Whole Foods sales have been plummeting for the past six quarters, leading analysts to worry that the struggling organic grocery store chain may need to do something drastic to get back on top again. Jana Partners — an activist Whole Food investor — is determined to turn the grocery chain’s success rate around. Jana has said that Whole Foods shares are undervalued due to “chronic underperformance” and subtle setbacks in daily operations that affect the bottom line. Please, click here to read more at thedailymeal.com. US: Wal-Mart in advanced talks to buy another e-commerce
Wal-Mart Stores is in advanced discussions to buy online men’s fashion retailer Bonobos Inc, Recode reported on Friday, citing sources. The deal, if announced, would become the fourth e-commerce acquisition by the retailer in less than a year. (Reuters)Whole Foods says it’s lowering pricesThe head of Whole Foods’ grocery operations is spearheading an effort to centralize purchasing in order to lower the grocery chain’s prices. Please, click here to read more.
US: Amazon reportedly exploring purchase of BJ’s wholesale
The New York Post, citing sources close to the matter, reports that Amazon has expressed modest interest in the Northeast-regional warehouse chain. Amazon, which is prepping to open its first checkoutless, cashier-free convenience store in Seattle, has long been rumored to be joining the physical store game, mainly focusing on grocery stores. (consumerist.com) US: ShopRite fighting childhood obesity with KidsFit program
Barnabas Health and ShopRite have partnered to launch a free nutrition and wellness education program for children and families at ShopRite stores throughout New Jersey. The KidsFit at ShopRite program is aimed at preventing childhood obesity. "Canadian food deflation to help grocers"
Grocery basket price deflation appears to be tapering and that is good news for Canadian food retailers, according to two industry reports. While March results suggest grocery deflation continued in the industry, the level of deflation was lower than February’s, analyst Peter Sklar of BMO Capital Markets wrote in an analysis published Monday. Click here to read the article at business.financialpost.com. Australian Aldi beefs up product range
Aldi is beefing up its product range and investing hundreds of millions of dollars in refurbishing its ageing East Coast stores as it attempts to regain stalling momentum. An Aldi spokeswoman said the discounter had already added 100 new products in the past two years, bringing its total to 1450, and there is speculation it could add up to another 200 products. “It’s our job to ensure we continue to evolve and adapt our product offering to meet the needs of tomorrow’s shopper,” she said. Psychologist and retail behavioral science expert Bri Williams told ACA the design changes to Aldi stores were deliberate moves to draw in more customers. 'As soon as you come through the door you're confronted with beautiful fresh food, that's a big change in how they're now laying out their stores,' Ms Williams said.(news.com.au / dailymail.co.uk)
HelloFresh is Europe’s fastest-growing company
HelloFresh ranked first in a list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. The Financial Times looked at companies in Europe that have achieved the highest percentage growth in revenues between 2012 and 2015. HelloFresh saw its revenue increase by 13,159% during that period. (ecommercenews.eu) Watchdog accusses UK grocers of overcharging farmers
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has denied allegations made by the Groceries Code Adjudicator, Christine Tacon, that suppliers are being underpaid millions of pounds every year. Among other things, the watchdog accused retailers of charging farmers for customer complaints – sometimes up to £55 each – and underpaying suppliers when they run promotions. Ms Tacon told a Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum event that ‘drop and drive’, where lorry drivers drop their delivery and drive away, leaving retailers to count up the products, is her ‘number 1 problem’. She claims 20 suppliers have already lost £15m a year due to the practice. (fginsight.com) Russia: X5 Retail opens its 10,000th store
Russian food retailer X5 Retail Group has opened its 10,000th store - a Perekrestok store in Moscow. CEO Igor Shekhterman said: "Today's concurrent opening of 10 stores, including X5's 10,000th location, marks yet another confident step towards our strategic goal of capturing a 15% market by the end of 2020." (stockmarketwire.com) Groupe Casino posts marginal increase in sales in French market
Groupe Casino has posted a 0.2% increase in same-store sales under banner for the first quarter of the year, in its home market of France, with same-store total group sales rising by 2.5% for the period. Same-store sales of its Géant hypemarket operation decreased by 1.9%. Internationally, Casino saw organic sales up 7.7%. (esmmagazine.com) UK chains are charging up to 23% more than their full-size stores
The price differences between shops belonging to the same supermarket chain can be eye-watering — even though the outlets may be less than a mile apart. The Daily Mail surveyed supermarkets, all located within a 2.5-mile radius in North-East London, with prices checked over a 48-hour period. Some products had a price difference of more than 20%. Please, click here to read more. (dailymail.co.uk) China: JD.com to build 150 drone launch facilities in China by 2020
Chinese e-commerce heavyweight JD.com plans to build 150 drone launch facilities in southwestern Sichuan province for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) parcel delivery. Having secured government approval in select provinces, autonomous aerial deliveries in China are at the forefront of commercial drone innovation. JD.com CEO Richard Liu told local media that the goal of 150 launch facilities was three years out. Liu also said that drone deliveries would reduce the costs of shipping freight by 70%, compared to conventional truck delivery. (aircargoworld.com) South Africa’s big 12 retailers shift from expansion to tech investment
Most South African retailers are no longer speaking about African expansion and aggressive store roll-outs, an expert says. Data from the big 12 retailers in South Africa show that they are putting their money into store refurbishments and information technology. Click here to read more at afkinsider.com.