Shufersal, Israel’s largest supermarket chain, said net profit rose in the second quarter as it integrated a newly purchased drugstore chain. The company posted net profit of 85mln shekels ($23mln) versus 69mln a year earlier. Revenue increased 4.8% to 3.15bln shekels, though same store sales slipped 2.4% due to the timing of the Passover holiday.Source: in.reuters.com
Mideast supermarket chain aims to import $100mln Philippine products by 2020
One of the Middle East’s most popular supermarket chains is now importing farm products and other commodities from the Philippines, and is targeting to procure at least $100mln from local producers by 2020. May Exports Philippines Inc. officially launched its operations on Wednesday, and will serve as the new center for sourcing, storing, packaging and exporting agricultural and commodity goods to the more than 150 supermarkets of Lulu Group International. The firm is registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), and has initially invested $1mln for its facility in the Calamba Premiere International Park.Source: businessmirror.com.ph
Thai 7-Eleven hits headwinds
Thai 7-Eleven operator CP All has reported slowing profit growth, despite increased revenue. Net profit growth of 2.8% was its weakest quarterly result in years, according to Thomson Reuters. Its net surplus was 4.78bln baht (US$144.2mln). In the same period a year ago, growth reached 10.8%. The company’s gross margin slipped a half percentage point to 27.7% due to higher sales of alcohol, cigarettes and game cards, which have low margins.Source: insideretail.asia
Philippines: Metro Retail Stores posts P344mln H1 profit
On the back of a strong performance from its current network of stores, Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. (MRSGI) posted a 9.5% increase in retail sales for the first half of 2018. Highlighted by a 171 basis point improvement in margins, MRSGI also reported a P344mln profit for the first semester despite the fire that damaged a department store and supermarket in Ayala Center Cebu earlier in the year. The second quarter net earnings rose to P254mln, as same store sales growth reached the highest in nine quarters at 4.6%. Moreover, the company continued to record cost efficiencies. “The year may have started on a challenging note, but our retail sales performance remains strong and this has allowed us to move forward with greater stability and confidence,” said MRSGI Chairman and CEO Frank S. Gaisano.Source: sunstar.com.ph
Dutch retail sales rise 3% in June, online rises 19%: CBS
Retail sales in the Netherlands surged by 3% in June year-on-year, the national statistics office CBS said. The increase applied to both the food and non-food sectors, according to CBS. Online sales soared by 19% in June. Sales in non-food shops were 1.7% higher, while volume corrected for price changes increased by 1.4% over June 2017. Drug stores registered the biggest gains followed by furniture and home decor stores and DIY outlets. There was a decline in the sales of consumer electronics. Food stores saw a 2.8% increase in sales in June, while sales volume was 2.6% higher. Supermarket sales rose by 3%.Source: dutchnews.nl
Coop Italia promotes healthy snacks at checkouts
Italian retailer Coop has launched a campaign to promote healthy eating by replacing the usual checkout snacks with healthier alternatives. The supermarket announced it would favour single-portion snacks based on nuts and seeds, dehydrated vegetables and fruits, cereals, organic food and products with nutritional value. These will include products from the Coop Bene.sì and Viviverde ranges. It will roll out the campaign in 900 stores to offer snacks that do not contain big amounts of sugar, fat and salt and are free from preservatives.Source: thenews.coop
UK: Sainsbury's launches 'scan and go' store in Clapham
UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is using its ‘scan and go’ technology in its Clapham North store, meaning customers can scan products with a smartphone app and pay for the goods without having to visit a fixed till or self-service machine. Building on the retailer’s ‘Smartshop’ technology which supports consumers’ scanning items on their phone to create a digital shopping list before paying at a till, the Clapham initiative takes things a step further by solely requiring the customer to tap their phone against a QR code on exit to transact.Source: essentialretail.com
Croatia's Agrokor first-half core earnings jump
Croatian food producer and retailer Agrokor, which is in the process of being taken over by its creditors, reported a big rise in first-half core earnings, as cost cuts helped to offset lower revenues. The largest private company in the Balkans with 52,000 staff said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) jumped 70.5% year-on-year to 729.7mln Croatian kuna ($112mln). That was despite a 13.3% drop in non-consolidated revenues to 11bln kuna.Source: uk.reuters.com
Japan: Retailer Don Quijote shows interest in buying supermarket chain Seiyu from Walmart
The president of discount retailer Don Quijote Holdings Co. expressed interest in buying supermarket chain Seiyu GK from Walmart Inc. “I’m interested if (Walmart) is serious about selling,” Koji Ohara said during a business strategy forum in Tokyo. “It depends on the content, but if it’s selling I’d like to carefully examine (the conditions).” Sources close to the matter said last month that Walmart has decided to sell the troubled supermarket chain and had already been in talks with some retailers and investment funds. Walmart forged a capital tie-up with struggling Seiyu in 2002, and made the Tokyo-headquartered chain a wholly owned unit in 2008. Seiyu has had a tough time turning its business around despite restructuring efforts, including job cuts and closures of unprofitable outlets, amid intense competition from online retailers.Source: japantimes.co.jp
US: New contract includes pay hikes for Giant Eagle workers at corporate stores
Union workers in 35 corporate-owned Giant Eagle stores in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia will see wage increases and improved benefits under a new three-year contract. About 5,500 Giant Eagle employees represented by United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1776 Keystone State overwhelmingly approved the labor agreement in a ratifying vote Wednesday and Thursday. The contract, which is retroactive to July 1, increases the hourly starting rate for workers from $8.25 or $8.75 to $10, according to Local 1776 spokesman Tony Helfer. That rate will go up to $11 in two years.Source: triblive.com
US: Pacific Foods founder gets back to 'Basics' with grocery venture
Basics Market, a small store focused on healthy and sustainable foods will open next month on the east side of Portland, Oregon. The store is spearheaded by Chuck Eggert, the founder of Pacific Foods, with help from Errol Schweizer, who led the grocery department at Whole Foods for eight years. Two more locations are slated to open in Oregon - one in Tulatin at the end of this year, the other in Beaverton in 2019.
Source: fooddive.com
Basics Market, a small store focused on healthy and sustainable foods will open next month on the east side of Portland, Oregon. The store is spearheaded by Chuck Eggert, the founder of Pacific Foods, with help from Errol Schweizer, who led the grocery department at Whole Foods for eight years. Two more locations are slated to open in Oregon - one in Tulatin at the end of this year, the other in Beaverton in 2019.Source: fooddive.com
H-E-B announced it will convert an underperforming store into the chain's first e-commerce fulfillment center in Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle. The store, which will close by September 9, also will provide kerbside pickup and delivery services. The San Antonio-based grocer says 28,000 square foot store is too small to offer the product selections that consumers in the area demand. The grocer said it plans to bring a larger grocery store to the area in the future. With this, H-E-B becomes the latest grocer to repurpose a store for online fulfillment. Source: fooddive.com