Sainsbury will open Argos branches or collection points inside almost all of its stores, as the U.K. grocer detailed how it plans to integrate the catalog retailer it acquired last month. “Over time, we envisage that there won’t be a single Sainsbury’s shop, with the exception of some very small convenience shops, where you won’t either be able to see an Argos concession, or be able to click-and-collect and pick up your items from your local shop -- and within 4 hours,” CEO Mike Coupe said at a press event in London Tuesday. (Bloomberg)UK: Morrisons overhauls supplier relations
At its annual supplier conference, Morrisons has launched a 12 point list of commitments to improve its working relationships with suppliers. Launching the new code, titled 'The way we work with suppliers', Morrisons commercial director, Darren Blackhurst, also pledged that buyers must ‘listen’, ‘show mutual respect’, ‘act with honesty and integrity’, with ‘everything confirmed in writing and forward looking’. Please, click here to view the 12 point list of commitments. (igd.com) Auchan Russia to build one of EU's largest DC
Auchan Retail Russia announces that it has signed an agreement to build a major new warehousing and logistics centre in the Domodedovo district of Moscow region. The facility will have a total area of more than 138,000 sq m, making it the biggest single-user building in Europe. The developer for the project will be Radius Group, a leading developer of class-A warehouse and industrial real estate in Russia. The centre will service more than 50 Auchan stores in the region. (prnewswire.co.uk)US: Food Lion completes Charlotte revamp
Food Lion on Tuesday said it would unveil remodeled stores, lower everyday prices, assortment changes and new service standards at 142 stores in the Charlotte, N.C. market as part of its "Easy Fresh & Affordable" initiative. One of the chain's goals is to offer fresher produce at its remodeled stores. (supermarketnews.com)US: Amazon eyes building stores to sell fresh produce
Virtual retailer Amazon.com is making further progress toward brick-and-mortar stores that would augment its home delivery of food and grocery, including a convenience store and curbside grocery pickup sites, reports said this week. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday said the company was exploring building convenience stores that would allow shoppers to buy fresh items to take home while also providing a means to order nonperishable products for home delivery. (The Wall Street Journal / supermarketnews.com) AU Aldi tops for customer satisfaction (study)
According to an August poll by CustomerSatisfactionAwards.com – a study by research firm Roy Morgan – some 96% of Aussies who shopped at ALDI said they were satisfied. The South Australian grovery chain Foodland was second with a 94% happy customer rating. IGA was third with 92%, Coles fourth with 91%, and poor old Woolies bringing up the rear on 88%. It is not clear what criteria were used to garner the results. (bandt.com.au) Italian supermarket sector is extremely fragmented
The Italian supermarket sector is extremely fragmented, with the top three retailers holding around 40% of the market, compared to over 50% in Germany and France, according to Iri consultant Gianpaolo Costantino. At the end of June, the ranking of the Italian retail chains had Coop leading with 17% of sales, followed by Conad (14.4%), Esselunga (12.8%), Selex (slightly below 12%), Auchan (8.1%), Carrefour (6.3%), Finiper (3.3% with the brands Iper, Unes and U2) and VéGé (3.2%). (esmmagazine.com) Germany: Aldi Nord launching a new fresh concept in-store
The retailer has announced it will roll out a new fresh concept in Germany. The retailer has trialled the new concept in Gladbeck and plans to roll out to 90 stores this year. The refreshed stores will be more modern and will have a larger focus on fresh produce. (igd.com)US: Walmart impressed by fresh results
Walmart’s U.S. stores have made big strides in fresh, Greg Foran, the retailer’s U.S. president and CEO, said during Walmart’s annual investment community meeting last week. “I'm pleased with our growth. We're seeing it with some better traffic, comps, bigger basket sizes. And it's happening quite simply because customers are seeing better quality,” said Foran. In customer surveys, ratings for fresh departments improved. (supermarketnews.com)Aldi invests €1bn in Irish and UK retail sector as revenues surge
Discount supermarket giant, Aldi last year enjoyed exponential revenue growth in Ireland and the UK but pre-tax profits fell by 14.5pc to £212m (€234m) The German store continued its expansion in Ireland and the UK in 2015 and new accounts from Aldi Stores Ltd show that revenues for the two countries rose from £6.89bn to £7.7bn. The latest data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that Aldi increased its sales by 5.4pc in the latest period with Aldi having a 11.4pc share in the grocery market here. (independent.ie) GPA sees performance boosted by food businesses
Casino-owned, Brazil-based GPA, has announced third quarter results saying that consolidated total sales rose by 4.4% to BRL15.1 bn (US$4.7 bn), with performance driven by its food businesses and its Assaí atacarejo fascia in particular. As in recent quarters the overall results were held back by weakness at its Cnova ecommerce division, but there was brighter news in its Via Varejo arm where sales turned positive in the quarter, at 0.4%, versus a 6.9% contraction in the first half. GPA said its Food segment saw total sales rise 14.0%, driven by its Assaí fascia, which enjoyed an acceleration of growth to 45.7%. (igd.com)