Belgian retailer Colruyt Group has announced that over a 12-year period it will convert 234 of its outlets into energy-efficiency stores. The group is investing €75 million into the project. (esmmagazine.com)Amazon in talks to buy Indian online grocer BigBasket
Amazon.com Inc. is in preliminary talks to buy the Indian grocery siteBigBasket, as the American company steps up efforts to gain ground in the fast-growing market, according to people familiar with the matter. The discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to a sale, the people said, asking not to be identified as the negotiations are private. BigBasket, run by SuperMarket Grocery Supplies Pvt, is India’s largest online grocer and operates in about 25 cities across the country. (economictimes.indiatimes.com)UK consumers want ‘country of origin’ labels for online groceries
About four in five adults in the UK think that online food retailers should give the same kind of information about the product’s country of origin on the website as there can be found on food packaging in supermarkets shelves. A survey commissioned by the National Farmers Union has revealed 81 percent of adults back the industry association’s plan to give online consumers the same amount of information as their offline counterparts now get. (ecommercenews.eu) Spain: Dia plans to extend its partnership with Amazon to Barcelona
The distribution group DIA is already working to extend its partnership with the e-commerce platform Amazon, available only in Madrid so far, to other cities, and plans to expand it to Barcelona in the coming weeks.DIA's CEO said: "We are already working with Amazon to see if we can go to any other city with them (...). Barcelona is undoubtedly the first objective, as they are already offering their service there." (EFE)One in seven do all food shopping online: report
The proportion of households who do all their grocery shopping online has doubled since 2014 according to new figures. Research from analysts Mintel shows those who chose to shun the supermarket aisles has risen from 7% to 14%. The figures also showed that 48% of consumers do at least some grocery shopping online, up from 43%. Mintel said the market would grow by 12% this year after an increase of 15% in 2016 - compared to growth of just 1.5% for the overall food retail sales. (964eagle.co.uk) TÜV SÜD certifies Penny markets in the Czech Republic
To ensure the same quality as the German headquarters and, to be a good role model to the own suppliers, Penny Czech Republic had itself certified by TÜV SÜD Czech, according to IFS Logistics standards. The certificate is used as an auditing of logistics activity for fresh produce and non-food-products and closes the gap between production and trade. A complete overview over the supply chain is created. Two Ohio grocers agree to buy 26 Marsh stores for $24M
Two Ohio-based grocery chains have agreed to buy 26 of Marsh Supermarkets’ 44 remaining stores for a total of $24 million, according to a bankruptcy court document. Fishers-based Marsh is selling off the stores after closing 19 in May and filing to reorganize under the protection of bankruptcy. The court filing, posted early Tuesday afternoon, says Kroger Co. entity Topvalco Inc. plans to spend $16 million to acquire 11 Marsh stores, and Fresh Encounter entity Generative Growth II LLC plans to spend $8 million to buy 15 stores. (ibj.com) Lidl a threat to area grocers: survey
Lidl’s imminent U.S. entry, beginning with the Carolinas and Virginia, could remove $1bn in local sales in the medium term, according to a survey conducted by global consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The survey found that consumers are overwhelmingly excited about shopping at Lidl, although they’ve never been in any of the hard-discount grocer’s stores before, with 39% saying they would shop at Lidl once a week or more in the future. These results were driven by consumers’ expectations of high quality and innovative products, Oliver Wyman noted. “Incumbent grocers need to take notice: The threat from Lidl is real and will only get clearer as their stores generate trial and repeat sales,” cautioned George Faigen, partner in the retail and consumer goods practice of Boston-based Oliver Wyman. (progressivegrocer.com)