Albert Heijn: online tool ‘My Nutritional Value’

UK: The Co-op Group grows its Welsh membership by over 40%

The number of active members of the Co-op Group in Wales has jumped by 40% since it re-launched its membership scheme and unveiled its rejuvenated brand, the Group announced. Over the same period, the retailer has supported 749 local Welsh causes through its membership scheme, sharing almost £1.2mln among organisations in its communities who contribute to improving local life. The Group has returned to its iconic clover-leaf design logo - first used in the 1960s - and its membership scheme, relaunched in September 2016, now sees more than 300,000 members in Wales receive a 5% reward every time they swipe their card when purchasing own brand products, with the Co-op donating a further 1% to causes in their local community.
Source: thenews.coop

Italy: Retail sales rise more than expected in May

Italy's retail sales increased at a faster-than-expected pace in May, after falling in the previous two months, preliminary data from the statistical office Istat showed. Retail sales value rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% month-over-month in May, reversing a 0.6% drop in April. Sales of food products grew 2.0% over the month, while non-food sales increased only marginally by 0.1%.
Source: markets.businessinsider.com

Aldi Ireland to transfer staff amid tech shakeup

Aldi's Irish business is to transfer a number of its staff from its Mitchelstown, County Cork offices to its head office in Naas, County Kildare, to facilitate the introduction of a new SAP technology system in its operations. The Irish Independent reported that a number of roles will also be relocated to the UK, while some job losses are also likely to occur, with affected employees to be offered a "generous" redundancy package. The affected roles are in the areas of finance, administration and trading, particularly forecasting and ordering, according to the paper.
Source: esmmagazine.com

Spar Nigeria wins outstanding retail brand of the year award

Spar, a leading chain of hypermarket stores, has been announced as the 2018 winner of the Outstanding Retail Brand of the Year award. This announcement was made at the 6th edition of the Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards that took place in Lagos on July 6, 2018. The award, presented to Spar Nigeria, was in recognition of its excellent service delivery and immense contribution to the Nigerian retail sector through her stores located across the country.
Source: theeagleonline.com.ng

UK: Food distributor Oakland builds €4.5mln warehouse near airport

UK specialist chilled food distributor Oakland has just completed a 2,547sq m (27,416sq ft) warehouse on 4.66 acres in the FoodCentral business park at St Margaret’s near Dublin Airport. Planning and construction of this €4.5mln refrigerated food facility was completed in 10 months and delivered on time and below budget. It will be used by Oakland to service retailers such as Dunnes Stores, Aldi, Tesco, BWG and Musgrave. FoodCentral includes 280 acres and is focused on the food and drinks industry given its proximity to the airport, M50 and Port Tunnel. Businesses already in the park - employing more than 1,200 - include Keelings, Donnellys, HPP and Dixon.
Source: irishtimes.com

Holland: Albert Heijn introduces ‘My Nutritional Value’ online tool

Albert Heijn has launched an online tool that helps customers gain more insight into the nutritional value of their groceries, highlighting how Ahold Delhaize’s local brands continue to make healthier eating easier. The tool, called “My Nutritional Value,” shows loyalty card holders the amount of sugar, salt, fiber, protein, saturated fat, calories and carbs for each product they purchase. It also helps them find alternative products based on the nutritional value of their preference. For example, a shopper searching for candy can look for options containing less sugar, while customers on a low-salt diet can look for products matching that requirement.
Source: internationalsupermarketnews.com

US: Hy-Vee teams with Instacart & Shipt to expand grocery delivery

Hy-Vee is working with national online grocery delivery services Instacart and Shipt to grow its delivery footprint and provide new and convenient shopping options to shoppers in more than two dozen markets. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based grocer “is excited to provide customers even more same-day delivery options by partnering with these national services,” noted CIO and EVP of Ecommerce Matt Ludwig. “As online grocery marketplaces experience rapid growth, Hy-Vee is matching pace to provide our customers a variety of personalized grocery delivery options.”
Source: progressivegrocer.com

CAN: Acquisitions fuel Couche-Tard’s fourth-quarter growth

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. says its net income rose 41.5% in the fourth quarter as growth and acquisitions fuelled an equal jump in revenues. The North American convenience store giant based in Laval, Quebec, says it earned US$392.7mln for the 12-week period ended April 29, up from US$277.6mln in what was a 13-week period a year ago. The earnings translated into 70 cents per diluted share, up from 49 cents per diluted share in the final quarter of 2017.
Source: canadiangrocer.com

US: Banner Wholesale readying new facility

Chicago-based Banner Wholesale Grocers will move to a new facility this fall, expanding capacity and reach for the regional distributor of Hispanic foods to Midwest retailers and restaurants. The 75,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to be complete by mid-September, is across the street from Banner’s current facility, which it has occupied since 2001. The family-owned company has been serving area shoppers since 1926. “As our company has grown since 1926, so has our home. Over the last five years alone our business has doubled, and our new warehouse has been designed to support that growth, as well as prepare us for the fourth generation of leaders,” Richard Saltzman, president of Banner Wholesale, said in a statement.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com

US: Roche Bros. taps Kronos Cloud for workforce management

Since implementing the Kronos Workforce Central suite from Kronos Inc., Roche Bros. Supermarkets has achieved “strong results” in key areas that drive business success, including the employee and customer experiences, according to the Wellesley, Massachusetts-based grocer. Roche Bros. has deployed Workforce Central in the Kronos Cloud across its entire footprint of supermarkets with 4,600 associates, consisting of salaried, hourly, full-, and part-time workers. Kronos is helping to empower and engage employees by offering such advanced features and functionality as time and attendance, scheduling, forecasting, and employee self-service applications.
Source: progressivegrocer.com

US: Walmart plans same-day grocery push in New York with Jet.com

Walmart's Jet.com is testing same-day grocery delivery in New York, as it dials up its efforts in the battle for online customers. The retailer announced that it will open up a fulfilment center in the Bronx for Jet.com, the e-commerce start-up it acquired roughly two years ago. The fulfilment center will serve as the base for the delivery of goods like groceries and Apple electronics. The move comes as Walmart has been investing heavily in its online grocery business. It previously announced plans to expand its online grocery delivery service to a fleet of roughly 800 stores by the end of the year. It has also been re-outfitting its stores to support mobile and online delivery, as well as converting some of its Sam's Clubs into distribution centers for Walmart's online grocery business.
Source: cnbc.com