In an effort to continue its northward expansion, Publix Super Markets is in talks to be considering a $400mln regional distribution center, according to the Greensboro-based News & Record. Proposed for eastern Greensboro, North Carolina, the possible 1.8mln-square-foot facility would sit on roughly 350 acres and would be one of the largest distribution centers in the Piedmont Triad.Source: delimarketnews.com
US: Walmart to expand grocery delivery business to 800 stores
Walmart plans to expand its online grocery delivery service to a fleet of roughly 800 stores by the end of the year, as competition continues to ramp up in the digital grocery aisle. The expansion will open up the retailer to 100 metropolitan areas, reaching more than 40% of U.S. households. It will offer shoppers same-day delivery of fresh produce, meat and seafood, along with non-perishable items.Source: cnbc.com
Costco eyes fresh grocery delivery in Canada
Costco is exploring ways to deliver fresh groceries to consumers in Canada after finding early success with its new online food delivery services in the U.S. “We are looking at sites from which we can fulfill fresh grocery orders,” confirmed Costco Canada spokesman Ron Damiani. “We are extremely happy with the results that we have had out of the U.S.,” he added, noting the company does not have a specific timeline in mind for the rollout.Source: calgaryherald.com
Spain: Eroski to remodel Caprabo
From 2018 the progressive remodelling of Caprabo stores in Catalonia will take place, with a focus on making the stores more attractive to clients. Caprabo has a focus on fresh and local products, many of which come from cooperatives. In a similar vein to Makro Chef’s workshops, Caprabo recently ran a cooking workshop, were it aimed to showcase its local products from Catalonian cooperatives.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
France: Auchan continues store rebranding programme in France
French retailer Auchan is reopening two of its stores in Paris this week, after being rebranded from Simply Market to Auchan Supermarché. The two stores, located in Châtillon-sous-Bagneux and Antony-Pascal in the capital's Hauts-de-Seine department, were refurbished over the past four weeks. The supermarkets will now provide customers with an expanded offering, and a wide range of foods prepared on site, and will also create a number of new jobs for the area.Source: esmmagazine.com
Holland: Jumbo selects Quintiq to optimize its complex supply chain
Quintiq, a Dassault Systèmes
company and global leader in supply chain planning and optimization (SCP&O), announces that it has been selected to further optimize Jumbo Supermarkten’s supply chain. The fastest growing supermarket chain in the Netherlands, Jumbo is on a mission to provide outstanding service and products at the lowest prices, exceeding customer expectations every day.Source: businesswire.com
Carrefour Spain begins transformation plan implementation
Spain-based trade publication FoodRetail reports that the locally-based Carrefour operations are set to implement the corporate 2020 Transformation Plan. Mirroring steps from its France and Belgium-based operations, a key element of the plan will see a reorganisation of staff levels at its hypermarkets. According to the reports, and in contrast to other markets, Carrefour Spain’s changes will not lead to a reduction in staffing levels. However, the retailer has said there will be an adjustment of where staff are employed, with this likely to affect its hypermarkets most of all.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
UK: Morrisons reports strong full year results
The UK's fourth largest retailer Morrisons has delivered an impressive set of full year 2017/18 results, with healthy increases in sales and profit in the 53 weeks to 4 February 2018. The core supermarkets business is showing strong growth-on-growth as it enters a fourth year of recovery, driven by growth in customer numbers and higher volumes. Morrisons is now over half way through its Fresh Look store upgrade programme, and new improved own label ranges such as Best, Free From and Nutmeg are showing multi-year growth.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Belgian supermarkets' price difference with neighbouring countries grows
Belgian supermarkets are increasingly more expensive than those in neighbouring countries according to Prijzenobservatorium’s research. Shoppers in France, Germany and the Netherlands quickly pay 10% less. The Prijzenobservatorium (Price Observatory) analyzed prices of 65,000 identical products across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France and concluded that the Belgian supermarkets are more expensive. On average, prices are 9.1% lower in France, 12.9% in the Netherlands and 13.4% in Germany. There are multiple reasons for those differences: Belgian taxes are higher on average, like the duties on liquor. A smaller number of inhabitants also result in smaller scale advantages for supermarkets and therefore higher prices.Source: retaildetail.eu
Spain's Mercadona to invest 8.5bln euros in next six years
Spanish discount food retailer Mercadona said it would invest 8.5bln euros (7.53bln pounds) in the next six years on refurbishing stores and improving logistics in a competitive Spanish market. Mercadona, which has become Spain’s biggest supermarket chain and one of the country’s biggest employers, with around 84,000 staff, intends to invest a record 1.5bln euros in 2018, when it plans to open 11 new stores.Source: uk.reuters.com