Vons Cos. reported a net loss of...

Vons Cos. reported a net loss of $1 million in the fourth quarter and income for the year of $1.6 million. For the previous full year, the company posted a loss of $35.7 million, partly as a result an insurance charge and the lingering effects of a 1985 strike. “Results in the fourth quarter reflect heightened competition in the Southern California marketplace, which began in the third quarter of 1987 and has continued through the current period,” said Roger Strangeland, chairman and chief executive of the El Monte-based supermarket chain.