Solihull and Nuneaton from the Leda chain, which went into administration last month. The stores will be rebadged as Arden News. The Mary-Kate and Ashley US clothing range will make its UK debut in the George departments of 191 Asda stores nationwide on March 25. Scottish c-store chain Morning Noon & Night has acquired its 44th store, in Livingston, near Edinburgh. Development director Fraser Mackay said MN&N was looking for more "quality sites" throughout Scotland as expansion continues. Two consignments of beef containing illegal spinal cord from separate meat plants in Poland were destroyed on arrival to the UK this week. Coors Brewers plans to close its Cape Hill brewery in Birmingham by the end of the year. The brewery produces the Interbrew owned Bass and Tennent's brands which Interbrew intends to produce at its own operations. US food group General Mills third quarter pre-tax profit has halved due to $24.4m costs of the merger with Pillsbury. Pre-tax profit fell to $112.7m from $240.4m last year for the period to February 24. Sales rose 82% to $3.1bn from $1.7bn. Tesco is running seven day trials of a create your own CD facility at Extra stores in Bar Hill in Cambridgeshire and Reading. Shoppers can create their own CD compilations, picking from 5,000 tracks at £1 or £1.50 a track. If the service proves popular it will launch across the UK. Less than half the people questioned in a Federation of Bakers and Flour Advisory Bureau joint survey thought bread was a healthy food. Findings will be used to dispel nutritional myths according to federation director John White. Nichols, the soft drinks, food and foodservice group, has posted a drop in pre-tax profit which it blames on Vimto's poor performance in the UK. Pre-tax profit dropped to £6.03m from £7.56m to December 31 2001, on turnover that rose 4% to £94.1m. Banana producer Chiquita has appointed Cyrus Freidheim chairman of the board and ceo. The FSA this week called for the withdrawal of all Royal Jelly capsules from sale unless "the retailer has evidence that they are not contaminated with [the illegal antibiotic] chloramphenicol or can demonstrate that they do not contain Royal Jelly from China". Dutch number two supermarket chain Laurus posted a E442m net loss after goodwill and provisions from a E53m loss in 2000 on sales unchanged at E6.4bn for 2001. French retailer Auchan will open its first store in Russia in the summer. Russian products will account for more than 70% of its product range. {{NEWS }}