Croatia's heavily indebted food and retail group Agrokor, the country's largest privately owned firm, met on Monday with its local suppliers, which according to media reports are owed 16bn kuna ($2.34bn), and said it would meet all payment deadlines. (Reuters)UK: Morrisons to shorten payment terms for small suppliers
UK retailer, Morrisons, is to shorten its payment terms for its smaller suppliers to a maximum of 14 days. From 1st April 2017, all 'goods for resale' suppliers, whose business with Morrisons is worth up to £100,000 annually, will be paid within 14 days of receipt of a valid electronic invoice. As a result, more than 3,000 suppliers will be on payment terms of less than 14 days. (esmmagazine.com) 
AU: Woolworths forced to raise prices
Woolworths warned that soaring electricity prices were a "material issue" and will lead to higher prices on the shelves. Electricity is Woolworths' third largest cost, behind labour and rent. (smh.com.au)
Tesco to pay $214mln over UK accounting scandal
Tesco Plc agreed to pay 214m pounds ($269m) in fines and investor compensation over its 2014 accounting scandal as shareholders lined up to oppose the British grocer’s $4.7bn takeover of food wholesaler Booker Plc. The U.K.’s biggest retailer said Tuesday that its Tesco Stores Ltd. unit has provisionally agreed to pay 129m pounds under a deferred prosecution agreement with the Serious Fraud Office after a two-year investigation into false accounting. The company also said it’s agreed with the Financial Conduct Authority to pay 85m pounds to compensate investors. (Bloomberg) Asda becomes first supermarket to use the official vegan trademark
The supermarket giant has joined forces with charity, The Vegan Society, to give 16 items the official stamp of approval. These products, including big brand names, have already been stocked on the shelves, including Tomato Ketchup, vegetable soup, peanut butter, balsamic dressing and curry sauce. The trademark is designed to give customers extra authenticity and assurance when buying vegan products. (metro.co.uk) UK: Tesco warned over cost of £3.7bn Booker takeover
One of Tesco's biggest shareholders has warned that the supermarket's £3.7bn bid for wholesaler Booker is too generous. Schroders fund manager Nick Kirrage told the BBC's Today programme that Tesco was paying a "premium" and he had "major concerns" about the deal. Tesco chief Dave Lewis has confirmed that the company is "completely committed" to the Booker deal. It brings together the UK's largest supermarket and the biggest cash-and carry business. (BBC) US: Amazon postpones opening convenience stores
As Amazon tries to work out the kinks of its first convenience stores that ditch cashiers and checkout lines, the e-commerce giant is postponing the store's public launch, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The new format, called Amazon Go, was set to launch by the end of March, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. (cnbc.com) US: Kroger outlook is on the rise, analyst says
Kroger Co. stock has been slumping for more than a year, but one investment analyst sees better times ahead for one of Central Ohio's largest employers. William Kirk, analyst at RBC Capital Markets, lifted his rating on Kroger to “outperform” from “sector perform” in a report he issued late last week. Kirk set a 12-month price target of $37 for Kroger shares – about 28% higher than where they stand now. Please, click here to read more at bizjournals.com. Amazon drone delivery in US debut
Amazon made its first public demo of the drone delivery system in the US. A Prime Air drone dropped off some bottles of sunscreen for attendees at the company’s invite-only MARS conference in California on Monday. Amazon says it’s the first time its drones have flown for the public in America, with all other US flights taking place on private property. The retailer still needs regulatory approval if it’s ever going to operate at scale. (theverge.com) Brazil: GPA to invest millions this year
GPA SA, Brazil's largest diversified retailer, plans to invest as much as 1.2bn reais ($384m) this year to bolster growth in supermarket, cash-and-carry and real estate. (Reuters)Russia's Magnit announces 13% revenue increase
Russian retailer Magnit has posted its audited full year results for 2016, in which the retailer posted a 13.07% increase in revenue to RUR 1.07 trillion for the year. Gross profit at the retailer increased to RUR 295.76bn (2015: RUR 210.82bn), with gross margin standing at 27.52%. (esmmagazine.com)Indonesia: Fresh sales at Matahri grow
PT Matahari Putra Prima Tbk (MPPA) has reported net sales of IDR13.5tn (US$1bn), a decline of 2.0%, while gross margin has improved 60 basis points to 17.0% from 2015. Despite the overall sales decline and a negative like-for-like of -4.5%, the retailer saw growth in same-store sales of fresh categories (produce and meat) of 3.6%. This demonstrates the success of strategic initiatives taken earlier in the year, such as positioning fresh as a destination category, providing the best in the class for complete assortment and attractive promotion. (igd.com)Vietnam tipped to be Asia’s fastest-growing covenience market - IGD
Vietnam is forecast to be the fastest-growing convenience market in Asia by 2021, followed by the Philippines and Indonesia, according to new data released today by international grocery research organisation IGD. Asia’s grocery market is the largest in the world, with a predicted 6.3% compound annual growth rate up to 2021. Its size is forecast to reach US$4.8 trillion by 2021, equivalent to Europe’s and North America’s combined. (esmmagazine.com)US: Food Lion cuts prices of private brands
Loyalty card shoppers at Food Lion stores can save 25 cents with every private brand item purchased, up to $10 per visit, according to Store Brands. Food Lion customers can shop for more than 7,000 private label products, including under the grocer's own brand, organic and natural foods and premium brands. (fooddive.com)US: Hy-Vee partners with TempTRIP to improve supply chain visibility
In order to monitor temperatures of its fresh produe and other chilled food, Hy-Vee located a partner TempTRIP, a RFID cold chain solution provider based in Colorado that specializes in shipping, storage, receiving and temperature control. (ajot.com)Schnucks: New fresh food warehouse deals to box transition woes (US)
Schnuck Markets said it has reached an agreement with union workers at one of its warehouses, and with a new warehouse operator in another, as it seeks to put a rocky transition to a new supply chain structure behind it. Penske Logistics has been engaged as the new operator of Schnucks’ fresh food warehouse in Kinloch, Mo., which opened last summer. (supermarketnews.com) Russia: X5 plans to open another 2,000 stores in 2017
Russian food retailer X5 said it aims to match last year's record 2,000 store openings in 2017 as part of plans to almost double its market share in the next four years. The company, which at the end of 2016 overtook Magnit as Russia's biggest food retailer by sales, is targeting a 15% share of the market by the end of 2020, up from 8% now, under a plan announced last year. (Reuters)US: Meijer to expand in Indianapolis with 2 stores
Meijer continues to expand its presence in the Indianapolis area. On May 2, the retailer will open two supercenters in McCordsville, Ind., and one in Franklin, Ind. The Indianapolis-area supercenters are two of seven new stores Meijer is opening in Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin this year. (drugstorenews.com)