Webvan Forms Alliances

Webvan Group Inc., an Internet company that sells groceries in San Francisco, said it formed agreements with Clorox Co., Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Nabisco Holdings Corp. to widen its variety of products and attract more shoppers. Financial terms weren’t released. The agreements will let Foster City, Calif.-based Webvan offer promotional discounts on these companies’ products, boosting sales, Webvan said. Clorox, Kimberly-Clark and Nabisco will be able to increase the amount of advertising they do online, and test ways to market goods to Internet shoppers. Shares of Webvan fell $1 to close at $5.50 on Nasdaq. On the NYSE, Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark rose $2 to close at $59.56, Nabisco, based in Parsippany, N.J., gained 44 cents to close at $37.56 and Oakland-based Clorox rose $2.75 to close at $40.06.