Japan's Seven & I Holdings Co said it would shut 20 Ito-Yokado stores in the year through next February, as part of a restructuring of the underperforming supermarket chain. Seven & I, which also runs the more successful 7-Eleven convenience stores, said it would book a special loss of around 4bn yen ($35.4M) from the closures. (Reuters)Ireland: Lidl and Aldi accused of ‘gross hypocrisy’ regarding vegetables
Lidl and Aldi have been accused of gross hypocrisy by slashing the price of fresh produce below the cost of production while claiming to support Irish growers by IFA National Chairman Jer Bergin. Bergin was addressing a protest at Lidl and Aldi stores in north Dublin today. He said that reducing the shelf price of some vegetables and potatoes to 
as low as 29c sends a very misleading message to consumers. “I want to nail the lie that vegetable and potatoes can be sold way below cost without hurting Irish growers and ultimately driving them out of business.” (Please, click here to read more at agriland.ie)Tesco dampening pace of sales declines, says Kantar
Sales across the grocery sector rose 0.5% in the 12 weeks to February 28 compared to the same period in 2015, while Tesco has succeeded in halving its sales decline, according to the latest data from research group Kantar Worldpanel. The 
0.5% rise in sales across the industry was the fastest pace of growth since October last year and will come as welcome news for supermarkets, which have been fighting a bitter price war in an effort to stem the number of shoppers defecting to the expanding German discount chains Aldi and Lidl. (ft.com)
Dutch Jumbo revenues increased by 20% in 2016
Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo announced an increase in its organica revenue by 4% in the first eight weeks of 2016. In total, the Jumbo turnover rose in the first eight weeks by 20%. (internationalsupermarketnews.com)
Five locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers union said they would resume federally mediated contract discussions with Ahold’s Stop & Shop New England division this week in hopes of avoiding a work stoppage. Contracts for approximately 35,000 union workers at the company expired Feb. 27. Union leaders said they broke off talks last week so they could review “a very complex economic proposal” presented by the retailer to each of the five locals. (supermarketnews.com) China: Online grocery startup raises US$30M to attract students
Online grocery delivery startup Nanjing Eight Days Online Network Technology Co., Ltd announced the completion of a RMB200m (US$30m) Series B+ round on Thursday, led by Chinese cosmetic company Longliqi Group. Grocery delivery has been covered by many Chinese players including Yihaodian, JD.com, and Tmall along with other product categories, but Eight Days focuses on a particular group: university students. (e27.co)Austria: SPAR supports regional producers
Whenever possible SPAR prefers Austrian quality for their products, Spar says in a press release. Many farmers that produce Austrian fruit and vegetables can’t produce enough for all of Austria or even a whole state. Therefore many farmers start as a small supplier for SPAR. That creates new perspectives for the farmers and the incentive to expand, and increase the capacity and the delivery area. Dia extends reach of online store in Spain
DIA has expanded the reach of its online store, adding a number of cities to the service. Palma de Mallorca was the first to benefit from the extension, with this followed by Cadiz, Cordoba and Sevilla. The service has already been launched in Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga and offers shoppers more than 4,000 products, some of which are not available in its stores. (igd.com)India: Trent and Future sign private label deal
Trent Hypermarket and Future Group have struck a deal whereby the Tesco-Tata operated Star Bazaar stores will stock Future Group's private label products. The deal will see Star Bazaar stores initially stock 31 SKU's under brands such as; Sunkist, Tasty Treat, Karmiq, Fresh & Pure, Think Skin, Clean Mate and Care Mate, before expanding the range to 148 lines over time. (igd.com)Keneyan supermarket Uchumi registers pre tax loss of Sh1bn
Keneyan supermarket giant Uchumi’s half-year pre-tax loss widens by 288pc. The supermarket recorded a pre tax loss of Sh1bn. Uchumi posted a Sh262.4m loss in December 2014. A year after, in December 31, 2015, the supermarket marks a 288% dip in loss. The group attributed the loss to a drop in sales brought about by low stock levels and closure of some of its branches. (internationalsupermarketnews.com)Netherlands: Albert Heijn to Go to receive renewed focus
In an interview in Financial Dagblad the CEO of Albert Heijn, Wouter Kolk, discussed the potential to increase the pace of expansion of its convenience-focused fascia, Albert Heijn to Go. Kolk said that the retailer is undertaking discussions with various potential partners which could lead to it adding stores in companies’ offices, on university campuses, train stations or in motorway service stations. (igd.com)
Brexit: What would leaving the EU mean for co-ops?Following the announcement of the UK referendum in 23 June on whether Britain should remain in the European Union, what would a Brexit mean for co-operatives? Please, click here to read the article.
Sweden: Coop returns to profit in 2015
Coop Sverige has reported its 2015 results, revealing a 5.6% decline in net sales to SEK 32,345m (€3.45bn). Despite declining sales, the retailer returned to profit, reporting an operating profit of SEK 108m (€11.56m), versus an operating loss of SEK 306m (€37.2m) in 2014. (igd.com)
Poland: Jerónimo Martins: 2016 investment plans
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