Kroger Co. said Friday Fred Morganthall, president of the company’s Harris Teeter division, has been named SVP of retail divisions for Kroger, supermarketnews.com reports. Succeeding him as president of Harris Teeter will be Ron Antolock, currently EVP. Morganthall, 63, has been president of Harris Teeter since 1997. He began his grocery career in 1978 at Spartan Stores and moved to Harris Teeter in 1986 as director of grocery merchandising.Schwarz Group (Lidl) reports highest turnover ever
In the past financial year the Schwarz group, owner of Kaufland and Lidl, increased revenues by more than €5bn on a business volume of €79.3bn, swp.de reports. Lidls’ turnover is a driving force in the great result. Klaus Gehring, head of the Schwarz Group, said to the newspaper Heilbronner Stimme that the growth rate in the past financial year was around 7%. Kaufland has managed a turnover of €13.4bn in Germany, only a small increase. According to Kaufland CEO Frank Lehmann the Schwarz Group reached the 20-billion-euro mark for the first time because of the improved performance on foreign markets. Lidl increased its sales by five billion Euro, or more than nine%, to €59bn. There are regions where the company’s penetration is not so strong, especially abroad. Great Britain, Spain and Italy are markets with growth potential. CA: Walmart adding fresh food to e-commerce offerings
Walmart Canada Corp. will launch an “online grocery pickup” in the next few weeks in the Ottawa area, Simon Rodrigue, the retailer’s SVP of e-commerce, confirmed on Friday, theglobeandmail.com reports. The initiative, which expands Walmart’s burgeoning e-commerce offering to fresh food, is the start of the retailer’s wider push into selling fresh fare online. “Our intent is to continue building on our commitment to provide customers across Canada with convenient access to our grocery and general merchandise assortment and low prices,” Mr. Rodrigue said.US: Walmart says it can grow sales by $10 to $20 bn per year
Walmart Stores Inc can expand revenues by US$10bn to US$20bn per year, the retailer's CFO said on Friday in response to an analyst's question about how much the retailer can grow the business over the next few years, Reuters reports.
US: Waltons cement grip on Walmart with new chairman
Walmart Stores Inc named the son-in-law of chairman Rob Walton as his successor on Friday, cementing the founding family's influence over the retailer as shareholders defeated a measure calling for an independent director to lead the board, Reuters reports.
US: Walmart's food suppliers at odds with store's code of ethics
Walmart’s relationships with its suppliers of bananas, bread and other foodstuffs raise serious concerns over environmental and labour practices and how the retail giant enforces its code of ethics, according to a report released on Thursday, theguardian.com reports. A coalition of organizations called the Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA) last week released a report that it claims assesses the “labor conditions of workers in Walmart’s food supply chain as well as the company’s environmental impact worldwide”, 247wallst.com reports.
Russian supermarket Lenta issues warning on tough market conditions
Russian supermarket chain Lenta has warned that the home retail market is still facing tough conditions as consumer spending continues to fall due to rising inflation, esmmagazine.com reports. Shoppers are spending less as “goods have become more expensive", said Lenta chief executive Jan Dunning. The group expects to see an uplift in the third quarter of the year, he said, which will be helped by improved consumer confidence. Sales at Lenta soared by 38% in its first quarter. The group forecast full-year performance of 34 to 38% growth.Spain: Supermarkets deny need for regulation against waste
Spanish supermarkets don't believe Spain needs a regulation against food waste like the one recently introduced in France, which aims to reduce waste by 50% in 10 years, elpais.com reports. Mercadona's Head of Environment Protection, Margarita Muñoz, explained that Spain has succeeded in reducing food waste "without a legislative threat," as in France, and therefore legislation is not necessary "because we already have a few regulations," she added. UK: Farmfoods hails 38% profit boost
Frozen food retailer Farmfoods has reported record sales as consumers turn away from traditional supermarkets in favour of discount chains, telegraph.co.uk reports. The privately owned Scottish company notched up revenue of £852m in 2014, an 18pc rise, with pre-tax profits jumping 38pc to £21m. Industry data showed that Farmfoods was the fastest growing food retailer in Britain at one stage in 2014. UK: Sainsbury’s sales set to slip again
Sainsbury’s is expected to report a sixth successive quarter of falling like-for-like sales tomorrow, scotsman.com reports. Analysts at brokerage Jefferies expect Sainsbury’s to report first-quarter like-for-like sales down 1.8%, following a fall of 1.9% in the previous period.UK: Morrisons again cutting prices
Morrison Supermarkets Plc is cutting prices for the second time this year, further intensifying an ongoing battle in the British supermarket industry, Bloomberg reports. The U.K.’s fourth-largest grocer is cutting prices by as much as a third across 200 everyday items. “We want to be the best value retailer - offering customers the best price for good quality British products,” Chief Executive Officer Dave Potts said in a statement today.Spar announces Indian expansion plans
Spar has said that it plans to open 25 new hypermarkets in India by the end of 2017, IGD.com reports. Spar re-entered the Indian market last August, working in partnership with Max Hypermarkets and has already re-launched 16 hypermarkets under the banner, with an additional four planned in 2015. Spar is clearly pleased with the sales performance that these stores have achieved and plans to significantly boost its presence, estimating that sales will reach €300m by 2019.
UK: Ocado opens new delivery centre Online supermarket Ocado has opened a new delivery hub at Park Royal in London, creating 205 new jobs, thisislocallondon.co.uk reports.
UK: Lidl outspends grocery rivals on advertising, topping £5m
Lidl was the biggest spender on TV and press advertising for third consecutive month, shelling out 320% more than the same period last year, thedrum.com reports. The discounter spent £5.1m in the four weeks ending 23 May 2015, according to Nielsen, just ahead of Asda’s £4.8m. Lidl’s ads focused on quality and its international food range, as well as their low prices for everyday items.Irish Dunnes Stores workers march in Dublin
Dunnes Stores workers have promised to continue their campaign for improved conditions of employment and have called on the Government to introduce planned new legislation on collective bargaining rights without delay, irishtimes.com reports. About 3,000 people took part in a protest rally backed by the trade union movement outside the head office of the retailer in Dublin city centre on Saturday in support of the workers’ campaign.Interesting links on retail:
US: Grocery store tackles food waste and high produce prices in one fell swoopClick here to read the article.