<p><strong>MINNEAPOLIS, MN</strong> - The Nash Finch Company has released its 2011 Third Quarter earnings for the sixteen week period which ended October 8, 2011. One of the leading food distribution companies in the United States is reporting total company sales for this 2011 quarter as $1.47 billion compared to $1.51 billion for the same quarter last year. The number marks a decrease of 2.6%. The report excludes the impact of the selling or closing of eight retail stores since the end of the third quarter 2010.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Total company comparable sales for the period decreased 1.6% relative to last year. Sales for the first forty weeks of 2011 were $3.67 billion compared to $3.85 billion in the same quarter of 2010 showing a decrease of 4.5%. The number reported excludes the impact of the sales decrease of $53.2 million attributed to the previously announced transition of a portion of a food distribution buying group to another supplier during 2010 as well as the result of selling or closing eight retail stores. The total company comparable sales for the year-to-date decreased 2.5% in comparison to last year. The company is continuing to focus on operational improvements and initiatives aimed at increasing sales and company growth as Nash Finch copes with the economic recovery. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>www.nashfinch.com</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
