Nov 14, 2005 12:25 PM, from staff and wire reports

Nash Finch Co, a national food distributor, announced that net earnings for the 16-week third quarter ended Oct 8, 2005, were $11.0 million, compared with net earnings of $14.6 million for the third quarter of 2004. Total sales for the third quarter of 2005 were $1.465 billion, versus $1.191 billion in the prior-year quarter, mainly reflecting the company’s acquisition from Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc of wholesale food distribution centers in Lima OH and Westville IN.

For the first 40 weeks of 2005, Nash Finch’s net earnings were $27.8 million, in contrast to net earnings of $3.7 million for the same period a year ago. Total sales for the first 40 weeks of 2005 were $3.432 billion, compared with $2.977 billion in the prior-year period.