Spar has launched four new stores in Poland in the space of one week, with outlets opening in Tychy, Zabrzeg, Konin, and Szydłów. Spar Poland says that this has been 'a busy summer of expansion'. This year alone, the retailer has opened 21 new stores, which it says proves 'the potential for growth in what is the biggest market in central Europe'. (esmmagazine.com) Aldi Süd to open service stations in Germany
Discount retailer Aldi Süd is set to open a chain of service stations beside its stores in Germany, after striking a deal with petrol station operator FE-Trading, according to German newspaper TZ. The publication reports that the new partnership covers a pilot project for ten stations around Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart, which are expected to open by the end of they year. FE-Trading already has a similar agreement with Aldi Süd's sister retailer Hofer in Austria, with 79 stations under the brand Diskont. (esmmagazine.com) C-store sales grow by 3.1% in Northern Ireland, says Nielsen data
Convenience store operators in Northern Ireland now have access to weekly sales data after Nielsen’s Scantrack service was extended to the province. The service shows the value of the Northern Ireland FMCG market rose 3.5% to £3.7bn over the last year, with the supermarket multiples accounting for 73% of sales and the convenience retailers 27%. The multiples saw sales grow 3.7% year-on-year, while the convenience sector saw a 3.1% rise. (talkingretail.com)Iverk Produce expands contract with ALDI Ireland
The Irish Fruit and vegetable wholesaler Iverk Produce has signed a deal to provide Aldi with €70m worth of Irish-grown potatoes over three years. Under the new agreement, Iverk Produce will supply Aldi’s 129 stores in ireland with 27,000 tonnes of locally-grown rooster, white and salad potatoes annually, representing a significant increase in the quantities Iverk Produce currently supplies to Aldi’s stores. (potatopro.com)Slovenia: Mercator sees improved performance in H1 2017
Slovenian retailer Mercator Group ended the first half of 2017 with a profit of €10.4 million, marking an increase on the same period last year. The company's EBITDA margin was up by 11% year-on-year, however, revenue dropped 7.9% to €1.14bn, with capital expenditure of €25.9mln. (esmmagazine.com) Italy: Unicoop Firenze sees 1.2% sales growth in 2016
Italian regional grocery retailer Unicoop Firenze has reported sales of €2.37bn during 2016, representing a 1.2% increase on the previous year. This compares to an average national growth of 0.1% for Italy's grocery retail sector as a whole. Unicoop's net profit for the year stood at €23.2mln, while the the retailer's net assets reached €1.55bn. (esmmagazine.com) Aldi, Lidl and rivals to thrive as UK discount retail market soars
The UK Discount Retail market is set to soar by 36.1% by 2022, reaching £32.5bn by 2022 according to research by GlobalData. The company’s latest report UK Discounters 2017-2022 reveals discount retailers could gain an extra £9bn slice of the total retail market as they become a more appealing destination for consumers looking for bargains as inflation continues to squeeze their disposable income. (insideretail.asia) Amazon to test one-hour grocery delivery service in Canada
Amazon will pilot its one- and two-hour membership delivery service Prime Now in Canada later this year, according to The Wall Street Journal. A source “familiar with the matter” told the newspaper the pilot program would run in Toronto and Vancouver to start and, based on its success, expand to other Canadian cities throughout 2018. Through the service, the company will offer grocery items such as produce, dairy and frozen food. (canadiangrocer.com) 
In prices, Wal-Mart whips Whole Foods
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Report: Online grocery growth accelerating
Online grocery purchases average 3.4% of total store sales for supermarkets offering the service, but the number jumped to 5.2% of total sales for those retailers that have had the service for at least four years, according to Brick Meets Click's new Grocery Ecommerce Supermarket Scorecard Report.Jerry’s & Supervalu strike networking deal
Jerry’s Foods, a 50-store regional grocer based in Edina, Minnesota, will outsource its technology network to Supervalu, reports Supermarket News. The deal will provide “multipoint connectivity” services to Jerry’s, SN notes, along with a 24-hour staffed help desk and access to value-added services like online ordering and a meal kit program. The partnership will save Jerry’s 15% on its IT costs, according to officials. (fooddive.com) US: Save-on-Foods recalls pineapple chunks
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control is warning consumers that the Hepatitis A virus has been detected in a sample of Western Family brand fresh pineapple chunks that may have been sold in Fort St. John. The pineapple chunks were sold in ready-to-go cups and were produced on August 11 and distributed to 38 Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods and PriceSmart Foods stores in B.C. (energeticcity.ca)Produce-focused remodels show promise at Dollar General
Dollar General said Thursday that food-focused store remodels — including some that introduce fresh produce assortments — are generating three to four times the sales results of typical remodels. The retailer said it had completed approximately 185 store remodels through the end of its fiscal second quarter — around a third of which include a test of fresh produce. For the period, which ended Aug. 4, sales increased 8.1% to $5.8bn and same-store sales grew by 2.6%. Traffic was positive for the first time since the first quarter of 2016. (supermarketnews.com)