Ahold and Delhaize supplier are asked to discuss harmonized purchase conditions, as the merger company seeks to generate money out of the deal. The ink on the Ahold - Delhaize merger agreement has barely dried or the suppliers have already been asked, kindly but urgently, to schedule a meeting with Senior Vice President Sourcing Integration Sebastiaan de Jong and his team. German retail watcher Mike Dawson broke the news in a very entertaining way on his German Retail Blog and several brand manufacturers in Belgium have since then confirmed the news to us. The goal is to harmonize Albert Heijn and Delhaize's buying terms. The "alignment talks" are not meant to replace the annual talks, which start in October. The meetings will take place in Breda, right in the middle between Brussels and Zaandam. (retaildetail.eu)US: 91 Stop & Shop stores supplied by local farms
The Stop & Shop supermarket chain has partnered with 21 family-owned and independent farmers in Connecticut, including Botticello Farms of Manchester. Farmers from throughout the state will be providing Stop & Shop’s 91 Connecticut stores with fruit and vegetables in the region. (patch.com) UK: Morrissons to cut fruit and veg price with 17% on average
Supermarket chain Morrisons is set to ignite a post-Brexit price war today as it launches its “biggest ever sale”. The store is slashing the price of more than 1,000 products, including meat, fruit and vegetables and toiletries. Other chains are likely to follow suit. Morrisons prices will be slashed by as much as 56%, fruit and veg will fall 17% on average. Other supermarket chains have yet to react to the announcement but in the past such a move has led other key players – including the remaining members of the “big four”, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda – to make similar discounts. (express.co.uk) Woman cuts into Aldi fruit and finds nest of baby spiders
A woman who bought a 'funsize' pack of bananas from found out that they contained a nest of spiders, dailymail.co.uk reports. A woman from Prestatyn, North Wales, noticed a 'strange growth' on one of the fruit she gave to her son, aged three. But when she sliced into it to check, the mother was shocked to see dozens of baby spiders crawling out. An Aldi spokesman said: 'Whilst such issues can naturally happen in fresh produce, complaints of this nature are rare. 'We have apologised to Ms Pritchard and provided her with a full refund as well as a selection of fruit as a gesture of goodwill. 'We are investigating this matter fully with our supplier.' (dailymail.co.uk) UK: Sainsbury's to get 125m for pharmacy sale
Sainsbury's has won regulatory approval from the Competition and Markets Authority for the sale of its pharmacy business to Celesio, the owner of LloydsPharmacy. Sainsbury's will receive £125m from the deal which was announced last July. (igd.com)US: Albertsons sales tick up, loss narrows in 1Q
Albertsons Cos. grew sales by 1.9% and identical store sales by 2.9% in the fiscal first quarter ended June 18, the company said in an updated stock prospectus filed with federal regulators Friday. Sales for the 16-week period totaled $18.4 billion, Albertsons said. The company posted a $134 million loss for the period on an actual basis, and a $43 million loss on a pro-forma basis. The loss narrowed from the same period last year, when Albertsons lost $153 million. (supermarketnews.com) Carrefour first to introduce robot in supermarket
SoftBank will launch its humanoid robot Pepper in Taiwan later this year and the company will provide about 100 units for leasing. According to a representative from SoftBank, those robots will be put into use at some Carrefour supermarkets. Marilyn Su, an executive from Carrefour, said that the first task for this robot is to know customers and interact with them, especially children. (chinatechnews.com)US: Industry bids adieu to Vermont law, welcomes national GMO labeling
The Grocery Manufacturers Association cheered President Obama’s signing of national legislation that will immediately nullify Vermont’s GMO labeling mandate and usher in a “new era for transparency in ingredient information for consumers, by requiring disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients for families in every state across the nation,” said Pam Bailey, president and CEO of GMA, in a statement.US: Cannibalization, deflation pressure Smart & Final's 2Q comps
Smart & Final Stores said Thursday the addition of 33 acquired Haggen stores helped boost sales for the second quarter ended June 19, though cannibalization from new-store development and deflationary pressures on pricing resulted in declines in comparable store sales. The 33 additional stores were acquired from Haggen late last year and converted during the first half. Net income for the quarter fell 29.3% to $7.8 million, while sales jumped 14.7% to $1 billion and comparable store sales fell 0.3%, encompassing a 0.4% increase in transaction count, including the impact of cannibalization. (supermarketnews.com) Asian Dairy Farm H1 hypermarkets and supermarkets sales down 2%
Hypermarkets and supermarkets are the retailer's main formats, accounting for 77% of total sales of all subsidiaries. Sales declined in Singapore and Indonesia following the closure of underperforming stores, though profitability was improved. In Hong Kong, sales increased but profits were impacted by higher rental and labour costs. Sales were flat but profits were lower in Malaysia. The Philippines saw good sales growth and improved profitability. Convenience format saw a 2.3% sales increase. The 7-Eleven convenience store operations in China, Hong Kong and Macau performed well in a difficult trading environment. While overall sales in Singapore were flat due to a reduced store base, like-for-like sales were positive and profits were higher. Dairy Farm has agreed to transfer all its Starmart convenience stores to FamilyMart in Indonesia. (igd.com) Sainsbury's steps up online push in China
The British supermarket is doubling the number of products it sells via the international shopping site of Alibaba – a China-based company similar to Amazon – to 100. It will be the only international retailer highlighted during Tmall’s “super brand day” promotion on 8 August, one of China’s biggest sales events outside Singles’ Day in November. Sainsbury's product range wil not contain fresh produce (yet). (theguardian.com)