The German discounter planning to launch online grocery service across Europe, according to reports. It is planning to launch an online store in Britain, according to reports. The retailer, which has long avoided online sales as they are not profitable enough, has offered online delivery of alcoholic drinks in Australia since 2013 but the UK launch would be its first foray into ecommerce in Europe, The Telegraph reports. Aldi South, which runs the chain in Britain, could go online in other countries including Germany, while sister company Aldi North was considering ecommerce in Spain and Portugal, according to German trade journal Lebensmittel Zeitung. China: Wal-Mart to open 30 new stores
Wal-Mart will be opening 30 new stores in mainland China in 2015 as its market share in the world’s second largest economy continues to grow, the company announced in a press release on Wednesday. The U.S. retail giant will also invest more than 370 million yuan ($59.4 million) to upgrade the company's 50 stores in the country, yibada.com reports. French retailer Carrefour returning to Algeria
Carrefour is preparing to return to Algeria after a six-year absence, as part of a drive to tap booming consumer demand in Africa, Reuters reports. The world's second-largest will open a hypermarket in Algiers by the end of June, a source close to the matter told Reuters. The company operating the store is a joint-venture, 70 percent-owned by Carrefour Tunisia and 30 percent by a fund controlled by the Algerian state, the source said.Chilean WalMart will invest $180 mln
WalMart Chile will invest $180 million to build a distribution centre in the municipality of San Bernardo, which will be responsible for the delivery logistics of the goods, which will then be stored and separated according to product groupings, from different suppliers. (Source: Estrategia)US: Smart & Final to expand natural, organic offering
Smart & Final to expand natural, organic offering supermarketnews.com reports. The Los Angeles-based warehouse chain has already conducted a pilot test at 14 Smart & Final Extra stores involving 1,000 natural and organic store items— encompassing canned vegetables, frozen fruit and other merchandise — “and the response has been encouraging,” CEO Dave Hirz said. As a result, the company plans to expand the 1,000 items to more than 50 additional Extra stores this year, Hirz noted.Croatia: Kaufland opens new logistics centre
German hypermarket chain Kaufland, part of Schwarz Gruppe, has opened a €75 million logistics centre in the Croatian town of Jastrebarsko, esmmagazine.com reports. Since arriving in Croatia 12 years ago, Kaufland has become the fourth largest retail chain in the country, investing several hundred million Euro over the years.UK: "Tesco refocuses on its core business with 21 store transactions"
Tesco has regained sole ownership of 21 superstores in a transaction with British Land, Tesco says in a press release. The agreement comes as Tesco continues to strengthen its core UK business. The 21 superstores and associated debt were part of a joint venture between Tesco and British Land and were all subject to RPI-indexed rent increases. In exchange for the superstores, British Land will take over Tesco’s stake in three shopping centres, three retail parks and three standalone stores which are held in two joint ventures between the two companies. Tesco will continue to lease the stores at these sites at market rents which are not subject to RPI-indexed increases.China Resources posts $102 mln loss following Tesco deal
China Resources Enterprise Ltd. reported a full-year loss for 2014 as it grapples with a slowing economy and the costs of merging with Tesco Plc’s Chinese chain, Bloomberg reports. China Resources Enterprise posted an underlying net loss of HK$794 million ($102 million) for the year ending in December, compared with an underlying profit of HK$1.64 billion a year earlier. Czech Ahold completes rebranding of SPAR
Ahold has completed the conversion of all the 49 SPAR and Interspar outlets it acquired last year, bringing them all under its Albert banner. With the move, Albert operates 334 stores in the country, kamcity.com reports. Ahold said it lowered the prices of around 4,000 products to Albert levels, and introduced Albert’s fruit and vegetables offering to SPAR.Irish Dunnes launches online food shopping
Dunnes Stores is getting ready to launch an online grocery delivery service in a major move that will shake up competition among Ireland's retailers and could spark a price war that will benefit consumers, independent.ie reports. Dunnes has described the online move as a "significant development".Wales: Aldi gets new DC in 2017
Aldi, the discount retailer, has secured funding from the Welsh Government for its 430,000 sq ft regional distribution centre in Cardiff, insidermedia.com reports. The new hub will supply stores in Wales and the South West of England, creating 414 jobs. It is expected that it will be open in the first quarter of 2017.UK: Morrisons head office staff to help on shop floor
David Potts, the new CEO of Morrisons, is sending managers from head office back to the shop floor over Easter as he begins his attempt to improve trading at the ailing supermarket, theguardian.com reports. He has been looking at customer feedback about different aspects of their shopping trips. 7-Eleven is taking over Washington
7-Eleven is moving aggressively into the Washington area — adding more than a store a month, sometimes within blocks of existing ones, washingtonpost.com reports. The majority of its stores are franchised, so they are usually owned by other companies.
Lidl: key investments in 2015 to improve European estate
IGD explores how Lidl's strategy to expand and modernise its European estates has influenced key investments in 2015. Please, click here to read the article.