CheckOut.com, Ralphs in Marketing Deal

Movies and music might have little in common with groceries, but Internet start-up CheckOut.com is hoping the 8 million customers of its sister company, Ralphs Grocery, will help it leap into the top ranks of entertainment-related Web sites. Ralphs will offer $10 supermarket coupons to customers who buy videos, CDs or video games from Beverly Hills-based CheckOut.com. The cross-marketing relationship, to be announced today, was engineered by grocery magnate Ron Burkle and his Los Angeles-based investment firm Yucaipa Cos. Yucaipa, which is partially funded by Ralphs parent Kroger Co., has partnered with Hollywood super-agent Michael Ovitz to create CheckOut.com, which will launch later this week.