UK farmers formally complain over supermarkets 'fake' farm brands

UK: Waitrose launches fruit sushi -

Waitrose is the first UK supermarket to exclusively launch ‘frushi’ - a new type of sushi made with fruit instead of seafood, the company says in a press release. Waitrose is stocking a pack of four ‘frushi rolls’ which have fruit centres enrobed with sushi rice and then coated with toasted desiccated coconut. The frushi pack includes two rolls with pieces of melon and pineapple and mango - grown on Waitrose Foundation farms and the remaining rolls include a refreshing fresh mint and mango coulis topped with a blueberry. Frushi is available across 270 Waitrose branches for £2.35.

UK: Half of supermarket apples are a year old

At least half the apples being sold in Britain could be up to a year old, the Daily Mail reveals. This is because the foreign varieties we eat are being stored in a way that prevents them ripening as they are shipped to the UK. Asda has admitted that some varieties of apple it sells as fresh were actually picked between six and 12 months ago, while Tesco and Sainsbury’s have been using the practice for more than a decade. Many other fruits and vegetables are kept fresh for months in the same way before being sold in supermarkets. (dailymail.co.uk)

US: Weis Markets to purchase 38 stores from Food Lion

Weis Markets made a major announcement about the growth of their grocery store chain on Thursday. The company announced its agreement with Food Lion LLC to purchase the assets of 38 Food Lion supermarket locations operating in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. The company plans to complete the purchase of these locations pending regulatory approval. (newsitem.com)

UK farmers union complains over supermarkets 'fake' farm brands

Britain's farmers union has formally complained to the country's National Trading Standards Institute over the use by supermarkets, including market leader Tesco, of "fake" farm branding on some food products. The National Farmers Union (NFU) said its letter of complaint followed concerns expressed by its members that the use of fictional farm labels could be misleading for shoppers. The NFU highlighted Tesco's March launch of seven fresh fruit and vegetables, poultry and meat lines with fictional brand names such as 'Woodside Farms' and 'Boswell Farms'. (brecorder.com)

Britain's Sainsbury's trials similar concept to Amazon's Prime Now

Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket group, is trialing a one hour home delivery service that is similar in concept to Amazon's 'Prime Now', it said on Friday. Online shopping is one of the better-performing parts of Britain's retail sector and has become a key battleground for the big supermarkets as they grapple with the growth of German discounters. Britain's online food market is expected to nearly double to 17.2bn pounds ($23bn) in the five years to 2020, according to industry research group IGD. The company said that Sainsbury's has the nationwide store network, with large fresh food ranges in all of them, and the online retail knowledge, to provide such a service if the market develops. (Reuters)

Organic produce sales at US mainstream retailers surge

Sales of organic fruits and vegetables at mainstream retailers now total $5.5bn, an increase of 16.4% from a year ago, according to a new report from the Organic Trade Association and Nielsen. Some organic produce categories are growing even faster. Sales of organic bananas, which total $165m, climbed 33%; organic blackberry sales jumped 61%; and sales of organic value-added vegetables surged 54% to almost $150m. The report also found that trips with organic produce rose 3% and spending per trip grew 2% compared to a year ago. On average, the annual household spend on organic produce was $25.22. (supermarketnews.com)

Sainsbury's axes food multi-buy promotions ahead of schedule

Sainsbury’s has fast tracked its programme to axe food multi-buy promotions in response to positive customer feedback. The retailer has been gradually removing multi-buys from its stores over the past two years but sped up the project in recent months due to customer appetite for simpler, clearer prices, it said. It stopped running the promotions in June, two months ahead of schedule. Sainsbury’s decided to replace multi-buys with lower, regular prices in response to changing shopping habits. Customers now shop more frequently, often buying fewer items. (retail-week.com)

Mercadona on the look out for store directors for Portugal expansion

Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona continues to plan for its entry into Portugal. As reported by revistainforetail.com, the retailer is set to commence the hiring process of the first 120 store directors to lead the project in Portuguese territory. With this process, the retailer expects to consolidate a large part of the key positions for the organisation in Portugal and to create the base to allow Mercadona to develop internationally. (esmmagazine.com)

Phil. Seven nets P472M

Leading local convenience store operator Philippine Seven Corp. grew its net profit in the first six months by 32.5% year-on-year to P472.3m (USD 10m) as election spending boosted retail sales alongside an expansion in its store network. The retailer plans to invest more on its store expansion strategy amid stiffer competition. (business.inquirer.net)

Turkey: Migros to sell fresh produce on yacht

Turkish retailer Migros has launched its ‘floating full-service store’, a 40 metre yacht called‘Migros Deniz Market’ (Migros Sea Market). Operating over the summer, the yacht aims to meet the needs of customers in the coastal areas of Fethiye and Göcek. The yacht offers a retail space of over 2,000 sq. m and stocks over 500 items, including fresh produce. (igd.com)

US: C&S Wholesale Grocers to reopen Maryland distribution facility

C&S Wholesale Grocers reopened its warehouse/distribution facility Tuesday with a small number of employees, just a little more than three months after shuttering the facility and laying off nearly 200 people. “We are encouraged that they are bringing job opportunities, employment and business back to Cecil County,” Susquehanna Workforce Network Executive Director Bruce England said Tuesday, although he had not confirmed that the company actually reopened doors Tuesday. “This has occurred suddenly from our vantage point. We do know they are recruiting to fill multiple positions for warehouse selectors and forklift operators.” (cecildaily.com)

Bulgarian Carrefour hypermarket to go up for sale

A Carrefour hypermarket in a Stara Zagora shopping centre, Bulgaria, has been placed on the market with an asking price of €11.6m. SeeNews.com reports that the store in question is owned by CMB Bulgaria, a subsidiary of the Marinopoulos Group, which has applied for bankruptcy protection in its native Greece. (esmmagazine.com)