A rumoured merger of leading retailers Morrisons and Sainsbury’s could transform home deliveries, says online delivery firm ParcelHero. “Following the planned Tesco merger with food distributor Booker, Sainsbury’s and 
Morrisons will be looking for similar economies of scale; and the two events this week make the tie-up more likely," said ParcelHero's head of consumer research, David Jinks. He speculated that the death of grocery legend Sir Ken Morrison would accelerate plans for a merger. (esmmagazine.com) David Jones to sell fruit and veg in Sydney
David Jones has followed through on its promise to branch into grocery, with its first offer opening in Sydney. The retailer is looking to carve a niche in the market, delivering a new food solution that is targeted at the premium end of the market and looks to capitalise on the lack of a strong food-to-go and food-for-later offer in the market to date. The new grocery range includes; fresh fruit and vegetables and prepared salads and vegetables. (igd.com) US: Whole Foods opens first produce butcher
Whole Foods opened a new location by Manhattan's Bryant Park this weekend. In addition to several on-site restaurants, the retailer has a "produce butcher". An Instagram photo posted by the retailer shows the enclave where they chop up mushrooms, lettuce, and other vegetables and fruits to the customer's liking. (thrillist.com)
US: Target shelves robot store and secret e-commerce start-up
Target is cutting back on its innovation project plans to concentrate more on its core business operations after coming off a holiday selling season when same-store sales declined 1.3 percent. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that among the projects being shelved are Goldfish, a secret e-commerce start-up that got the go-ahead a year back, as well as a store of the future concept using robots that was slated for construction soon. Other projects, while not scrapped, are being cut back as the chain seeks to get its business turned around. (retailwire.com) Fresher food for Southeast Sprouts stores
A newly reopened temperature-controlled warehouse near Atlanta is supporting Sprouts Farmers Market as it expands through the Southeast, its operator said this week. Sprouts’ CFO, said in December that the facility would allow Sprouts to offer fresher products in Southeast stores by “an extra couple of days. That’s a net win for our stores and our customers.” (supermarketnews.com) Amazon seeks Indian govt nod to set up online food venture
Amazon has applied to the government to invest $500m in a wholly owned venture in India that will allow the Seattle-based ecommerce titan to stock locally produced food items and sell them online, becoming the first foreign retailer to enter the segment. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)Seflana prepares to enter South Africa
Botswana-based Seflana has said it is well on its way to entering South Africa and is planning to open its first store in May. The company announced in October 2016 that it would raise BWP351.0m (US$33.2m) through a rights offer, with much of this used to fund its expansion into the country. (igd.com)Uchumi supermarket posts Sh2.8bn losses in 2016
Kenyan supermarket chain Uchumi has announced a loss of Sh2.8bn in its 2016 full year results for the year ending June 30, 2016. However the supermarket has bettered its position from the previous year by 17 percent when it suffered a loss of Sh3.4bn recorded in 2015. The management said that the total returns fell to Sh6.4bn from Sh12.9bn in 2015. Finance costs increased by Sh411m in 2016 up from Sh335m in 2015. (internationalsupermarketnews.com) Lettuce rationed in UK supermarkets
Supermarket giant Tesco has rationed customers to three iceberg lettuces per visit - blaming poor growing conditions in Europe for a shortage in UK stores. Morrisons has also limited shoppers to three heads of broccoli and three iceberg lettuces, the Daily Mail said. (BBC)Metro Group sees slight increase in like-for-like sales in Q1
Metro Group has posted a like-for-like sales increase of 0.1% in the Q1 of its 2016/17 financial year, with the retailer saying that it performed 'solidly in a challenging market environment'. Real sales declined compared to the same period last year. Please, click here to read more at esmmagazine.com. Alcampo least expensive online supermarket in Spain: OCU
Spanish retailer Alcampo had the least expensive online prices over the last six months, according to a Spanish consumer interest association. Spain's Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU) reviewed the basket price (including fresh produce) of the country’s largest online supermarkets, and found that an Alcampo basket was 15% cheaper than those of Caprabo.com or El Corte Inglés. (esmmagazine.com) Albert Heijn supports goals of Dutch food summit
Dutch retailer Albert Heijn has announced its support for the goals of the National Food Summit, organised by members of parliament in The Netherlands. The summit aims to create agreements within the industry for a healthier, more sustainable and transparent production of food. (esmmagazine.com)Lidl Switzerland promotes environmental sustainability with WWF
Lidl Switzerland intends to become the leading discounter in the country in terms of environmental sustainability by collaborating with conservation foundation, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Switzerland. With this goal in mind, the discounter and WWF will work together to define sustainability goals and further promote the efficient use of resources and sustainable supply. (igd.com)Carrefour China invest heavily to promote fresh produce
Carrefour China launched the largest branding campaign ever in the country at the end of last year, the retailer announced. With the slogan "There is a trust, we call it Carrefour', the advertising campaign includes two videos which promote fresh produce and food safety. (esmmagazine.com) Natural Grocers misses Street 1Q forecasts
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. (NGVC) on Thursday reported fiscal first-quarter earnings of $2.1m. On a per-share basis, the Lakewood, Colorado-based company said it had a profit of 9 cents. The results missed Wall Street expectations. The retailer of natural and organic groceries and dietary supplements posted revenue of $183.6m in the period, also falling short of Street forecasts. (yahoo.com)Tesco out of Top 100 World's Most Valuable Brand; Walmart in Top 10
Google has pushed out Apple to become the world’s most valuable brand. Among the retailers, Walmart retained its 8th place. Tesco which was placed in 94th position in 2016 was pushed back to 126th position in the list. Other major retailers and their positions (2016 position inside the bracket): Target 74 (75), Costco 95 (97), Tesco 126(94), Aldi 146 (143), Carrefour 157 (128), Lidl 185 (145), Asda 202 (196), Kroger 249 (238), Sainsbury’s 324 (277). (internationalsupermarketnews.com)ICA Gruppen completes sale of ICA Eiendom Norge
Swedish retailer ICA Gruppen confirmed that its real estate arm had completed the sale of ICA Eiendom Norge AS to the Union Real Estate Fund II, originally announced 2 December 2016. The sale of ICA Eiendom included 58 properties and the existing organisation. The purchase price was SEK 1.9bn, creating a capital gain of roughly SEK 400m. (esmmagazine.com)