Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 26, 1993                   TAG: 9306260091
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

Buffets Inc., Minneapolis-based developer, operator and franchiser of Old Country Buffet restaurants, on Friday announced the public offering of 1,250,000 shares of common stock at a price of $18.25 per share.

- Wire report

Crestar acquires City National deposits

Crestar Financial Corp. said Friday it has acquired all of the $22.2 million in deposits of the former City National Bank of Washington, D.C., which was closed by federal regulators.

The deposits Crestar purchased from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will be served through Crestar branches in Washington. City National's single office was closed Friday by the Comptroller of the Currency. - Staff report

Gillette to unveil a `breakthrough'

BOSTON - More than three years after unveiling its Sensor razor, Gillette Co. is promising to introduce "the next breakthrough in shaving technology" Wednesday.

But just what that breakthrough is - a "Son of Sensor," perhaps, or maybe just a nifty new handle for the hot-selling blade - is a secret the Boston company hopes to keep till its Wednesday press event.

The last time Gillette did so was during the 1990 Super Bowl, when it introduced the Sensor in the United States, Canada and Europe. One of the most successful new-product introductions in history, Sensor has since sold 1.8 billion units in 71 countries.

But most analysts who follow the company's stock don't expect a significant follow-up to Sensor before 1995. Sensor has not saturated its U.S. and European markets.

With so much market share - 34 percent worldwide in unit sales, and roughly 65 percent of U.S. dollar sales - Gillette's staking its future on aggressively marketing technological improvements. In each of the last two years, 35 percent of sales - which totaled $5.16 billion last year - came from products introduced in the previous five years.

- Knight-Ridder/Tribune

Coal company files charges against UMW

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - A Peabody Holding Co. subsidiary Friday filed new labor charges against the United Mine Workers as the head of Peabody's parent company warned that the nation's No. 1 coal producer "will not be intimidated."

Eastern Associated Coal Corp. of Charleston said it filed unfair-labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

The charges allege the UMW engaged in "coercive acts of sabotage, intimidation of employees and supervisors and an unlawful work slowdown" since the union's contract expired Feb. 1.

The company cites alleged incidents at mines in Boone, Wyoming, Monongalia and Marion counties.

UMW spokesman Jim Grossfeld in Washington, D.C., said union officials are unaware of the alleged incidents. He said the union does not condone violence. - Associated Press