UK: Sales Big 4 all drop for the first time in a year

Australia wants more Filipinos to buy its stonefruits and table grapes, and the government sees convenience stores as a viable market for such a push. The Philippine PAGASA has expressed interest in assisting the introduction of Australian fresh fruits to a wider audience in the Philippines. The push is part of Australia’s “Now In Season Australia” initiative, currently in its third year. The program makes fresh fruits available in more than 100 locations of Robinsons Supermarket, Rustan’s Fresh, Rustan’s Marketplace, Rustan’s Supermarket, S&R, SM Supermarket, SM Hypermart and Shopwise in Manila. Australian fresh fruit exports to the Philippines are expected to average between $20 million and $25 million this year. ​read more

New York supermarket chain Fairway Group Holdings Corp. said late Monday it had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, months after warning of the possibility of breaching its loan agreement. The reorganization will eliminate about $140 million of senior secured debt and provide financing to restructure the firm’s balance sheet, Fairway said. It added that store operations were expected to continue with no impact on customers, suppliers or employees. In February, Fairway warned that it was in danger of violating its loan agreement in the next several months and said it must reduce its debt to remain viable.

Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe described the grocery business as 'fiercely competitive' Sainsbury's has reported a fall in annual profits as the supermarket price war continued to hurt the retailer. Underlying profits, which strip out one-off charges, fell to £587m for the year to 12 March. That was down from £681m in the previous year. Pre-tax profits for the year were £548m, reversing last year's £72m loss. That result was hit by charges related to the falling value of its properties.

Sainsbury's has been suffering from the battle among supermarkets to cut prices and said that the tough environment was unlikely to change anytime soon. read more

Kroger Co.’s new investment in natural and organic supermarket chain Lucky’s Markets will get it into the Minnesota market for the first time and could lead it to eye an acquisition. Lucky’s is looking for locations in the Minneapolis area. That’s a market where Kroger has not operated before. And it’s next to Wisconsin, where Kroger just bought Milwaukee-based Roundy’s Inc. and its 117 stores in the Badger State. read more

WOOLWORTHS’ sales continue to decline, but its misery means big wins for customers. The supermarket giant is planning a major overhaul, promising unbeatable prices on groceries, appealing special offers and extra services tailored to shoppers’ needs. Chief executive Brad Banducci yesterday announced the group’s restructuring as sales dropped 0.3 per cent in the March quarter, while Coles and Aldi gained ground.

Woolies has ploughed $400 million into reducing prices over the past nine months, but it hasn’t won us back yet. Now it’s investing another $150 million in improving price, customer service and loyalty.... read more

As one of the last major brand manufacturers, Unilever has now also entered Aldi's German product range: from now on, both Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd will have items from amongst others Knorr and Magnum for sale. Aldi has opened its doors for major brand manufacturers for a while now: the hard discounter hopes this will help counter the increased competition and attract a wider audience. Recently, the retailer made headlines with a Jette Joop fashion collection, which drew huge crowds to the stores. Aldi is apparently also in talks with premium brand manufacturers in Belgium, but not everyone agrees that is the best approach. read more

Austrian supermarket chain, Merkur has announced plans to launch an online grocery store in the coming weeks. According to esmmagazine.com, the website will initially only serve customers in the Vienna region, who will be able to choose from 20,000 products. The retailer is aiming to ensure that deliveries made in the morning reach its online customers in the evening of the same day.

The retailer has announced that its entire range of bananas will be sourced from either Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms before the end of the year. Banana farms that meet comprehensive standards earn the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. These standards help ensure that farms comply with rigorous criteria designed to protect biodiversity, workers, families and nearby communities. Farm owners must commit to a process of continuous improvement and their farms are audited each year in order to maintain their certification. read more

The online retailer is understood to have been testing fresh food deliveries from its depot in east London and to have asked suppliers to begin deliveries in the next few weeks. The arrival of Amazon Fresh, which has been operating in the US for about seven years, comes after the online business signed a deal with British supermarket Morrisons. The Bradford-based chain has agreed to wholesale ambient, fresh and frozen products to Amazon despite already operating its own website in partnership with Ocado. read more