The latest South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) for supermarkets, reveals that customers remain highly satisfied with the country’s major shopping retailers. With a substantially higher score than the industry average of 76.2, Woolworths achieved the most satisfied customers with a score of 82.1 on the index and is the only supermarket with a marked increase compared to its 2015 average of 80.7. Checkers, with a score of 77.2, and Pick n Pay at 76.5 both remained above average while Shoprite and Spar trailed with scores of 75.5 and 75.2 respectively. (businesstech.co.za) Brazil's GPA sees 9.5% growth in food sales in Q1 2017
Brazilian retailer GPA ended the first quarter of 2017 with net total food sales of R$ 10.55bn, up 9.5% year-on-year. Of the total, the Multivarejo channel accounted for R$ 6.51bn (+0.4%), while Assaí contributed with R$ 4.03bn (+28.8%). Net same-store sales grew by 5.6% in the reference period. Assaí saw same-store growth reached 12.9% (esmmagazine.com) UK: Marks & Spencer says it plans to close 6 British stores
Marks & Spencer said on Thursday it planned to close six stores as part of a review of its UK estate that was first detailed last year. M&S said in November it planned to close about 30 UK stores selling clothing, homewares and food and downsize or convert another 45 into food stores over five years. M&S also said on Thursday it will open 34 new food stores and two clothing, home and food stores over the next six months. (Reuters)Spain: DIA and Eroski establish JV for private labels
Spain-based DIA and Eroski have signed an agreement to establish a new company that will focus on the joint purchasing of private label products. The creation of the joint venture follows the retailers' previous announcement 
setting out their plan to establish the company. The new joint venture, in which both companies will hold a 50% stake, will be called Red Libra Trading Services. However, the announcement from the two companies stresses that the ownership structure could change in future to accommodate the possible addition of new members. (igd.com)UK: Tesco offloads another chain
Tesco is selling its opticians business in the UK and Ireland to leading optical specialist, Vision Express. Commenting on the disposal, UK CEO Matt Davies said: "This allows us to further simplify and strengthen our UK business. (igd.com)Asda remains UK's cheapest grocer
Asda remains Britain's cheapest supermarket while Tesco is doing the most to stave off any Brexit-fuelled price rises, according to new research from UBS. The investment bank on Wednesday published a monitor of prices at Britain's major supermarkets in March. (businessinsider.com)
Scottish retailers 'disappointed' as sales slide
Total sales in March were 2.1% down on a year ago, according to the Scottish Retail Consortium-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. Non-food sales dropped 5.2%, food sales, however, were up 1.8%. (BBC) Japan: Amazon launches same-day delivery of food
E-commerce giant Amazon Japan G.K. is expanding its same-day Prime Now delivery service to include cooked meals and other items. Amazon is also reportedly considering a rollout of same-day delivery service of fresh food including fish and vegetables, although a spokeswoman for Amazon Japan on Wednesday declined to comment on the service. (japantimes.co.jp) Japan: Convenience stores moving towards full automation
Five major convenience store operators in Japan, Seven & I Holdings, East Japan Railway, Lawson, Ministop and FamilyMart Uny, will introduce self-checkout counters that can scan all items in a basket, instead of one by one. It is estimated that an investment of up to JPY100 bn (US$918.8m) will be needed for the implementation of the technology in 50,000 stores (igd.com)It's official: Amazon is coming to Australia
The global retail giant has confirmed it will be making its way to Australian shores, making good on months of speculation and and hot takes from Australian media outlets. "Amazon Web Services launched an Australian region in 2012, we launched a Kindle Store on Amazon.com.au in 2013, and we now have almost 1,000 employees in the country," the company said in a statement. "The next step is to bring a retail offering to Australia, and we are making those plans now." The company has also been on a hiring spree in recent months, looking to fill more than 100 jobs -- including in its grocery delivery division, Amazon Fresh. (cnet.com) Vietnam: Domestic businesses eye rural retail market
Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade revealed that foreign-invested companies make up some 17% of retail market share via trade centres and supermarkets and 70% via convenience stores. President of the Vietnam Retailers Association Dinh Thi My Loan told the Công Thương (Industry & Trade) newspaper that the Vietnamese retail market had become more attractive since the country signed free trade agreements and policies attracting customers had been implemented. Please, click here to read the article at english.vietnamnet.vn. Canada: Loblaw to sell all its gas stations
Retailer Loblaw is selling all 213 of its gas stations across the country for $540m to Brookfield Business Partners and its partners. The proposed deal is subject to certain conditions, but is expected to close in this year’s third quarter. (thestar.com)US: Peapod inks in partnership with meal planning tool
Ahold’s US’s e-commerce division Peapod on Wednesday said it has teamed with DinnerTime.com, a meal planning technology company that generates customized recipes and shopping lists for busy families. In the 24 U.S. markets served by Peapod, DinnerTime members can select Peapod as their desired grocer. The website recommends meals based upon each household’s tastes, budget, time constraints, health concerns, food allergies, and other dietary restrictions and preferences. (supermarketnews.com) US: Sam's Club consolidated 21 brands into Member's Mark
Over the last year Sam's Club has focused on consolidating 21 different private brands into one, Member's Mark. As part of this process, the retailer reviewed the entire private brand line-up to ensure that products emphasise both quality and value. This has supported the continued growth of the brand, with sales reaching $10bn annually, representing just over 17% of total sales. In the last year, 94% of its members have purchased at least one private brand item. (igd.com)