Irish and Northern Irish retailer groups call for political leadership during Brexit phase
Retail representative groups in both Ireland and Northern Ireland have called on governments on both sides of the Irish Sea to demonstrate strong leadership and a clear focus on jobs and business during the Brexit phase. Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) and the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) said that governments need to 'establish a roadmap for exit with clear milestones where full consideration is given to the 360,000 retail jobs on the island of Ireland which are dependent on both economies'. (esmmagazine.com)
Retailers set to gain from Ahold Delhaize divestments
Retail representative groups in both Ireland and Northern Ireland have called on governments on both sides of the Irish Sea to demonstrate strong leadership and a clear focus on jobs and business during the Brexit phase. Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) and the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) said that governments need to 'establish a roadmap for exit with clear milestones where full consideration is given to the 360,000 retail jobs on the island of Ireland which are dependent on both economies'. (esmmagazine.com) Retailers set to gain from Ahold Delhaize divestments
Ahold and Delhaize Group have reached agreements with buyers to divest a total of 86 stores in a limited number of locations where there is a geographic overlap in their operations in the US, igd.com reports. The divestments are being made in connection with the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) pending review of the proposed merger between the two companies. The divestments are subject to FTC approval, with the companies expecting the merger to be completed before the end of July. Weis Markets, Supervalu and Publix are among the key beneficiaries of these divestments. For Weis Markets, the acquisition significantly grows its store estate, helping it to break the 200 store barrier. At Supervalu, the acquisition of the stores reverses a trend of disposals and is the first major acquisition for several years. Despite these divestments, the enlarged company is set to become the fourth largest grocery retailer in the US upon completion of the merger. (igd.com)
Source: IGD / Ahold Delhaize
German Metro has transformation plan for its Belgian business
As part of its strategy, Metro Group plans to make a €61 million investment into a new transformation plan in Belgium, which it will spread over several years until the end of 2018. It has no plans to close stores but it has reported it will cut 500 of the 3,000 jobs at its Metro and Makro stores. This follows an initial reorganisation in 2014 which has failed to have enough impact. The transformation changes to the Makro business will be particularly radical and both banners will be adjusting their commercial strategies and focusing on having a clear positioning in the Belgian market. (igd.com) Spar parent company acquires seven My Local stores
The parent company of convenience store chain Spar has announced it has purchased seven My Local outlets, two weeks after the latter went into administration. Blakemore Retail's acquisition of the seven stores also comes a week after the Co-op mutual said it would snap up six outlets of the collapsed chain. (retailgazette.co.uk)Cdiscount pulls out of Cameroon and Senegal
Cdiscount has announced that it is to pull out of Senegal and Cameroon, citing market conditions and tariff complications as the reason behind its decision. The announcement was made to the company’s staff in these countries by Florent Mermet, Cdiscount’s Africa director, according to JeuneAfrique.com. Its Ivory Coast operation is, for the time being at least, to remain intact. (esmmagazine.com)German Aldi publishes first sustainability report
Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd each published today for the first time in the company’s history their own sustainability report. The document contains information about the company's efforts concerning the traceability of food, social and environmental standards in the supply chain, animal welfare and energy efficiency. (archyworldys.com)French Casino develops click-and-collect service for seafarers
Groupe Casino has launched a new click-and-collect service for people who are cruising or travelling by boat in the southeast area of France. In order to avail of 'Casino on Board', as the service is know, users need to sign up to casinodrive.fr, select the desired SKUs, and then select a port and date for collection, according to LSA.fr. (esmmagazine.com)French grocer Auchan furthers investment in China
France-based grocery chain Auchan has partnered with data intelligence company Keyrus to help build its e-commerce business in China, reports Yahoo. Auchan is entering the most valuable online grocery market in the world — in 2015, shoppers in China purchased $41 billion worth of groceries online, according to IGD. (uk.businessinsider.com)
GPA's Assai atacarejo format has delivered stellar performances in recent trading, and this latest quarter was no exception, as sales grew 37.6% year-on-year. Growth was supported by a strong rate of store openings in the previous 12 months: 10 stores opened, taking total store count to close to 100 stores. Yet same store sales were also strong, delivering double-digit growth well ahead of inflation. Significantly, food trading improved in the Extra hypermarket format, where sales benefited from increased investment in prices on selected key lines, with a focus on fresh and everyday products. Sales also grew at Pão de Açúcar supermarkets, with range enhancements and online supporting growth. (igd.com)
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