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To: GST who wrote (101136)	4/16/2000 12:34:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

Glenn: Does anybody have the 800 number for psychic friends? <g I would even pay a toll call if I thought it would help<G>

To: GST who wrote (101136)	4/16/2000 12:48:00 PM
From: H James Morris	Respond to of 164684

>Does anybody have the 800 number for psychic friends? I don't believe Wall Streets analyst's have 800 #'s. As a matter of fact...most of them are in hiding. Btw Gst, Do you have any price targets for me... for next weeks action? Oh did you hear Pea-Pod was saved at the bell by a Dutch group...no less? The Dutch know more about Tulip bulbs than anyone else.;-) >CHICAGO (AP) - Struggling cyber-grocer Peapod Inc. found an urgently needed savior Friday when Dutch-based grocery retailer Royal Ahold agreed to invest $73 million in exchange for 51 percent of the company. Shares in Skokie, Ill.-based Peapod rose 27.5 percent, or 68 3/4 cents, to $3.18 3/4 on the Nasdaq Stock Market following the afternoon announcement. The agreement comes less than a month after Peapod - the biggest online grocer with 130,000 U.S. customers - said it was down to its last $3 million following the pullout of key institutional investors. Under the agreement, Peapod will remain a stand-alone company, the two companies said. Ahold is to contribute supermarket merchandising expertise and real estate to Peapod, as well as a $20 million revolving credit line. Ahold USA operates five supermarket companies with 1,063 stores along the Eastern seaboard - BI-LO, Finast, Giant, Stop & Shop and Tops - recording $20.3 billion in sales in 1999. Peapod's problems emerged March 16 when a group of investors withdrew $120 million in funding, citing the sudden departure of Peapod's chief executive officer Bill Malloy for health reasons. Its stock immediately lost more than half its value. Its plight highlights the sudden woes of electronic retailers, many of whom have never turned a profit and depend on venture capital that began drying up this year when high-technology stocks went sour. Last year, the company lost $29 million despite sales of $73 million. Under the terms of the deal, Ahold will purchase $73 million of newly issued preferred Peapod stock, which is convertible into common stock of Peapod at a price of $3.75 per share. As a result of the purchase, Ahold will own 51 percent of Peapod's outstanding voting stock. Ahold also has warrants for additional shares that could increase Ahold's holding of Peapod's voting stock to 75 percent. Peapod chairman and co-founder Andrew Parkinson said the deal will enable the grocer to grow ``as quickly, if not faster' than before. The company now will focus on the East Coast as well as ``one or two other markets' including Chicago, he said, with plans for the other markets it serves not yet known. ``The partnership gives us a huge boost because they bring us tremendous buying power, a lot of grocery management skills and real estate,' Parkinson said in an interview. Ahold USA's president and chief executive officer, Bob Tobin, said his company will now accelerate its electronic commerce activities within the grocery business. ``Our partnership with Peapod enhances our e-commerce strategy and positions both companies as leaders in online consumer food shopping,' he said. AP-NY-04-14-00 1751EDT