German discounters Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have both joined the World Banana Forum (WBF) - an initiative that promotes fair working conditions and sustainable production for bananas. The WBF includes stakeholders from all areas of the industry, including producers, unions, importers, suppliers and distributors. "We are one of the largest banana traders in the world. Therefore, it was important to us to be a sign in this area as well," said Rayk Mende, corporate responsibility director of the Aldi Nord Group. (esmmagazine.com) Do Aldi and Lidl have appeal among the rich?
A survey suggests a huge number of the better heeled have also been browsing the aisles and may have a product from at least one of them lurking in their larders and fridges. Retail researchers Mintel have found that 77% of households earning £50,000 or more have bought from the stores. (BBC) US: Giant Eagle launches home delivery service in central Ohio
Giant Eagle has started a delivery service that will bring groceries to your front door. The Curbside Express Home Delivery service launched Tuesday at Giant Eagle stores in central Ohio. The service allows customers to choose from 45,000 items, including fresh produce. (10tv.com) Amazon Australia partnering with local companies
Amazon is working towards its highly anticipated entry into Australia, by confirming that it will offer local products from over 500 Australian businesses at launch. The marketplace is due to launch in Australia in early 2018 and is working to localise its business and ensure that it stocks relevant and local Australian products. The retailer is holding a sellers summit on 13 November to encourage more sellers to trade via the platform, with the country manager, Roco Braeuniger and local head of marketplace, Fabio Bertola, hosting the event. (igd.com)AU: Aldi takes more market share from Metcash
Aldi is taking a bigger share of the $100bln Australian supermarket sector as IGA and Foodland fall further behind, new figures show. Industry market researcher IBISWorld has analysed the supermarkets' latest revenue figures and has found IGA and Foodland supplier Metcash have lost more ground as Aldi continues to successfully expand into WA and SA. It says Metcash has a 7.5% market share, while Aldi now has 8.6%. A year ago Metcash had a 7.2% share and Aldi was at 7.9%. (news.com.au)
Carrefour franchisee CFAO entering Cameroon
Carrefour’s franchisee for countries in West and Central Africa, CFAO, has announced that it will be opening its first store in Cameroon following the addition of two stores in Côte d'Ivoire. The store is in Douala and will be the first in a series of openings for CFAO, the next of which will be in the capital Yaoundé in 2019. Plans are for a further six shopping centres to be opened across these two cities by 2020. (igd.com)GPA sales up 8.1% in Q3, driven by Assaí stores
Brazilian retailer Grupo Pão de Açúcar (GPA) has reported an 8.1% growth in net sales in its third quarter, to BRL 10.9bln (€2.92bln). Like-for-like sales at GPA were up by 3.3% on the same quarter in 2016, while the overall results were boosted by the performance of the Assaí Atacarejo banner. Net sales from the Assaí segment rose 25.2% to BRL 4.68bln (€1.25bln), supported by strong performance of the retailer's new stores, while like-for-like sales grew 7.7%. (esmmagazine.com) X5 Retail to sell Perekrestok Express stores in Moscow
Russian retail group X5 Retail has announced plans to sell its convenience format stores under the Perekrestok Express banner in Moscow. The retailer says that Perekrestok Express currently accounts for less than 1% of the group's revenue, and it now plans to concentrate on its three major formats - Pyaterochka proximity stores, Perekrestok supermarkets and Karusel hypermarkets. (esmmagazine.com)UK inflation climbs to five-year high on food
UK inflation climbed to its highest rate in more than five years in September, boosted by the cost of food and transport. Consumer prices rose 3% from a year earlier, the fastest pace since April 2012 and up from 2.9% in August, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday in London. (esmmagazine.com)Sefalana entering South Africa
Sefalana will be investing BWP200m (US$19m) with its consortium partner Unitrade Management Services. This will be used to acquire several supermarkets and wholesale chains across South Africa. It is hoping to grow the enterprise over the next 10 years. (igd.com)Lidl Germany to teach kids about fruit
Lidl has committed themselves to customer education and healthy nutrition.With their educational program Lidl reaches 200 German elementary schools per year. Children learn about the five-a-day rule and the importance of fruit and vegetables in their daily diet. Nutritional advisors show how healthy snacks can be integrated into everyday life.
UK Sainsbury's to cut 2,000 jobs in cost-saving drive
Sainsbury's has said it will cut up to 2,000 jobs from its human resources staff as part of plans to reduce costs. The UK's second biggest supermarket chain says the "difficult decision" will affect roles in stores, as well as in the company's central offices. (BBC) Vietnam: Vincom eyes IPO
Vincom Retail JSC, the Vietnamese mall operator backed by Warburg Pincus, has started taking investor orders for a domestic initial public offering that could raise as much as $680mln. Existing shareholders including Warburg Pincus and Credit Suisse Group AG are offering a combined 380.2mln shares at 37,000 dong to 40,600 dong apiece, according to terms for the deal obtained by Bloomberg. (Bloomberg)