Tesco launches 'wonky' cukes, admits wasting 119M meals p.a.

Carrefour is currently in negotiations to buy Alvimar supermarkets in Turuel, Spain, and transform them into Carrefour Express shops. Diariodeturuel.es reports the company plans to start refurbishing at the end of this summer. (igd.com)

Italy’s largest consumer cooperative and food retailer, Coop Alleanza 3.0, is investing €104m in 2016 new store openings and the refurbishment of current stores. Its South of Italy division will receive €14m of the planned investments, aimed at strengthening its presence in the Sicily, Campania and Lazio regions, and for consolidation in Abruzzo and Puglia. A total of 15 new stores were opened in the first four months of 2016, while seven existing stores were restructured as part of a plan that will involve a total of 102 sales points. (esmmagazine.com)

Tesco has launched a brand new range of low-priced ‘wonky’ cucumbers to help customers looking to save over the summer months. The cucumbers are priced at 35p per 100g and will form part of the Perfectly Imperfect range, which already includes parsnips, potatoes and strawberries. The retailers food waste rose to 59,400 tonnes last year, the equivalent of nearly 119 million meals. The record amount wasted at its stores and at distribution centres was the equivalent of one in every 100 food products sold and came despite initiatives designed to tackle the problem. In March Tesco launched a range of “wonky vegetables” called Perfectly Imperfect and ended buy one, get one free offers on fruit and vegetables. Dave Lewis, the retailer’s chief executive, said: “When I arrived at Tesco we were the only UK retail company to publish our food waste data. (thetimes.co.uk)

The Big Four supermarkets are most at risk of losing spend to AmazonFresh, according to research firm Nielsen, as the US online giant putting Tesco most at risk. Nielsen found 29% of UK shoppers are aware of it and 57% would be very likely or likely to try it. Of the largest incumbent grocers, Tesco was found to be the most in danger, with 56% of current users expressing interest in moving over, followed by 36% for Sainsbury and Asda and 16% for Morrisons, which already has a deal with Amazon. (Please, click here to read the article at digitallook.com) 

The Director General of Aeon Vietnam said the company prepares to inaugurate its fourth shopping mall in July in Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City on an area of 16,500 sq.m. Aeon has invested US$500m in operating these four shopping malls, Mr.Nishitohge said, adding that the group expects to run 20 shopping centres in Vietnam by 2020. (english.vietnamnet.vn)

The rise of online shopping and that increasing dominance of discount retailers mean that Britain’s food and grocery market is set to grow 10% by 2021, valuing it at £197bn. Online grocery sales remain the fastest-growing segment, followed by the discounters, while the larger supermarkets will improve in the next five years, according to IGD, a food and grocery research and training charity. (thetimes.co.uk)

The retailer Big C will be renamed next year. "Although we have the right to use the brand name Big C within 10 years after the acquisition, we have decided to rename it next year," said the CEO of Thailand’s Central Group. (english.vietnamnet.vn)

Italy-based Conad has said its aggregated turnover rose 4% in 2015, reaching €12.2 bn. Conad said the results were particularly strong given the difficult market environment and were boosted by shopper acceptance of its private label ranges. (igd.com)

Food at the supermarket is cheaper in the Netherlands than anywhere else in Western Europe. Prices are below the EU average. Denmark is the most expensive EU country with prices almost 45% higher, and the other Scandinavian countries are not far behind. (iamexpat.nl)

Mercadona was chosen as Spain's second most reputable company in the country by Spanish Corporate Reputation Monitor (Merco). The retailer was chosen just behind clothing company Inditex. Some of the categories that were taken in account were product quality and economic practices. (esmmagazine.com)

Spanish grocer Caprabo has announced plans to invest €4m into developing 10 new forecourt stores around Spain. (esmmagazine.com)

Barclays European Food Retail Equity Research has outlined the potential impact that a Brexit would have on UK market-leader Tesco, in a briefing note. Barclays said in the note, “If the UK votes to remain in the EU, we do not foresee any significant implications for Tesco or its UK peers.” On the other hand, “A vote to leave would likely impact the sterling's value against other currencies, although the extent of the possible impact and timeframe are far from clear. (esmmagazine.com)

Mercadona Spain has increased its purchasing of avocados by 33% during the period from December to May, the retailer has announced. The majority of avocados on sale in Mercadona's stores were supplied by Frutas Montosa, in Malaga. (esmmagazine.com)