Safeway hares higher on fresh upbeat 2012 guidance

Safeway shares  continue to rally in pre-market trading Tuesday after the grocery chain released guidance that blew past Wall Street estimates. Safeway ??expects to earn $1.90 to $2.10 per share this year. Analysts had expected considerably less, closer to $1.88. Excluding volatile fuel costs, sales should grow 1% to 2%, the company said. “With 87% of our store base remodeled into Lifestyle stores, we believe we have the freshest asset base in the supermarket industry. When you combine all this with our differentiated offering, we believe we are very well positioned for future growth,” CEO Steve Burd said. The company expects some $900 in capital expenditures in 2012, too. Safeway shares began to rise late Monday afternoon. In pre-market trading a day later, it’s up 4.1% at $23. The No. 2 largest supermarket chain in America, it operates Safeway, Vons and Dominick’s store. Kroger is the largest chain. Both tend to compete with traditional food retailers like Kraft and General Mills, as well as newcomers like Wal-Mart and Target.