Toronto, Instabuggy and Sobeys are now extending their relationship to the Ottawa area. The Canadian Grocer reports that that Instabuggy is extending its partnership with Sobeys to the Ottawa area, with the service being made available at FreshCo and Sobeys Urban Fresh, its urban supermarket format. Beyond this partnership, Sobeys also offers grocery e-commerce through its IGA operation in Quebec and Thrifty Foods in Western Canada. However, this extended partnership will be the first time that the service is offered through a Sobeys bannered store and could pave the way for a broader, national roll-out of the service. In both Toronto and Ottawa, Instabuggy will compete with rival services from Loblaw and Walmart, although both of these are focused on store-based click and collect services versus home delivery from Instabuggy. (igd.com) US: Ingles Markets names new CEO
Asheville, NC.-based Ingles Markets named Lanning, 56, to the role of CEO, filling a position previously held by company Chairman Robert P. Ingle, II. Lanning will retain his position as president while Ingle, 47, will continue to serve as chairman and continue his day-to-day active operational role in the executive leadership of the company, according to a statement. (chainstoreage.com)Sainsbury's appoints cassin as a non-executive director
British supermarket Sainsbury's has announced that Brian Cassin will join the Board as a non-executive director on April 1. He will be a member of the Audit Committee and the Nomination Committee. (esmmagazine.com)Instacart adds Orange County, Calif., market
Instacart said Monday it is expanding its Southern California service area from Los Angeles south to neighboring Orange County —its 20th market and its first new market in 2016. The delivery service will be available in Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Irvine and Newport Beach to customers of Costco Wholesale Corp., Gelson’s Market, H Mart, Ralphs, Smart & Final, Stater Bros. Markets, Whole Foods Market and Petco. After seeing sales grow by approximately 350% in Los Angeles during 2015, Orange County is a “natural extension,” the San Francisco-based company said. (supermarketnews.com)Kroger considered joint venture for Fresh Market
A strategic buyer — reported to have been Kroger by Reuters — considered partnering with one or more private-equity firms in a joint venture to take over The Fresh Market, but dropped out of the process only days before The Fresh Market announced intentions to be taken private by Apollo Global Management. In a filing with federal authorities describing the background of the merger, The Fresh Market revealed that several buyers, including three food retailers and a handful of private equity firms, eyed the company over a five-month period, but several — including the eventual winning bidder — got cold feet when confronting the substantial turnaround required at the company, and in particular, the downside scenario if its aspects of its strategic turnaround were to fail. (supermarketnews.com) Woolworths to launch new private label
After spending 33 years turning its Homebrand range into one of Australia's biggest-selling generic brands, Woolworths is renaming almost 1000 Homebrand products "Essentials" to fight perceptions that customers can get better quality at Aldi. (smh.com.au)Union supports transfer of Haggen stores to Albertsons
The United Food and Commercial Workers union said Friday it was supporting the transfer of 29 Northwest Haggen stores from the bankrupt retailer back to the company that spun them off a little more than a year ago, Albertsons Cos. As reported previously, Haggen has asked the judge overseeing its bankruptcy case to approve the proposed sale. The motion is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday. (supermarketnews.com) South-Africa: Pick n Pay’s franchise model unfair, say traders
Pick n Pay is at the centre of a heated row with franchisees who accuse the supermarket giant of resorting to bullying tactics and holding them to an unfair franchise model that contravenes the Consumer Protection Act. The allegations are contained in court documents that have been filed in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, where Pick n Pay is seeking an order to repossess one of the franchised stores. The documents were filed about a week ago. (timeslive.co.za)
Thrive Market wants to build an online Whole Foods for people who aren’t richPlease, click here to read the article.