The secret to tripling your profits

Just buy a big supermarket chain. Thanks to its acquisition of Albertsons earlier this year, Supervalu Inc. reported second-quarter earnings of $132 million, compared with $34 million a year earlier. Per share earnings were 61 cents, eight cents higher than analyst expectations. In case you forgot, Ron Burkle, who has plenty of experience in the supermarket game, has a 12 percent stake in Supervalu, which is based in Eden Prarie, Minn. The company has boosted guidance for the year, though keep in mind it will have to negotiate a new union contract - and the last time that happened, the grocery chains lost their shirts (the union didn't do all that well either).