According to Temkin Group’s 2018 Temkin Trust Ratings (TTR), Wegmans Food Markets and H-E-B are among the businesses most trusted by consumers, earning ratings of 79% and 77%, respectively. USAA’s baking business earned the top spot, with an 81% rating. Temkin’s ratings are based on a study of the level of trust that 10,000 U.S consumers have regarding 318 companies across 20 industries. The supermarket industry earned the highest average TTR, at 66%, followed by investment firms (62%), insurance companies (61%) and auto dealers (61%), according to Waban, Massachusetts-based Temkin Group. TV/internet service providers rated the lowest, at 32%.Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Target Restock expanded to all US stores
Target has expanded its Restock program to all US stores, making it available to around 75% of the population. The service provides customers with next-day delivery of household essentials for a fixed fee of $2.99. They can choose from around 35,000 products, including national brands and branded items, up to a weight limit of 45 pounds. Orders are fulfilled by store level inventory, enabling it to turn around orders quickly. Target recently launched a voice-activated experience for this program through Google Home. This complements the retailer’s broader ecommerce ecosystem which also includes same-day delivery via its subsidiary, Shipt, and store pickup programs. All these initiatives optimise Target’s strategic focus on repositioning its stores as distribution hubs.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
US: Walmart rolls out grocery delivery service in Houston
Walmart rolled out their online grocery delivery service in Houston. The retailer is expanding its service to Sugar Land, Katy, Tomball, Spring, Pearland and Missouri City. This new service will make Houston the 10th metro area nationwide to receive the service. Walmart also offers same day delivery, not to your car, but your doorstep.Source: abc13.com
US: Fortress pays $66mln for SuperValu distribution center in Pompano Beach
Fortress Investment Group has bought a SuperValu distribution center in Pompano Beach, as part of a $483mln national portfolio deal. CF Grocery Distribution PropCo., an affiliate of Fortress, paid $66.4mln for a 769,000-square-foot SuperValu facility at 1141 Southwest 12th Avenue. Records show the deal was financed with a $68.41mln mortgage from Royal Bank of Canada. The seller, Associated Grocers of Florida, was acquired by Supervalu for $180mln in October. Records show the facility last traded for $51mln in 2006. It sits on the 51.5-acre site just west of North Andrews Avenue and north West McNab Road. It was built in 1973.Source: therealdeal.com
AmazonFresh will drop third-party sellers at the end of the month
As of May 30, AmazonFresh will no longer sell goods from third-party vendors as part of the platform’s Local Market Seller program, according to Business Insider, citing an email the company sent to the vendors. These companies have been selling their products alongside AmazonFresh products. This change comes on the heels of Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods last year and as Amazon expands its Prime Now grocery service, which is part of the company’s integration with Whole Foods. In February, Whole Foods launched Prime Now delivery in select markets and confirmed plans to expand to more markets this year. An email obtained by Business Insider indicates that Amazon will buy more products wholesale, and indicates there will be more opportunities for local sellers in the future.Source: fooddive.com
Sumitomo buys into Taiwan's No. 2 supermarket chain
Sumitomo Corp. will buy 22% of Simple Mart, Taiwan's second-largest supermarket operator, gaining a new channel for distributing Japanese products and making new business moves on the island. The Japanese trading company will pay around 4.5bln yen ($41.1mln) for the stake in a transaction set for August, the two sides have agreed.Source: asia.nikkei.com
Russia's X5 Retail Group introduces automated supply chain solution
Russian food retailer X5 Retail Group has completed a major project to automate the demand and replenishment processes at its Perekrestok and Karusel stores and distribution centres, it announced. In a revamp of its central logistics, marketing, and commerce processes, it has implemented end-to-end supply chain management software, which has boosted forecast accuracy by 17%, the retailer said. This allows stores to increase actual availability of goods by 5% and has enabled the company to decrease inventory levels by 13%.Source: esmmagazine.com
Denmark: Dansk Supermarked changes its name to Salling Group
Retail operations have been conducted under the Salling name since 1906, and from June 1st, Salling Group will be the new name for Dansk Supermarked. This is a name change that reflects both the historical roots and the new ownership. The Salling Foundations’ reacquisition of the company began in 2014 and was made a reality in 2017. With the Salling Foundations as sole owner, the company will now be renamed Salling Group after the company’s founder. "With Salling Group, we are returning to our roots in many ways and paying tribute to our origins. We are proud of what Ferdinand and, not least, Herman Salling created, and we are now carrying this forward even more clearly in the Salling name with the ambition of ensuring a leading, long-term and viable Danish retail business" says Jens Bjerg Sørensen, Chair of Købmand Herman Sallings Fond.Source: newsbreak.dk
Belgium: Colruyt Group annually invests 2.5mln euros in continuous testing of all private labels
Colruyt Group invests heavily in the quality of its own brands, to ensure it is even more responsive to the needs of consumers, who are increasingly making more informed and sustainable choices. Every year, Colruyt Group invests 2.5mln euros in taste and use tests. These tests are carried out using a new scientific and certified method at two test labs belonging Colruyt Group, as well as by means of in-home or on-site mobile testing. All 3,500 own-brand products are continuously tested, meaning that the entire Boni Selection, Everyday and Spar ranges are consumer tested at least once every two years. With this unique form of co-creation, Colruyt Group is making significant investments in ensuring that consumers are involved and have greater transparency. Even now, there are 50,000 consumers determining the quality, tastiness and user-friendliness of the group's own brands.Source: colruytgroup.com
Holland: Retail turnover 1.5% up in March
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that the Dutch retail sector achieved 1.5% turnover growth in March year-on-year, while the volume of sales increased by almost 2%. Turnover grew in the food sector by over 1%, but fell in the non-food sector with almost 1%. Furthermore, online sales increased by over 23%. Retail turnover data have been adjusted for changes in the shopping-day pattern. Retail sales tend to vary from one day to the next. If the shopping-day pattern is not taken into account, retail turnover in March was almost 4% higher than in the same month one year previously.Source: cbs.nl