Co-op to improve treatment of fresh produce suppliers

Poland suspends retail tax for foreign grocers

The Polish government is suspending its newly introduced retail tax, the country’s finance minister, Pawel Szalamacha, advised on September 20. Under the law, which only came into effect on September 1st this year, retailers in Poland would pay 0.8% on monthly revenues between PLN 17m (€3.85m) and PLN 170m (€38.55m) and 1.4% on sales exceeding PLN 170m (€38.55m) per month as initially planned. Revenues below PLN 17m (€3.85m) per month would be tax free. The suspension follows an EU probe, which suggested that this tax gives Polish companies an unfair advantage over competitors, which breaches EU state aid rules. (igd.com)

The UK’s first food waste supermarket opens

The UK’s first food waste supermarket has opened in Pudsey, near Leeds. Food waste campaigners from the Real Junk Food Project, have opened "the warehouse", a store on the Grangefield Industrial Estate. The store offers fresh food too. Customers are invited to shop for food thrown out by supermarkets and other businesses. The food is priced on a "pay as you feel" basis and has already helped desperate families struggling to feed their children. (independent.co.uk)

Whole Foods to boost children’s access to produce
Whole Foods Market’s Whole Kids Foundation aims to raise $4 million to fund programmes that give schoolchildren in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. better access to fresh fruits and vegetables. (earth911.com)

New Lidl UK boss sheds light on priorities

Lidl's new managing director, Christian Härtnagel, has stated his priorities for the discounter, just days after taking up the role previously held by Ronny Gottschlich. Härtnagel has promised to invest fresh funds in to the business to continue its expansion at a strong pace. Following the launch of its "store of the future" concept, it is fair to say that Lidl has a clear strategy for its new stores and continues to actively seek new sites. Härtnagel will play a key role in ensuring that these bold plans are realised, stating that there has been an 'obvious turning point for the business' as it continues to attract shoppers with both quality and price. Developing the distribution network to improve product availability is another key priority for Härtnagel as he reflects on the success of the UK business. As of April this year there have been plans to build four new regional distribution centres, and it will be interesting to see if there are any more additions to this as Lidl expands it network, particularly in London, as previously announced by the discounter. (igd.com)

Co-op to better treat fresh produce suppliers

Co-op has announced it has signed up to the National Farmers Union at its farming conference (September 20) in Manchester. The pledge requires retailers to commit to fair treatment of suppliers, advance planning on promotions and a commitment to increasing the amount of British produce it stocks. (fginsight.com)

Botswana: Choppies pays hefty price for expansion

Choppies, the leading supermarket grocery retailer in Botswana, continued with its expansion strategy into the rest of Africa in the year to end-June, but the moves into new territories came with a more than 50% cost to the company’s earnings. Choppies reported headline earnings per share of 7.25 thebe (about 9.48c) in the period under review, down from 16.92 thebe a year earlier. Turnover, however, increased 24% to 7.4-billion pula, while profit rose 12% to 1.44-billion pula. (bdlive.co.za)

Whole Foods, EPA reach deal in $3.5 million fine

Austin-based Whole Foods Market says it has launched a series of new environmental efforts, related to certain hazardous waste, after announcing a settlement deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday. The EPA said it fined the organic foods giant $3.5 million after finding out, about a year ago, that it wasn’t properly documenting and disposing of returned items of hand sanitiser, vitamins and other products in several states, including Texas. (statesman.com)

Tesco Thailand extends online offer

Tesco Lotus and Lazada are trying to get customers outside Bangkok to try out online shopping by introducing online shopping kiosks in some of their Express and Talad convenience stores outside the city. (igd.com)

AU: Coles offering more unripe bananas to shoppers

Coles is offering a bigger mix of unripened bananas to shoppers worried about the fruit spoiling too fast. The supermarket giant previously aimed to stock only yellow bananas. The shift to a “green to gold” ripeness range in all stores, follows a survey of almost 800 customers that found 70 per cent wanted to be able to buy both unripe and ripe bananas. Depending on storage methods, green bananas can last up to a week at home. (dailytelegraph.com.au)

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