Biggest rise in fresh produce sales at Poundland, B&M, 99p Stores

AU: David Jones sells apples for $2.50 each -
A photo circulating on the internet, said to be from David Jones food hall shows apples for $2.50 each. The image of Royal Gala apples was thought to have been taken in Melbourne. It was posted to Reddit where users were shocked at the price. Please, click here to read more at dailymail.co.uk.

Listeria prompts recall of fresh-cut vegetables in 9 states
A Texas company is recalling 30,000 cases of fresh-cut vegetable products from eight retail chains — including Wal-Mart, QuikTrip and Publix — after a random sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Country Fresh LLC of Conroe, TX, distributed various combinations of 45 different fresh-cut vegetable products to retailers in nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. (foodsafetynews.com)

Mercadona requests permission for new outlet in Canary Islands
Mercadona has requested planning permission for a new large-scale outlet in La Grama, in the Canary Islands. As reported by eldiario.es, the General Directive of Commerce and Consumption in the Islands recently received an application from the supermarket chain for a commercial licence for the installation and opening of a large scale establishment in Breña Alta, Canary Islands. (esmmagazine.com)

Slowed Peapod growth due to operational issues, not demand drop
Operational problems at Peapod’s Chicago warehouse have been a drag on Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. online grocery business, executives told investors in its second-quarter earnings call on Thursday. Sales growth has fallen from double digits to high single digits, executives said. Dick Boer, president and CEO, said “all our focus is now [on] the teams to resolve that” issue, with the expectation that Peapod growth will return to double digits once fixes have been made. (supermarketnews.com)

Spar continues to thrive across Russia
Spar Russia experienced an above industry average growth last year, with an overall sales increase of 19%. Spar operates 420 stores across Russia, spanning an area from Northwest St Petersburg to Irkutsk in Southeastern Siberia, with a combined sales area of 294,740m². The 12 Spar Partners operating in Russia opened 75 new stores last year. (esmmagazine.com)

Biggest rise in fresh produce sales at Poundland, B&M, 99p Stores.
Britons spent nearly £5bn at bargain stores such as Poundland, B&M and 99p Stores over the past 12 months, increasingly drawn by fresh fruit and vegetables, with more than 2.2m households shopping there for the first time. Data from market researchers Nielsen showed that spending at bargain stores totalled £4.9bn in the year to July, up 17% from the previous year. Fresh fruit and vegetables have recorded the biggest rise in popularity, albeit from a small base over the last year, in terms of number of shoppers and frequency of purchase. (theguardian.com)

NZ: Countdown unveils $500m expansion plan
One of New Zealand's biggest supermarket chains is planning to spend $500m on a big expansion plan, opening about three to four new shops every year for the next few years. Dave Chambers, chief executive of the 184-store Countdown business, owned by Australia's Woolworths, told about 500 people this morning in Auckland, of ambitious plans. He also told suppliers that food prices were dropping. "Countdown Supermarkets food prices showed deflation of 0.3%, with lower prices across most categories," Chambers said of the 2016 financial year. (nzherald.co.nz)

Russia: X5 announces progress of new DC and banana-ripening room
Russian food retailer, X5 Retail Group, has announced it has finished stage 2 of its Forpost distribution centre (DC) in Chelyabinsk. The storage areas will expand the DC by 3.5 times becoming 21,000 sq m. The stores currently have an average of 30% of local produce in the Urals Federal District, up to 100% in some categories. The Logistics facility includes a banana-ripening room (esmmagazine.com)

US: Gristedes owner bails out rival D’Agostino supermarket chain
The cash-strapped D’Agostino supermarket chain has received financial help from the parent company of another longtime New York City supermarket chain Gristedes, whose parent Red Apple Group is helping it stay afloat. Billionaire John Catsimatidis, chairman of the Red Apple Group, a New York City-based real estate investment firm that owns Gristedes and has holdings in the oil and aviation industries, set up a revolving credit facility for the D’Agostino operation and it may move to bring its rival into a joint venture, the company said on Thursday. (bizjournals.com)

AU: Lowe’s accuses Woolworths of ‘bad faith’ in venture wind up
Lowe’s Cos. asked an Australian court on Monday to appoint a liquidator to wind up its home-improvements business with Woolworths Ltd., accusing its partner in the venture of “oppressive” and “prejudicial” behavior. Woolworths last week announced a three-step plan to quit the unprofitable Masters hardware division, formed with Lowe’s in 2009, including a proposal to sell 82 properties and development sites that still needed the U.S. company’s approval. (Bloomberg)

Cencosud: improvement in Q2
Cencosud has reported improvement in its second quarter results, despite challenges around the economy and decelerating consumption. Revenues in local currency were up across all markets, except Brazil, although currency devaluations affected results in Chilean pesos. Cencosud's supermarket business posted revenue growth in local currencies in all countries except Brazil, and increases in same store sales. There were some encouraging signs in Brazil despite a 0.7% fall in same-store sales. Cencosud says the core business in Chile remains solid. (igd.com)

Aldi accounts shed some light on Australian operations
German supermarket Aldi is enjoying good profits in Australia, new figures show. Please, click here to read the article.

US: Safeway will start delivering groceries
An old idea is new again as Safeway announced on Wednesday that it will start delivering groceries in metro Denver. Customers of Safeway and sister grocery chain Albertsons can make their orders online at www.safeway.com or via a Safeway. (bizjournals.com)

Fresh produce prices distorted by supply chain
Please, click here to read the article.

Tesco sells bakery business
Tesco has agreed to sell its Euphorium bakery business to two buyers in the latest stage of its drive to simplify the way it operates, according to press reports. The move comes just a year after Tesco took full ownership of Euphorium. (igd.com)

Norway: Norgesgruppen: record results in H1 2016
Norwegian market leader NorgesGruppen has revealed its results for the first half of 2016, reporting that revenue increased by 7.4% to NOK 38,627m (€4.2bn). Profit after tax rose by 6.4% to NOK 1,004m (€108.4m). The retailer advised that the KIWI, MENY, SPAR and Joker stores enjoyed growth, while growth at KIWI was particularly strong, including the performance of new and existing stores. (igd.com)