Farmdrop, a farmer-friendly online grocery platform based in the U.K., has raised £7m in Series A funding. Leading the round is Atomico, a London VC fund. Originally launched in 2014 as a ‘click and collect’ service that let customers order groceries online direct from farmer-producers and pick up their orders at a local collection point, the company has since pivoted to door-to-door delivery but with the same basic idea of a marketplace that bypasses the mass supermarkets. “The fundamental problem is that the supermarket’s dominance over the last fifty years has put huge amounts of downward pressure on farmgate prices,” explains Farmdrop co-founder Ben Pugh. Please, click here to read more at techcrunch.com. Wal-Mart CEO to allocate more capital to India and China
Wal-Mart Stores' president and CEO Doug McMillon said that India is a key growth market for the company, along with China, and it will focus on allocating capital to these markets in a bid to grow business profitably. "In order to grow our business profitably, we’re making strategic choices to simplify our portfolio and be more focused. For example, we’ve sold non-core assets like shopping malls in Chile and the Suburbia clothing chain in Mexico. Our emphasis for capital allocation is on our core North American markets (Mexico & Canada) and key growth markets (China & India). (indiatimes.com) Poland: Biedronka to open 100 new stores in 2017
Polish supermarket chain Biedronka is planning to open 100 new stores by December 2017. The hard discounter, owned by Portuguese retailer Jerónimo Martins (JM), has its 2,722 stores in Poland, which is 55 more than one year ago. Biedronka accounted for 66.9% of JM’s sales in 2016 and 48% of total investments of the group. In addition, it also helps exports of Portuguese products. (esmmagazine.com)Shoprite expands In Angola
South African retail group Shoprite plans to invest $571.7m (€537m) in Angola to increase its store network in the country. Angola is already one of Shoprite’s main international markets, with 53 stores. According to Portuguese news agency Lusa, the project involves the opening, over the next five years, of 15 shopping malls, 22 supermarkets (three of which have been in operation since 2015), a storage unit, as well as the overhaul of four supermarkets. The expansion will cover 11 of the country's 18 provinces. (esmmagazine.com) Jerónimo Martins Q1 sales grow 9% to €3.7bn
Portuguese retail group Jerónimo Martins has reported 9% year-on-year growth in consolidated sales to €3.7bn for the first quarter of its financial year. Net profit was €778m, while investments amounted to €101m. Sales at Polish supermarket chain Biedronka reached €2.52bn (+10.8%), accounting for 68.7% of total group sales. During Q1, there were 11 store openings, while 109 private label products were launched. Private label accounts for 42.6% of the company’s total sales. In Portugal, supermarket chain Pingo Doce had sales of €823m (+0.8%), contributing 22.4% to total group sales. Two stores were opened in the quarter and 43 new private label products launched. (esmmagazine.com) Lidl Germany launches new brand awareness campaign
Lidl Germany has announced that it has created a brand awareness campaign, using a new brand design, which features a receipt as a visual focal point. The new look is intended to create a more consistent brand-identity, using the visual of a receipt to emphasise the ‘company’s commitment as a discounter’. (esmmagazine.com) Finland: Kesko sales increased by 30.5% in March
Finnish retail group Kesko has posted sales of €1,003.8m for the month of March 2017, an increase of 30.5% when compared to the same period last year. Grocery sales, in particular, totalled €467.8m in March, which represents growth of 13.1%. (esmmagazine.com)UK: Morrisons announces recall after customers find needles in their green beans
Retailer Morrisons has announced a recall of packs of green beans after two customers claimed to have found needles speared into the vegetables. The recall effects 170g packs of trimmed beans, with the display dates 22 April, 23 April and 24 April 2017. (telegraph.co.uk) Belgium’s Colruyt invests in organic banner
Belgium’s Colruyt Group has announced it will invest around €30m in growing its organic supermarket chain Bio-Planet. Trade publication Gondola reported that the capital investment was necessary in order to ensure the long-term growth of the banner, which is still in expansion mode. (esmmagazine.com)CP Indonesia lands local 7-Eleven operator for $75m
Charoen Pokphand Indonesia, an affiliate of Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group, has struck a 1 trillion rupiah ($75m) deal to acquire the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Indonesia, aiming to shore up the struggling franchise. CP Indonesia on Friday said the acquisition of Modern Sevel Indonesia is expected to go through by June. (asia.nikkei.com)Russia: Magnit reported growth of 4.6%
Magnit reported growth of 4.6%, driven by the convenience format, but a 4.8% in like-for-like sales. Further decline in like-for-like sales due to a larger bigger decline, 4.6%, in traffic performance when compared to 2016, and stagnant average ticket spend. (igd.com)
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