Spanish retailer El Corte Inglés created 340,000 jobs and
contributed 2.4% to Spain's GDP in 2015, with an economic impact of €25bn, according to a report by independent consultancy KPMG. (esmmagazine.com) Tesco multi-buy offers widely out of date, BBC investigation finds -
An undercover BBC investigation has revealed Tesco customers are being overcharged on multi-buy promotions. A reporter for BBC Inside Out West Midlands, who secretly filmed inside 50 Tesco stores around the country, found discounted prices were not applied at 33 of them. Money-off promotions were marked on the shelf, but the full cost of individual items was charged at the tills because the offers were out of date. Please, click here to read the article at bbc.com. India: Flipkart in a tough battle with Amazon
Flipkarts new CEO Krishnamurthy is seen as the one driving changes to address declining sales at Flipkart last year. After successfully reversing Flipkart’s fortunes in an intense competition with Amazon during the Diwali festive season, he is looking at new revenue streams to sustain the turnaround. Grocery retailing promises more regular shoppers, but it is logistically challenging and with low margins. With Amazon’s aggressive investment plans in India, Flipkart will need to look for fresh ways to outsmart its rival, beyond deep discounting, igd.com writes. (igd.com)IGD introduces new Singapore research ream
Retail research firm IGD has introduced a new research team 'on the ground' in the Asia-Pacific area, based in Singapore. The team is comprised of programme director Shirley Zhu, previously based in Shanghai for three years, and senior retail analyst Soo-Eng Tan. (esmmagazine.com) Amazon may end up acquiring Indian BigBasket
Tweets were appearing from notorious startup insiders that the global giant ecommerce retailer, Amazon, may just be looking at BigBasket, and that it’s possible we may hear about the acquisition right around Valentine’s Day. BigBasket’s denied the rumours and Amazon said that it doesn't comment on rumours and speculations.” Please, click here to read more at bwdisrupt.businessworld.in. Lidl top spender on advertising in France
In 2016 Lidl spent more money on advertising than any other large-scale retailer in France, Business.BFMTV.com has reported. This is the result of a massive 40% like-for-like increase in its advertising budget, with a total of €415 million spend on its promotional activity for the year. (esmmagazine.com)Wal-Mart continues downsizing in Brazil
US retailer Wal-Mart closed five stores in Brazil in recent weeks, three of which were located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, according to the publication O Estado de Sao Paulo. Among the banners affected are Nacional (a local network of supermarkets that was acquired by Wal-Mart in 2005) and Todo Dia (neighbourhood stores). More supermarkets are expected to be closed in 2017. (esmmagazine.com)Israel's Shufersal considers purchasing drugstore chain
Shufersal, Israel's largest supermarket chain, said on Sunday it is in the early stages of examining the possibility of acquiring local drugstore chain New-Pharm Drugstores. Shufersal said in a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that its preliminary checks include examining antitrust regulations. (Reuters)Kantar: 'Aldi and Lidl could end up being a one-two punch in the US'
Is Aldi bracing itself for Lidl’s arrival stateside? Regardless, the German discounters’ stateside rivalry could put pressure on retailers such as Walmart and Food Lion, predicts one retail analyst. Please, click here to read the article at foodnavigator-usa.com. Carrefour Romania to revamp Brasov commercial centre
Carrefour Romania will modernise and expand one of ‘the most successful commercial centres' in its portfolio in order to augment its already considerable footfall. Carrefour Romania and Property Division, its real estate manager in the country, announced the expansion project in a co-held press conference on 8 February. The companies described the 45,000 square-metre Carrefour commercial centre which houses the hypermarket as a favourite shopping destination for locals and tourists alike. (esmmagazine.com) 
Organic food is more popular than ever, so why is Whole Foods struggling?Please, click here to read the article.