The possibility of Supervalu spinning off its discount grocery chain Save-A-Lot took one step closer to reality Monday evening. Eden Prairie-based food conglomerate Supervalu issued early drafts to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding its separation of Save-A-Lot. The filing, which is the most formal and thorough documentation of the spin-off plan to date, details a 60/40 stock split of Save-A-Lot once it goes public. If nothing changes, 60 percent of the stock will be proportionally distributed to Supervalu stockholders. Supervalu CEO Mark Gross did not state what the pro rata distribution would be as it will likely be finalized later on. (tcbmag.com) Italian chain opens supermarket in London
Sicily-based grocery chain, Prezzemolo & Vitale, has opened its first store in London, located in the Mercato Metropolitano food market, near Elephant & Castle. The family-run business out of Palermo, brings to UK consumers, Sicilian products of excellence, 
along with delicatessen items such as; cheese, pasta, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as international items. (esmmagazine.com)US: Lidl to build Maryland DC
In further preparation for its 2018 U.S. store launch, Lidl US on Tuesday said it would build a third U.S. regional headquarters and distribution center in Cecil County, Md. The company, a division of Germany-based Schwarz Group, said it would invest $100 million in the project and create 100 new full-time jobs at the facility over the next three years. Lidl plans to open its first stores in the U.S. no later than 2018. (supermarketnews.com)US: Video of mouse crawling over produce in supermarket goes viral
A video of a mouse crawling all over vegetables at a Covina supermarket has gone viral, making hundreds of thousands of Facebook viewers cringe. The video was shot in the produce department of the El Super store on Arrow Highway. (abc7.com)US: Price Chopper refutes rumours of a sale
Shortly after news broke that Price Chopper could be sold by parent company The Golub Corp., the retailer refuted the speculations.“That would be rumour and innuendo, to which I will not respond," Mona Golub, Vice President of Public Relations and Consumer Services for Price Chopper, told Albany Business Review in response to the reports. (andnowuknow.com)China: Yonghui reports 18% revenue growth in H1
China’s leading retailer Yonghui has revealed that its revenue has increased by 18% to RMB24.5b (US$3.7b) in the first half of 2016, while its profit has seen a 27% uplift. Yonghui currently operates 424 stores across 162 cities in China, with additional 182 stores already scheduled to open by the end of 2016. In an effort to provide pre-processing services for standardised fresh produce in its stores, Yonghui Superstore entered into a fresh produce distribution joint venture in Beijing with South Korean company CJFreshway. (igd.com)
Hungary: Auchan launching online in 2016In a recent press release, Auchan has revealed it is to launch e-commerce in 2016, according to CEO Dominique Ducoux. Auchan will join competitors Tesco and CBA in offering an online service in Hungary. (igd.com)
Tesco Poland cuts back on e-commerce
Tesco Poland has reportedly decided to reduce the number of cities where it offers an e-commerce service to 17 metropolitan areas through 24 hypermarkets, resulting in the planned suspension of e-commerce in Wałbrzychu and Jeleniej Górze, south-western Poland. The retailer will transfer delivery vans servicing these locations to the larger cities of Warsaw and Wroclaw. (igd.com)Lidl's Northern Ireland chief aims at 12 new stores
Lidl, which opened its first local shop in Cookstown in 2000, now has 38 outlets and employs 768 staff here. The company's newly-appointed regional director has told the Belfast Telegraph that the German-owned chain is confident of further growth in store numbers. I think we have room for 50," said Conor Boyle, who's recently returned from Sweden where he was Lidl chief executive. "I believe we can expand more with new stores and our current growth can cope with organic growth." (belfasttelegraph.co.uk) Carrefour Poland adds ‘raspberry’ tomatoes to private label line
‘Raspberry’ tomatoes are the newest addition to the private label Carrefour Quality Line – the fruit of a collaborative effort, on the part of Carrefour Poland, and a new grower in the country’s province of Mazovia. The tomatoes are produced using 'no herbicides or chemical pesticides and need less water than other tomato varieties to grow,' the supermarket chain says. (esmmagazine.com)US people buy most of their junk food at the supermarket
An analysis of a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults reveals that access to healthy foods in a supermarket does not hinder Americans' consumption of empty calories. In fact, the study found, U.S. adults buy the bulk of their sugar-sweetened beverages and nutrient-poor discretionary foods at supermarkets and grocery stores. (medicalxpress.com)