Food 4 Less Supermarkets Reports 40% Jump in Profits for Fiscal 1992 : Grocery: The La Habra-based company attributed the increase to its purchase of 142 Alpha Beta stores; annual sales would have declined without the acquisition.

LA HABRA — Food 4 Less Supermarkets Inc., which acquired the Alpha Beta grocery chain in 1991 for $251 million, said Thursday that, according to preliminary figures, its earnings for fiscal 1992 rose 40% to $110.9 million from $79.3 million for the previous 12 months.

The unaudited figures showed that annual sales were up 81%, to $2.9 billion from $1.6 billion.

The company, based in La Habra, attributed the sales increase to its purchase of the 142 Alpha Beta stores. Without that acquisition, the company said, annual sales would have declined. Factors that it cited were the weak economy; the Los Angeles riots, in which a number of its stores were damaged; declining food prices in key product areas, such as fresh produce; and increased competition in Southern California.

Excluded from the unaudited earnings--before interest, taxes and other costs--was a non-cash charge of $12.8 million added to the company’s self-insurance reserve for workers’ compensation.

The company said the spring rioting has taken a toll on its resources as it has rebuilt stores damaged during the disturbances.

“While the company has received insurance proceeds for property damage and business interruption, there were certain non-recoverable costs incurred . . . as a result of increased and unusual demands on management and other company resources,” said George G. Golleher, president and chief operating officer of Food 4 Less.

Food 4 Less Supermarkets Inc., which has 249 stores in California, Kansas and Missouri, is the largest operator of grocery stores in urban Los Angeles. They include Alpha Beta, Boys, Cala, Food 4 Less and Viva markets. Some of the stores--including Boys, Viva and Alpha Beta--were heavily damaged during the three days of rioting.