SAN FRANCISCO (August 30, 2006) – DeLano Retail Partners here said it signed papers yesterday to purchase 11 Cala Foods and Bell Markets here from the Ralphs division of Kroger Co., Cincinnati. The new owner expects to take over the stores Nov. 1, pending landlord approval, operate them under their current names through the end of the year and then change the banners to give them a new identity, Harley DeLano, principal, told SN. The stores average 16,000 square feet and range in size from 8,800 square feet at an urban location in the Castro District here to 24,000 square feet, DeLano said. DeLano Retail Partners said in May it would purchase the stores, but it had to resolve some lease issues before the transaction could be finalized, DeLano told SN. The original deal included 12 stores but one of two Bell Markets in Novato, Calif., is not included in the final transaction, DeLano said. DeLano Retail Partners consists of DeLano, a veteran retailer who ran the Cala and Bell stores for nine years until he retired in 1999, and his son Dennis, who spent the last 15 years working for Ralphs.