Deal could keep six Larry's Markets stores open

Larry's Markets has an agreement in principle with an unidentified buyer and is completing documentation for a deal that would keep its six locations operating as grocery stores, according to a filing by the company in its bankruptcy case.

An auction is expected after terms of the deal are announced, which could be any day, said Terry Halverson, chief executive of the Metropolitan Market chain. That process is common in bankruptcies to ensure creditors are getting the best price for a bankrupt company's assets. Halverson said he will wait to see the bidding terms before deciding whether to enter an auction.

Kirkland-based Larry's filed for bankruptcy protection in May.

Washington Mutual

Online upgrade slows customers

Washington Mutual customers have had trouble accessing their accounts online for several days due to a longer than expected upgrade.

"We're scrambling to get the site up," said Darcy Donahoe-Wilmot, spokeswoman for the company.

Customers have had access to some features of the Web site only sporadically since the upgrade Sunday.

Washington Mutual said the majority of the upgrade is complete, but features like Online Bill Pay isn't fully available yet. There has been no interruption to scheduled payments.

Sleep Country USA

Company sold to Sleep Train

Call them familiar bedfellows. Sleep Train said Wednesday it is buying Kent-based mattress retailer Sleep Country USA for $55 million, in the process reacquiring some stores it previously owned.

Sleep Train, based in Sacramento, Calif., is buying the 55 Sleep Country stores in Washington and Oregon from Simmons, the Atlanta-based bedding maker.

Sleep Train has 131 stores in California. It owned about 20 stores in Washington and Oregon before selling them in an earlier transaction, said Dale Carlsen, Sleep Train president.

Carlsen said there will be no store closures as a result of the purchase, which is expected to close in August.

Microsoft

Payouts on way in California case

California consumers and businesses will soon receive $1.1 billion in delayed payouts from Microsoft to settle antitrust claims against the software maker, lawyers said Wednesday.

Beginning in August, Californians who have filed claims will receive vouchers that can be redeemed for cash during the next four years, said Richard Grossman, whose law firm represented plaintiffs in the class-action case.

A California court had approved the settlement in July 2004, but a single class member had held up distribution of the money over his objection that the agreement called for unclaimed benefits to go to the state's public schools. But lawyers said the man objecting to the settlement lost his appeals and missed a deadline to further argue his case.

Compiled from Seattle Times staff and Reuters