Lidl's first wave of US stores
Dutch retailer Jumbo has reported a 7% increase in revenue during 2016, to €6.68 billion, mainly due to sales growth in existing stores. The company also reported organic growth of 4% for 2016. Company-owned restaurant chain La Place, acquired at the start of 2016, achieved an adjusted turnover of €103 million in 2016 - excluding the closed branches in the V & D department stores. The company has identified the refurbishment of existing stores, the opening of an additional 15 stores and a Food Market, together with the continued expansion of its convenience stores and pick up points for online orders, as strategies contributing greatly to last year's positive performance.
Lidl beats Aldi in discounter turnover battle
German supermarket chain Lidl expects to generate a 70 billion euro turnover in its current fiscal year, which ends in February 2017. With a result like that, Lidl would beat Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord's combined turnover. Discount chain Aldi's turnover is not revealed publicly, but is estimated to be about 65 billion euro: slightly below Lidl's turnover, with the gap set to rise over the next few years.
Spar refurbishes and develops stores in Hungary
To mark its milestone 25th year in the country, Spar Hungary has invested heavily in the refurbishment of existing stores and the opening of new stores nationwide. The Pesterzsébet Interspar hypermarket, in Budapest - opened in 1998 - has been redesigned and refurbished inside and out, using natural materials and installing environmentally-friendly refrigeration systems and cost-efficient LED lighting to reduce the store's energy needs. Offering a range of new products and services, the new layout features a fruit and vegetable section, presented in a market format at the entrance to the store, an in-store bakery, a health and wellness area and a Spar-to-Go restaurant.
Tesco appoints Deanna Oppenheimer as new non-executive director
UK retailer Tesco has announced that Richard Cousins has resigned as a non-executive director at the company. Cousins, who held the position of Senior Independent Director, will be replaced in the role by Deanna Oppenheimer.
UK grocery prices up in December but still below 2015-report
UK grocery prices rose slightly from November to December, according to data from tracking website mySupermarket.com, but prices remained lower than the previous year due to competition that has limited the impact of Brexit-related cost inflation. A basket of 35 commonly bought grocery items cost 83.33 pounds ($102.4) in December, mySupermarket.com said on Tuesday, up from 83.18 in November. The rise was driven by higher prices for fresh items such as bananas, grapes and carrots, it said. Overall, the basket was still nearly 3 percent cheaper than it was in December 2015, the company said, as big retailers such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's battle for shoppers.
Work set to start on Aldi distribution centre which will create 1,000 jobs
A major Aldi distribution centre just off the M1, which will create up to 1,000 jobs, is on track to open on time. The supermarket chain announced plans in 2014 and work at the site started in the summer. The development, which includes a regional office, is being built at Sawley Crossroads, Sawley, – a 100-acre site off the A50 and junction 24a of the M1. A new roundabout serving the site from the B6540 Tamworth Road has been completed and construction of the 600,000 sq ft distribution centre itself will take place over the coming months.
Lidl's first wave of US stores
It is no secret that Lidl has been working aggressively for some time toward officially launching in the U.S. in 2018. It is incredibly rare of a retailer of this scale — with this much disruptive potential — to enter this market with so much advance notice. The German discounter has opened U.S. offices and a quick look at the Lidl careers website shows store-level job listings for on-the-ground, shopper-facing supervisors and managers. That gives us our first glimpse of where Lidl’s first wave of stores will be in the U.S. Everything between New Jersey and Georgia is in play, and the metro markets where it has chosen to focus demonstrates just that.
And this gives us a sense of the retailers that will compete with Lidl on a market-by-market basis. Click here
Amazon’s drive-up grocery store in Seattle lights up
Here’s your daily update on Amazon’s secretive drive-up grocery store in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood: It’s still not open. The outside of the building has looked ready for some time now, and a report in November indicated it could open by the end of 2016, but as the calendar turns to 2017, it appears work on the structure is ongoing. GeekWire recently spotted a glow emitting from inside the structure, probably from some internal construction, but we couldn’t see anyone inside. A quick check around the property showed that most of the exterior looks done, though a driveway ramp on the south side of the site remains unpaved.
German inflation soars close to ECB target
German inflation jumped to within a whisker of the European Central Bank target in December, hitting the highest level in more than three years and providing the euro zone bank with evidence its loose monetary policy is working. The surprisingly strong surge in consumer prices, however, may put a damper on Germans' appetite for shopping as higher inflation means consumers have less real income to spend. German consumer prices, harmonized to compare with other European countries (HICP), rose by 1.7 percent on the year after an increase of 0.7 percent in November, the Federal Statistics Office said on Tuesday.
H-E-B, Trader Joe's, Costco, and Wegmans top best places to work list
2017 is here, and with it, new resolutions and accomplishments. Glassdoor, noted reviewer of companies and their employment terms, has already announced its yearly picks for top places to work. Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work of 2017, Employee’s Choice has H-E-B, Costco, Wegmans, and Trader Joe’s included.