Countdown says despite double-digit price rises for fruit and veg, an average grocery shop is cheaper than it was two years ago. But the 13.2% hike for produce prices is above what Statistics NZ has measured in the past year, with the supermarket blaming "seasonal factors". Compared to last year, at Countdown:
- avocados are up 124.4%
- brown onions up 31.2%
- green grapes up 26.3%
- bananas 15.9%
- and tomatoes 13%
Metro Canada to support local suppliers in Ontario
Following the success of its three-year long local sourcing program in Quebec, Metro has launched a new initiative to boost sales of local products in Ontario. Since the launch of the first phase of the local purchasing program in Quebec in 2013, Metro has worked to implement concrete initiatives to help make Québec’s agri-food sector stronger and more competitive. To date, this has seen more 800 new fresh and grocery products from over 130 suppliers launch in Metro and Super C stores. (igd.com)Taiwan works with U.S. supermarket chain to promote food products
Taiwan has teamed up with Korean-owned supermarket chain H Mart in the United States to promote Taiwanese food products by unveiling "the Taiwan Food Festival" in the store's outlets on Friday. (focustaiwan.tw)Mercadona supplier Agromediterránea increased sales by 42% In 2015
Agromediterránea, Mercadona's internal agricultural produce supplier, reached sales of over €85.7m in 2015, which represents a growth of 42.3% compared to the previous year. According to gondoladigital.com, it also increased its volume, reaching 114.500 tonnes (+54.8%), as well as the amount of units produced (176.6m units for an increase of 53%). (esmmagazine)Walmart preparing to name China head as Asda CEO
Walmart Stores Inc. is preparing to name its China head, Sean Clarke, as the CEO of the U.K. supermarket chain Asda, Sky News reported. Walmart may make an announcement as soon as this week, although the timing of the change is unclear, according to the broadcaster, which cited unidentified people. (Sky News/Bloomberg)Dutch consumers spend more online, food sales rise 57%
Dutch consumers spent nearly €5bn shopping online in the first three months of 2016, according to the quarterly web retail monitor carried out by market research group GFK. The sharpest rise was in spending on food which soared 57%. The increase is likely to be the result of the surge in sales of food boxes containing ready to cook meals, GFK said. (dutchnews.nl)US: Supervalu to hold bigger piece of spun-off Save-A-Lot
Supervalu will retain a 40% interest in Save-A-Lot in the company's planned spin-off of the discount division to a publicly traded, stand-alone company, the distributor said in an SEC filing late Thursday. Previous projections made in January had Supervalu retaining only 20% of the company. However, officials several weeks ago said that retaining a greater interest would provide Supervalu with the ability to monetize the investment in the future. (supermarketnews.com)Barclays: Competition from discounters could impact ICA Sweden
ICA Sweden is facing a more competitive retail environment in the years ahead, according to a report from Barclays European Food Retail Equity Research. In the report, Barclays says that it expects 'ICA's margins to erode as it faces a tougher competitive environment in its domestic market' The discounter most likely to impact ICA's performance is Lidl. (esmmagazine.com) Perceived value of Spanish (food) brands on the rise in the EU
European consumers recognise Spanish brands for their quality, a study conducted by Vente-Privee and the Foro de Marcas Renombradas Españolas has found. As reported onrevistainforetail.com, the study reached over 800 respondents in Italy, France, Germany and the UK. It found that 83% of European consumers consider that Spanish brands offer good quality, especially in the food, fashion and hotel chains categories. (esmmagazine.com)Iceland profits up slightly in 'challenging' UK market
British frozen foods retailer Iceland has turned flat profits in the full-year ending 26 March 2016, as the retailer steadied its sales decline in an "extremely challenging" UK grocery sector. Sales for the company decreased slightly, from £2.697bn to £2.675bn, while like-for-like sales dropped by 2.7%; an improvement from last year's 4.4%. Despite the drop in sales, Iceland managed to increase its profits slightly, a 0.2% increase to £150.5m, made possible by stronger margins and tighter cost control. (esmmagazine.com) UK grocers fight discounters with Ramadan pitch to Muslims
Britain’s struggling supermarket chains, seeking ways to counter the rise of discounters, are stepping up efforts to draw the U.K.’s 3m Muslims into their stores during Ramadan. U.K. market leader Tesco Plc expects 30m pounds ($43m) in extra sales during the month-long holiday, when Muslims cook feasts after daylight fasting ends. The discounters' low product range is an a disadvantage, when consumers seek specialized goods, and gives the established supermarkets a chance to fight back. (esmmagazine.com) EU: Hypermarkets could experience loss of share, study finds
European consumers are avoiding hypermarkets and large retail spaces and favouring smaller shop formats, according to a study conducted by Bain & Company. This could have important implications in all levels of the food chain, according to the study. (esmmagine.com)Bernstein: Sale of Kipa will enable Tesco management to focus on core business
Bernstein Research has said that it believes Tesco's sale of its Kipa business in Turkey and Giraffe business in the UK will enable the retailer to focus on its core objectives better. 'Tesco was only a small player in Turkey and suffered from a highly competitive market,' Bernstein said of the sale. 'As a result, the main Tesco business had to support Tesco Kipa. The sale of the business means that the focus can be on the other parts of the International business.' (esmmagazine.com)Portugal: Continente named best for quality by certification body
The Continente hypermarket chain has been identified as offering the best quality of products and services in Portugal, according to an independent certification body. The QUDAL certification project is accredited by the international ICERTIAS - International Certification Association, based in Zurich. As a result of its achievement, Continente has been awarded the QUDAL stamp - QUality meDAL 2016/17. (esmmagazine.com)Romanian food prices drop 7.6%
Romania’s first bout of deflation since the fall of communism deepened for a fifth consecutive month as food and energy prices dropped after two rounds of tax cuts. Food prices fell 7.6% from a year earlier in May, while non-food items dropped 1.2% and services costs declined 0.6%, the institute said. (esmmagazine.com)
Choppies completes Ukwala acquisitionChoppies has finally completed the purchase of eight Ukwala stores, marking a year long process to enter the Kenyan market. (igd.com)
Why Amazon Fresh is the thin end of the vegPlease, click here to read the article.