Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. is planning to shell out P3.5bln this year to fund further expansion, a top company official said. The company plans to open up to 120 new stores this year on top the 100 new store target of its pharmaceutical investment The Generics Pharmacy, RRHI President and Chief Operating Officer Robina Gokongwei-Pe said during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting in Pasig City. “The group spent a capital expenditure of P3.1bln in 2017, and P683mln for the first quarter. We project to spend a total of P3bln to P3.5bln in capex for our planned organic store expansion this 2018,” she said.Source: manilatimes.net
Ghana: Ecommerce grocery supermarket launch
A newly grocery online supermarket has been officially opened in Accra, to serve the busy working class Ghanaians. Homeshoppa Ghana continues to expand its presence in the country with the inauguration of its newest online supermarket outlet in Accra. Speaking at the recent media launch in Accra was the Chief Executive Officer of Homeshoppa Claire Staal, she explained that, with the emergence of the Homeshoppa brand, all classes of Ghanaians and expatriates in Ghana can live like Kings and Queens because the hustle of shopping for groceries in Accra is over. She further explained that Homeshoppa Ghana would leave a lasting legacy by positioning itself to become the leading online grocery supermarket brand in the country.Source: allafrica.com
UK: Iceland opens first store in Norway
Supermarket chain Iceland Foods expanded its international presence with their first store in Norway opening last week. The store in Asker, in the Greater Oslo region, is operated by Iceland’s new franchise partner Ice Nordic. The store has 33 freezer cabinets carrying a wide range of Iceland’s own label frozen food, and also sells Iceland own label groceries and a selection of locally produced products. “It was great to see the new store receive such a hugely enthusiastic response, with sales on the first day far exceeding expectations,” said Ewan McMahon, operations director at Iceland Group.Source: asiantrader.biz
UK: Royal Wedding and good weather boosts supermarket sales
Supermarket sales received a welcome boost last week as the combination of the royal wedding, FA Cup Final and warm, sunny weather led to shoppers stocking up on extra food and drink. Data from Nielsen Scantrack for week ended 19 May show shoppers spent £100mln more than they did in the same period last year. Nielsen said: "UK supermarkets benefited from the last royal wedding back in April 2011, when William and Kate stopped traffic as they celebrated with the nation. This time round, whilst there wasn’t the benefit of the extra bank holiday to boost basket spend, supermarkets still embraced the royal wedding event as a way of enticing shoppers to add more items into their baskets. The strongest value sales at the last royal wedding were in confectionery, crisps, snacks, soft drinks, and alcohol."Source: kamcity.com
Spar Asia Pacific continues to expand
Spar Asia-Pacific continues to post solid growth, with the Thailand network already up to 30 stores just a year after its launch. The global grocery retail banner now has a presence in six countries in Asia Pacific. Spar China is expanding through multi-format stores in major cities of southern and northern China adopting the banner, with the network now totalling 408.Source: insideretail.asia
France: Franprix tests home delivery while customer is away
French supermarket chain Franprix has started tests with delivering groceries to the customer’s home, while the customer isn’t at home during the delivery. Franprix is the first company to test this kind of service in France. If the experiment is a success, Franprix wants to launch the service in the Parisian region by the end of this year or early 2019, LSA writes. Since the end of April, Franprix has been testing this type of delivery service with a dozen beta testers.Source: ecommercenews.eu
US: iFresh moves forward with programs to generate organic sales growth
During the first five months of 2018, iFresh has implemented several initiatives that should generate organic sales growth. First, the company’s supermarket in Orland has been upgraded; second, iFresh’s two stores in the Boston area (Ming’s Supermarket and Zen Market) should benefit from a 4-month 30th Anniversary promotion program; and third, some New York stores, and eventually all stores, will offer the e-commerce services of the payment option of Alipay’s Mobile Wallet and of money transfers, bill payments and money orders provided by Western Union.Source: scr.zacks.com
CAN: B.C. shoppers support local at grocery: study
A study of buying preferences in British Columbia says people want food that is fresh, safe to eat and supports the local economy. The study funded by the provincial and federal governments shows people are strongly influenced by a desire to support local producers, whether they are at a grocery store or choosing an entree at a restaurant. A key finding says shoppers would be more inclined to buy local if the product carries an identifiable “from B.C.” logo or seal.Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: As shopping transforms, three small Targets planned for Seattle area
Target, which began experimenting with an urban store format in Seattle in 2012, will build three new small stores, each about the size of a typical grocery, in Ballard, the University District and Bellevue. Retailers are building smaller stores as they adjust to new shopping patterns, demographic shifts and the continued rise of online shopping that has contributed to an ongoing wave of closings and bankruptcies. Target’s new stores, to be built in the next two years, are designed to fit into urban and dense suburban environments with a merchandise selection tailored to the neighborhood. They’ll also serve as pickup locations for the company’s faster-growing online sales.Source: seattletimes.com
US: Leever's Supermarkets incentivize healthy eating via mobile app
Leading Save-A-Lot licensee Leevers Supermarkets, which operates 20 stores in Colorado and Florida, has launched a mobile loyalty app that encourages healthier eating by incentivizing the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. Snap2Save, developed in partnership with digital customer engagement firm Green Piranhas Inc. and available for both iOS and Android devices, is said to be a “new kind of grocery shopping loyalty app” that gives registered customers one point for every dollar spent, redeemable for gift cards or health care rebates. Through Healthy Food Rewards, the app offers up to four times the points for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables, and the rewards are anticipated to expand to other healthful in-store offerings such as lean meats.Source: progressivegrocer.com