The number of grocery retail (food and specialist food) stores in Portugal doubled between 2009 and 2017, according to the latest Marktest Sales Index. In the reference period, the number of establishments rose from 1,678 outlets, across 36 banners to 3,382 from 32 banners. Among the food retailers that were included in the study, which was conducted in August 2017, were Aldi, Amanhecer, Continente, Coviram, Intermarche, Froiz, Jumbo, E.Leclerc, Lidl, Meu Super, Minipreco, Pingo Doce and Spar.Source: esmmagazine.com
Holland: Coolblue closes hundreds of web shops
Dutch e-commerce group Coolblue has terminated hundreds of its web shops, instead preferring one central web shop at coolblue.be/nl. This may be the precursor to an international expansion, the company says. Coolblue started out as a small number of different web shops that were specialised in one specific product (and its accessories), like smartphonestore.nl or pdashop.be. From now on these will simply be subsets of coolblue.be/.nl, which should make it easier for customers to find the right products: they simply have to remember "Coolblue" rather than the hundreds of URLS with store or shop that existed until today. The unification should also raise Coolblue's position in Google search results.Source: retaildetail.eu
Following the announcement that they had entered into exclusive negotiations on April 25, 2018, Carrefour and Système U announce the signing of a five-year partnership agreement that will involve cooperating on purchasing the biggest national and international brands and provides for increased commitments in favor of French agricultural producers. This partnership is expected to be effective for 2019 supplier negotiations. Carrefour and Système U will maintain separate commercial and promotional policies. This partnership agreement is subject to the prior notification of France’s Competition Authority.Source: carrefour.com
Japan: Rakuten acquires mobile commerce startup Curbside
Tokyo-headquartered Rakuten, Japan’s answer to Amazon, is acquiring the Silicon Valley mobile ordering and pickup startup Curbside, the companies announced. Terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed, but Curbside had previously raised between $40mln and $50mln from investors including CVS, Index Ventures, Sutter Hull Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Chicago Ventures, and others.Source: techcrunch.com
Sweden's ICA sees like-for-like sales up 5.5% in May
Swedish retailer ICA has posted a 5.5% increase in like-for-like sales in May, with all its store banners posting growth. Its ICA Nära business posted the strongest growth, with a like-for-like gain of 9.6% for the month. Sales at the convenience store banner were SEK 1.6bln. Elsewhere its ICA Kvantum operation posted a 5.6% like-for-like increase (sales of SEK 2.45bln), Maxi ICA Stormarknad posted a like-for-like gain of 4.5% (SEK 3.13bln) and ICA Supermarket posted a 4.3% gain (SEK 3.15bln). Total sales in ICA stores for the month of May were SEK 10.32bln (€1.01bln), which is an increase of 5.8% on the same month the previous year. Sales between January and May 2018 stood at SEK 47.5bln (€4.63bln), which is 3.6% up on the previous year.Source: esmmagazine.com
Poland: Enterprise Investors to acquire Studenac
Polish Enterprise Fund VIII, a private equity fund managed by Enterprise Investors (EI), has signed an agreement to acquire a 100% stake in Studenac, a network of neighborhood grocery stores operating in Croatia’s southernmost region, Dalmatia. The seller is Mr. Josip Milavić, the company’s founder. The value of the transaction was not disclosed. EI will bring on board industry experts who will ensure a successful succession by working with Studenac’s existing management team. The transaction is conditional upon obtaining antimonopoly approval.Source: ei.com.pl
New online food delivery platform launches in Romania
FoodEx, a new global platform that allows users to order food online was launched in Romania and it is currently available in Bucharest. The new platform promises users fast orders, as they can place an order in under one minute. They can access the platform both on a computer at foodex.com and through the FoodEx mobile app, which is available in Google Play and the App Store.Source: romania-insider.com
Tencent unveils collaboration with Walmart China
Helping broaden the reach of Tencent’s mobile payments and mini program services, Tencent has unveiled a collaboration with Walmart China. With the relationship, Walmart will also be to expand digitally in the country, technode reported. The work will focus on customer experiences, payments, precision marketing and communications through WeChat. In addition, the collaboration seeks to provide Walmart’s Sam’s Club with a stronger membership program. This work comes after Walmart China had tested “smart stores” in Shenzhen with “Walmart Scan and Pay” - a Tencent mini program - in March. Through the system, customers were able to scan their purchases and pay with their phones. Since then, the program has been rolled out to stores in 28 cities.Source: pymnts.com
US Report: Despite private label growth, shoppers still think national brands are better
According to the 2018 “Why Brands Matter” report from CPG marketing agency Acosta, shopping trips driven by national brand purchases are more valuable than private label brand trips on average by 65%. Overall, shoppers see national brands as superior to private label products in most categories. The perception gap increases in certain segments. Many of the categories for which shoppers indicated they purchased national brands “exclusively” or “mostly” are personal care products. Conversely, nearly all of the categories for which shoppers report “exclusively” or “mostly” selecting private brands are staple food categories, such as milk and bread. “National brands continue to dominate, with a worth of over $558bln in 2017, compared to $124bln for private label brands … A study of more than 100 retailers revealed that the retailers growing national and private label brands are experiencing the best overall growth, proving that a strategic mix is key,” John Clevenger, managing director and SVP at Acosta, said in a press release.Source: fooddive.com
Amazon expands Whole Foods discounts to 10 states, including Hawaii
Amazon is expanding its Whole Foods Market discounts to 10 new states, including Hawaii, the companies announced. That means Amazon Prime members will now be able to take advantage of discounts at Whole Foods across the state. All they have to do is open the Whole Foods mobile app, sign in with their Amazon account, then scan the barcode at checkout. The discounts apply to various products - such as fruit, meats, water and other snacks - and also include an additional 10% off various sale items. The expansion means nearly half the country can now take advantage of this special discount.Source: hawaiinewsnow.com
US: Weis Markets teaching shoppers about plant-based foods
Weis Markets has launched a chain-wide themed health-and-wellness program, Plant Powered, featuring in-store signs identifying a variety of healthy plant-based foods that can easily be incorporated into everyday meals and snacks. Special signage on price tags calls out certain Weis Quality and Weis Signature Collection and Full Circle products, as well as select national brands, spotlighting plant-based items that can be consumed as part of a balanced diet. Among the Plant Powered foods identified by Weis Markets’ seven registered dietitians are fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; beans and lentils; fruits packed in 100% juice or water; vegetables that can be drained and rinsed; whole-grain rice, pasta, cereal, bread and specialty grains; soy and almond milks; healthful oils; select nuts; and tea.Source: progressivegrocer.com