Denmark's Dansk Supermarked Group has set itself a goal of halving its food waste by 2030. The group hopes that by going public with its food waste figures, it will create momentum for tackling this issue not just in its stores, but at an industry level. Between 2015 and 2016, it managed to reduce the figure by 5%. (esmmagazine.com) Lidl Slovenia awarded 'AAA' gold certificate of excellence
The certificate recognises companies that score an above-average credit rating for three consecutive years. It is determined by examining the financial statements for the last financial year and the forecast operational security over the next 12 months. (esmmagazine.com) Coop Norway has 'outstanding reputation', according to survey
The latest Norway RepTrak survey, conducted by communications agency Apeland in conjunction with the Reputations Institute, has recognised Coop Norway as having the best reputation in the grocery industry in the country. (esmmagazine.com)China: E-commerce giant JD plans shift into offline retail
JD.com Inc, China's second-largest e-commerce company, plans to open more than 1m JD convenience stores across the country in the next five years, with half of them located in rural areas, said its CEO Liu Qiangdong. (ecns.cn) Germany's Edeka posts 2.5% increase in FY sales
German retailer Edeka has posted a 2.5% increase in sales to €49.6bn for full year 2016, according to a statement posted on the retailer's website. Edeka CEO Markus Mosa praised the input of the group's 4,000 independent merchants in contributing to this growth, by posting a sales increase of 3.8%, ahead of the industry average. (esmmagazine.com) 
Billa continues to expand its Czech operationsAustria-based Billa increased turnover at its Czech Republic operations almost 6% to just under CZK 26bn (€968m) in 2016. It plans to continue with its store openings and upgrades in 2017, the company said. (esmmagazine.com)
China’s online grocery market to more than double by 2020, reports IGD
Online grocery in China could more than double in growth between now and 2020, according to figures released today by international grocery research organisation IGD, with its current 3.1% share of the country’s total grocery market forecast to leap to 6.6% over the next three years. (retailtimes.co.uk) US: Supervalu reports improved Q4 earnings
Supervalu Inc. reported fourth quarter net sales of $2.91bn compared to $2.89bn last year, a slight increase of 0.6%, according to its recent earnings report. The company also posted a profit of $0.13 EPS, exceeding Wall Street expectations of $0.9 EPS. The company’s gross profit for Q4 was a reported $435m, or 15% of net sales. Supervalu said it would continue to take actions to improve operations in its struggling retail division, including selling underperforming locations, as the company shifts its primary focus to integrating the recently announced acquisition of Unified Grocers. (fooddive.com / supermarketnews.com) US: Costco to return $3.1bn to investors with special dividend
Costco Wholesale Corp., the warehouse-club chain that’s largely avoided the retail industry’s distress, plans to return $3.1bn to shareholders through the payment of a special dividend. The $7-a-share distribution will be funded primarily from additional borrowings, the company said on Tuesday. The special dividend will be paid on May 26 and comes in addition to a regular quarterly dividend of 50 cents a share that was also declared Tuesday. (esmmagazine.com) Stater Bros.’ names senior VP of fresh foods
Stater Bros. Markets has promoted John Ciraulo to the position of senior vice president for the company’s Fresh Foods division, the company announced Tuesday. Ciraulo will oversee and manage the company’s perishable foods departments, which Stater Bros. said will expand. (sbsun.com) US: Instacart accelerates US expansion
Grocery delivery startup Instacart recently closed a $400m Series D round of funding at a valuation of $3.4bn. Now, the company is putting that capital to work by accelerating its expansion across the U.S., and offering free Instacart Express memberships to entice new users wherever it goes. According to the company’s vice president of product, Elliot Shmukler, the company is operating in 41 U.S. markets today and is launching into four new markets this week, including Detroit, Las Vegas, Columbus, Ohio and across Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. (techcrunch.com) Canada: Metro Inc’s posts solid results
Metro’s second quarter sales increased by 0.7% to $2.9bn, with same-store sales up 0.3%. This was an impressive performance from the retailer, maintaining volume growth against a backdrop of food deflation (2%) and intense competition, igd.com writes. While the retailer is not seeing any inflation in the business yet, the impact of deflation is easing. Net earnings increased by 6.0% to $132.4bn, reflecting the retailer’s focus on execution and cost control. (igd.com)
Whole Foods isn't buyout fodderPlease, click here to read the article.