Analyst: Kroger-Whole Foods rumour doesn't pass smell test
Market speculation about Kroger acquiring rival Whole Foods Markets, sent stock in both companies rising on Thursday, but an analyst told SN Friday such a deal seemed farfetched. "Why would Kroger want it?" Joe Feldman, an analyst with Telsey Advisory Group, said Friday, when asked by SN about the speculation. "Kroger is already taking share in the space, as are others. And, it would cost a fair amount." (supermarketnews.com)
Wal-Mart weighs in on food safety
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Market speculation about Kroger acquiring rival Whole Foods Markets, sent stock in both companies rising on Thursday, but an analyst told SN Friday such a deal seemed farfetched. "Why would Kroger want it?" Joe Feldman, an analyst with Telsey Advisory Group, said Friday, when asked by SN about the speculation. "Kroger is already taking share in the space, as are others. And, it would cost a fair amount." (supermarketnews.com)Wal-Mart weighs in on food safetyPlease, click here to read the article.
Europe lags behind Asia for online grocery sales
E-commerce accounts for 4.4% of all FMCG sales, research shows and grocery e-commerce is set to grow to 9% of the market and be worth 135bn euros by 2025. In Europe, the UK and France are the countries with the highest online value share of the FMCG market, but the continent is lagging behind Asia. Research from Kantar Worldpanel shows that, with 16.6%, South Korea is the world’s largest market by value share for purchasing packaged goods online. The best performing country in Europe is the United Kingdom with 6.9%. It’s followed by France (5.3%), Spain (1.7%) and the Netherlands (1.7%). (ecommercenews.eu) 
Carrefour Belgium has opened a new organic-focused Market store in Marché aux Poulets in Brussels. The store covers 800 square metres of space, on two separate floors. The product offering concentrates on organic meat and fish, as well as fresh produce. (esmmagazine.com)"Ahold ideal partner for Esselunga"
Italian supermarket king Bernardo Caprotti, who died last week after opening sale talks for his Esselunga chain, used his will to tell his heirs: if Dutch chain Ahold knocks, open the door. In the will, published by Italian newspapers on Friday, Caprotti wrote that Ahold would be the ideal partner for a tie-up with Esselunga, which Caprotti co-founded in 1957 and built into Italy's fourth-biggest supermarket chain. Caprotti also listed some potential bidders in his will as less desirable, including Spanish discount food retailer Mercadona. (Reuters)Spar International debuts in Albania
Spar International has opened its first two stores in Albania, in Tirana East Gate (TEG) and in the QTU shopping centre, following the announcement of its recent partnership with local operator Balfin Group. Spar Albania, as part of Balfin Group, plans to convert its existing 15 stories to Spar branding, and plans to open over 100 supermarkets and 10 hypermarkets across the country by the end of 2017. (esmmagazine.com)Online food sales grow by two thirds in Spain
Online sales at hypermarkets, supermarkets and food shops in Spain reached €80.6m between January and March of this year, which represents a growth of almost two thirds (64.5%) compared to the €49m achieved during the same period last year. (esmmagazine.com) 
Italy’s Coop modernises the value chainPlease, click here to read the article.
Crai and Coralis to develop synergies in Italian market
Italian grocery retailers Crai and Coralis have signed a multi-year collaboration agreement, with the goal of developing synergies on commercial and management issues. The two groups will continue their collaboration with the Sma-Auchan purchasing group for the management of national contracts. They will also define further common opportunities in the interest of their respective sales networks, which are both active in the proximity channel. (esmmagazine.com)New private label for Conad
Italian retailer Conad has launched Verso Natura, a brand aimed at shoppers who want to make more responsible choices about the products they consume. Verso Natura is an umbrella range for four sub-brands: Bio (organic), Veg (vegetarian/vegan), Equo (fairtrade) and Eco (environmentally-friendly). (igd.com)Moody's: Rising consumer confidence to boost European retail earnings growth
A combination of economic recovery and rising consumer confidence will help to boost revenue and earnings growth across European retailers through to 2018, according to a new report by Moody’s Investors Service. "The Brexit vote's impact on UK food retailers will be more muted, in the short term at least, due to the non-discretionary nature of food and less exposure to currency volatility," said Beadle, a Moody's Vice President. (esmmagazine.com) 
US: Whole Foods sets up shop in low-income neighborhoods
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