BRIEFLY / GROCERY : Safeway Shareholders OK Randall’s Merger

Shareholders of Safeway Inc. approved the supermarket chain’s merger with privately held Randall’s Food Markets Inc., and the deal is expected to close shortly. The companies also said that Randall’s Chief Executive Randall Onstead Jr. has decided to step down, but remain available as a consultant. Frank Lazaran, a Randall’s senior vice president, will be named president of the new Safeway division. Houston-based Randall’s operates 116 stores in the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin areas with annual sales of $2.6 billion. The stores in Dallas-Fort Worth carry the Tom Thumb and Simon David names. Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway boasts annual sales of more than $27 billion from 1,534 stores in the United States and Canada. The 18,000-plus employees of Randall’s will join Safeway’s approximately 169,000 workers. Safeway closed down $1 at $42.94 on the NYSE.