Sainsbury's is in the early stages of examining a takeover bid for tobacco distributor Palmer & Harvey, Sky News reported. It cited unspecified sources as saying that while Sainsbury's was exploring a bid there was no certainty it would proceed with an offer. A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's declined to comment, while nobody was immediately available for comment at Palmer & Harvey. Palmer & Harvey is a major distributor of tobacco products to Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer which in January agreed a £3.7bn ($4.8bn) takeover of wholesaler Booker. Last year Sainsbury's acquired Argos-owner Home Retail for £1.1bn. (Reuters/Sky News)Thailand: Central Food launches new format
Tops Supermarket parent Central Food Retail plans to spend more than THB1 billion baht on expansion this year. The company will unveil a new format – Tops Plaza – in Pichit by the end of this year which will be followed another in Payao. The concept resembles a community mall with several anchor tenants including a Tops supermarket, according to executive VP Phattaraporn Phenpraphat, who was interviewed by the Bangkok Post. (insideretailthailand.com) China's Lianhua Supermarket says Alibaba takes 18% stake
China's Lianhua Supermarket Holdings on Monday said shareholder Shanghai Yiguo E-Commerce Co Ltd would sell an 18% stake in supermarket chain operator to a unit of Alibaba Group Holding. Lianhua said Shanghai Yiguo would transfer 201.53 million domestic shares to Alibaba (China) Technology Co Ltd. It did not provide a value. (Reuters)AU: Coles tells suppliers to watch cost rises
Coles has delivered a stark warning to grocery and food manufacturers that the supermarket chain will not “simply wave through” supplier cost increases to customers as the stress on household budgets intensifies. Backing the warning with data from the supermarket aisles, a senior Coles executive has reminded suppliers that when the price of their brands rises, there is an immediate lift in Coles’ private label sales. Please, click here to read more at theaustralian.com.au. UK: Lidl has a ‘Waitrose effect’ on house prices
The Waitrose effect on house prices has been known for a while, but it seems that Lidl is also getting in on the act. A house near the middle class supermarket chain of choice can command a premium of more than £35,000. However, the cheaper supermarkets are catching up fast and properties near a Lidl command a premium of £6,416, even though three years ago the proximity of the cut-price German grocery chain meant a discount of £4,719, according to a research by Lloyds Bank. (thetimes.co.uk) Jumbo named cheapest supermarket in Portugal
Jumbo has been named the cheapest supermarket in Portugal for 2017, according to national consumers association Proteste-Deco. After being dethroned last year, Jumbo, which is owned by Auchan Portugal, again regained the title, placing just ahead of proximity chain Continente Modelo. Hypermarket chain Continente was third, followed by Lidl (4), Pingo Doce (5), Intermarché (6) and Minipreço (7). (esmmagazine.com) Inserra to offer local produce at all N.J., N.Y. Shoprite stores
Inserra Supermarkets has begun providing locally sourced produce to all of its 22 ShopRite stores across New Jersey and New York during the spring and summer. “We have forecasted out our needs with all of our growers and are in constant contact with them,” said Eric Beelitz, director of produce for Inserra, in a prepared statement. “As always, we aim to provide the ‘best of the best’ to our customers at an affordable price point.” (supermarketnews.com) US: Big Lots has big quarter
Big Lots provided an upbeat outlook and posted a strong first quarter, beating profit expectations. The chain reported income of $51.5m for the quarter ended April 29, 2017, which easily beat Wall Street expectations. This compares to $38.7m in the year-ago period. Same-store sales decreased 0.9%. Net sales decreased 1.2% to $1.30m, a result of the comparable store sales decline and a lower store count year-over-year, just missing estimates. (chainstoreage.com)Canadian grocers use app to promote surplus food about to expire
Two Ontario grocers, Longo’s and Farm Boy, are using the Flashfood app to notify customers when food nearing its “best before” date goes on sale, according to Progressive Grocer. Users can pay for the food through the app, then pick it up that same day in-store. (fooddive.com) 
US: Dollar Tree reports 4% sales increase for Q1 2017US retailer Dollar Tree has reported that its consolidated sales have increased by 4% to $5.29bn, in the first fiscal quarter which ended 29 April 2017. (esmmagazine.com)