Shoppers are now sharing their purchases between two major retailers - either Aldi and Lidl and one of the other major supermarkets. “The two discounters are getting a quality reputation and they are seeing spectacular growth,” said Mr. Garner. “Aldi is growing again and Lidl’s rate of growth is increasing again - now 14 per cent growth.He said the only other gainer was Waitrose, who are up plus three per cent in a year. “The three gainers have added £6.7 billion over four years. Compare with the others: it’s a huge problem for Tesco; Asda is under considerable pressure; Sainsbury’s is holding up better than anyone else.” He said the two discounters were now concentrating their marketing on projecting the quality of products and not just their price. Click here to read more
Carrefour's largest f
lagship store in AsiaCarrefour's largest flagship store in Asia opened at Siyuanqiao in Beijing and the store is also the French retailer's first self-owned property store in China. With a construction area of 71,380 square meters, this new store provides nearly 40,000 kinds of products, including over 6,000 kinds of imported products. Among all Carrefour stores in China, it claims to have the most imported products.
Metro CEO hopeful for future
After two years of stagnating
profit and a thwarted initial public offering of its Russian unit, Metro AG Chief Executive Officer Olaf Koch says life is about to get better for Germany’s biggest retailer. Soon to start his fifth year at the helm, Koch is eager to reap the benefits of actions that have included the sale of its iconic department-store chain, startup investments and an e-commerce push. He’s also on the lookout for acquisitions. Click here to read moreFood waste at French supermarkets is now illegal
The French parliament has approved a law that has to drastically lower the country's food waste. From now on, it will be illegal for French supermarkets to throw away food. Estimates state that France wastes about 7.1 million tons of food per year, with consumers responsible for 67 %, restaurants for 15 % and retailers for another 11 %. French supermarkets can no longer throw away food and will also not be allowed to make the food unfit for human consumption. All unsold items now have to be donated to charities and food that is no longer fit for human consumption will be turned into animal food. If that is not possible either, it will be turned into compost or used for the creation of energy."Albert Heijn Belgium will disappear"
"I think Ahol
d Delhaize will decide to get rid of Albert Heijn in Belgium, to extinguish the brand", retail specialist Gino Van Ossel told Trends. "The chain will first grow to 50 stores, however. I think Ahold Delhaize will decide to get rid of Albert Heijn in Belgium, to extinguish the brand. In the short term, it will have some 50 stores in total." Van Ossel points to the fact that "Albert Heijn already puts pressure on the Belgian margins although it merely has 40 stores. That strategy would hurt its much larger affiliate company, Delhaize Belgium, in the long run. Delhaize Belgium will contribute a whole lot more to Ahold Delhaize than Albert Heijn Belgium", he says, underlining his point that Albert Heijn Belgium will eventually be cast aside in Delhaize Belgium's favour. Analyst expects Sligro Food Group profit increase
Private bank Theodoor Gilis
sen's analysis report sees a bright future for Dutch company Sligro Food Group's profit and it particularly expects growth in Belgium. Sligro Food Group's Belgian turnover is about 40 million euro nowadays, but the lack of major competitors offers room for growth. "The Belgian food service market is shredded and has no major competitors, while the product range is about the same as in the Netherlands", Theodoor Gilissen said. "This gives Sligro an excellent opportunity to build a strong position in the Belgian market."