Suffolk's best-known farmer, who said we should "boycott" supermarkets that don't sell local produce, says as consumers we need to be aware that food costs money. Jimmy Doherty told BBC Suffolk: "Thirty, 40 years ago, 25% of our income was spent on food. Now it's less than 9%. "People will go out an buy an iPhone for a couple of hundred quid but then won't dream of spending more than six or seven quid on a chicken." (BBC)US: Save-A-Lot files for potential spin-off
Supervalu on Thursday informed shareholders and federal authorities of its intention to spin off its Save-A-Lot discount division to a publicly traded company that will be controlled by at least 80.1% by Supervalu shareholders. “We believe that separating Save-A-Lot from Supervalu so that it can operate as an independent, publicly traded company is in the best interests of both Supervalu and Save-A-Lot,” Sam Duncan, CEO of the Minneapolis-based company, said in a letter to shareholders. Supervalu in a release said the Form 10 filing with the SEC had begun preparations to allow for a possible spin-off of Save-A-Lot into a stand-alone public company, "although at this time there can be no assurances that a separation or spin-off of Supervalu will occur, or that any changes in the company's overall operations will happen." (supermarketnews.com)The future for Save-A-Lot as a standalone company
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Metro sells supermarket chain in Vietnam
Germany's Metro on January 7 announced the sale of its wholesale business in Vietnam and related real estate portfolio to Thai company TCC. Metro said TCC Land International Pte, Ltd, has acquired its complete operations in Vietnam for €655m. In a press release, it said: "This results in a cash inflow of around €400. The payment has been already made." Metro Cash and Carry Vietnam told Vietnam News that under the new ownership the wholesaler would operate under the old name and management and continue to serve over a million professional customers with the same products and services. (nationmultimedia.com)Hypermarkets getting more popular in the Czech Republic
Hypermarkets are strengthening their dominant position in the Czech market, a recent study has found. The latest GfK Shopping Monitor has revealed that 48% of Czech households list hypermarkets such as Albert, Globus, Kaufland and Tesco hypermarkets as their top choice for groceries. Discount stores such as Lidl and Penny Market have held onto their second place position, being preferred by 24%. The popularity of the traditional supermarket format remains stable as the favourite for 17% of respondents. When it comes to fresh foods, especially deli and meat products, Czech shoppers still appear to prefer smaller, specialised shops. However, the study also shows that consumers have been increasingly returning to larger stores for all monitored fresh food categories, with the relevance of hypermarkets particularly on the rise. (esmmagazine.com) France: Casino's fruit/veg counters get E-paper labels
Store Electronic Systems (SES) has been chosen by Casino Group to update 100 supermarkets and hypermarkets in 2016. This is a continuation of the positive relationship the two companies share, after SES installed new systems into 45 of the Casino Group’s stores in 2015. Under the agreement, HD graphical electronic labels will now be used in the stores, with the fruit and vegetable counters being equipped with E-Paper labels. Jeegy software will also be implemented, utilising multiple protocol radio communication. (esmmagazine.com)Costco US comps up in December
Costco Wholesale Corp. on Wednesday said U.S. sales for the five-week period ending Jan. 3 increased by 3% to $12.45bn, and non-fuel U.S. comparable store sales increased by 4%. (supermarketnews.com)
UK: Waitrose online sales up 9.8% for Christmas period
Waitrose has reported a 9.8% like-for-like rise in online activity over the six weeks to 2 January, but also a 1.4% dip in overall sales for the period, thedrinksbusiness.com reports. December 23 and 24 saw sales up by 6% and 5.5% respectively, as there was greater trade at the eleventh hour than in 2014. Waitrose’s 2015 gross sales were up by 1.2%. (esmmagazine.com)UAE's Lulu to invest extra $90m in Bahrain expansion
UAE-based Lulu Hypermarket is set to invest a further $90m in expanding its operations in Bahrain over the next 18 months. Lulu announced plans to open a further three hypermarkets in the kingdom by 2017, which will bring its total investment in the country to $385m over a seven year period. (arabianbusiness.com)Food delivers 25 consecutive quarters of M&S LFL sales growth
M&S LFL Food sales grew by 0.4% in the 13 weeks ending 26th December, with total UK Food sales increasing by 3.7% thanks to new store openings. Q3 LFL growth is a significant step forward on H1, where Food sales increased by 0.2%. M&S reports that the key Christmas week was particularly successful, delivering sales growth of 17%. M&S built on its strong food heritage as a specialist, differentiated food retailer across the festive period with the launch of 400 unique seasonal lines. (igd.com)UK: Tesco Direct to charge for click and collect
Tesco is to charge customers for click and collect orders through its Direct arm costing less than £30, saying the fee is needed to ensure the service remains sustainable. (theguardian.com)