US: Grocery Outlet employs strategic buying approach
As Grocery Outlet continues its climb to national popularity, the chain, now run under the third generation of the family alongside private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, hopes to employ its opportunistic buying strategy to its fresh food offerings on a national level. According to a Forbes article, Eric Lindberg, who is co-CEO with MacGregor Read and who married into the Read family, expressed that 60% of what it stocks in stores is bought opportunistically. Now, the same strategy that has led to much success will expand into its fresh food offerings, including the chain’s fastest growing sections that fall under its NOSH program (natural, organic, specialty, and health). Moving forward, Lindberg and Hillman Friedman want to bring the banner national, putting its national brand front and center.
Source: delimarketnews.com
US: Giant Food announces 2018-2019 A+ School Rewards Program
Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, launches the annual 2018-2019 A+ School Rewards Program in support of local schools on September 7, 2018. The fundraiser allows customers to contribute donations through qualified purchases at participating stores by simply registering with their Giant Food loyalty bonus card. Since 2000, Giant has awarded over $36mln to local schools involved in the initiative. "For nearly 30 years we have worked hand in hand with our customers to support our local schools, delivering substantial resources that add value to the educational experience in our communities," said Gordon Reid, President of Giant Food.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Walmart tests new last-mile grocery delivery service
As Walmart expands its Grocery Delivery service, giving its customers the option to shop when and how they want, the company announced a new last-mile delivery pilot - Spark Delivery - exploring an additional way to get groceries from their stores to customers’ front doors. Spark Delivery is a crowd-sourced delivery platform that allows Walmart to learn even more about the full last-mile delivery process. The pilot uses an in-house platform that provides drivers with the ability to sign up for windows of time that work best for their schedule as well as Grocery Delivery order details, navigation assistance and more. Components of Spark are powered by Bringg, a leading delivery logistics technology platform. Walmart’s team of personal shoppers are an important component of the overall process as they meticulously shop for customers’ orders. Spark Delivery engages the services of independent drivers who partner with Delivery Drivers, Inc, a nationwide firm who specializes in last-mile contractor management, to complete deliveries.
Source: news.walmart.com
US: Darrenkamp’s closing 3 stores, selling 1 to Giant Food Stores
Darrenkamp's, one of Pennsylvania's independent grocers, is closing three of its stores and selling the fourth to Giant Food Stores. "This was a very difficult decision because we will miss serving our neighbors and because of our long history serving the Lancaster community for so many years," said co-owner Dave Darrenkamp, co-owner of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based grocer. "Knowing how this affects our customers and employees made the decision even tougher." Darrenkamp's independent grocery stores in Elizabethtown, Etters and Mt. Joy will close in a phased approach with notification to customers at a later date; they are expected to be closed by early November.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
As Grocery Outlet continues its climb to national popularity, the chain, now run under the third generation of the family alongside private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, hopes to employ its opportunistic buying strategy to its fresh food offerings on a national level. According to a Forbes article, Eric Lindberg, who is co-CEO with MacGregor Read and who married into the Read family, expressed that 60% of what it stocks in stores is bought opportunistically. Now, the same strategy that has led to much success will expand into its fresh food offerings, including the chain’s fastest growing sections that fall under its NOSH program (natural, organic, specialty, and health). Moving forward, Lindberg and Hillman Friedman want to bring the banner national, putting its national brand front and center.Source: delimarketnews.com
US: Giant Food announces 2018-2019 A+ School Rewards Program
Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, launches the annual 2018-2019 A+ School Rewards Program in support of local schools on September 7, 2018. The fundraiser allows customers to contribute donations through qualified purchases at participating stores by simply registering with their Giant Food loyalty bonus card. Since 2000, Giant has awarded over $36mln to local schools involved in the initiative. "For nearly 30 years we have worked hand in hand with our customers to support our local schools, delivering substantial resources that add value to the educational experience in our communities," said Gordon Reid, President of Giant Food.Source: prnewswire.com
US: Walmart tests new last-mile grocery delivery service
As Walmart expands its Grocery Delivery service, giving its customers the option to shop when and how they want, the company announced a new last-mile delivery pilot - Spark Delivery - exploring an additional way to get groceries from their stores to customers’ front doors. Spark Delivery is a crowd-sourced delivery platform that allows Walmart to learn even more about the full last-mile delivery process. The pilot uses an in-house platform that provides drivers with the ability to sign up for windows of time that work best for their schedule as well as Grocery Delivery order details, navigation assistance and more. Components of Spark are powered by Bringg, a leading delivery logistics technology platform. Walmart’s team of personal shoppers are an important component of the overall process as they meticulously shop for customers’ orders. Spark Delivery engages the services of independent drivers who partner with Delivery Drivers, Inc, a nationwide firm who specializes in last-mile contractor management, to complete deliveries.Source: news.walmart.com
US: Darrenkamp’s closing 3 stores, selling 1 to Giant Food Stores
Darrenkamp's, one of Pennsylvania's independent grocers, is closing three of its stores and selling the fourth to Giant Food Stores. "This was a very difficult decision because we will miss serving our neighbors and because of our long history serving the Lancaster community for so many years," said co-owner Dave Darrenkamp, co-owner of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based grocer. "Knowing how this affects our customers and employees made the decision even tougher." Darrenkamp's independent grocery stores in Elizabethtown, Etters and Mt. Joy will close in a phased approach with notification to customers at a later date; they are expected to be closed by early November.Source: progressivegrocer.com
Brazilian food retailer GPA will sell card reader machines with Itaú
GPA, one of Brazil’s largest food retailers, is teaming up with the country’s largest private bank, Itaú Unibanco Holding SA, to begin selling credit card reader machines, a top Assaí executive said. By November, all of Assaí’s 129 stores in Brazil will be selling Itau’s card readers, said Assaí’s José Marcelo Santos. The company did not provide an estimate for initial sales. GPA, owned by France’s Casino Guichard Perrachon SA, jointly owns with Itaú a financial services company known as FIC.Source: reuters.com
Sri Lanka: Cargills says supermarket & bank synergies yielding results
Sri Lanka’s Cargills group has said its strategy of making its supermarket and banking businesses work together is yielding results with customer transactions growing between the two. The group added 38 Cargills Food City supermarkets to its network last year, increasing its store count to 353 outlets and strengthening its position as the largest supermarket chain in the country. Cargills Bank, started in 2014 has expanded its branch network to 17 but also has got regulatory approval to operate banking counters at all its Food City supermarkets island-wide, helping it keep costs low.Source: economynext.com
Auchan completes its business integration in Poland
After announcing plans to integrate its businesses in Poland, as part of its efforts to simplify its operations and streamline them under one banner, Auchan has said it has now completed the initiative. Auchan Poland said the step was key to helping it build ‘excellence in omnichannel retailing’ and would benefit both employees and shoppers.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
After announcing plans to integrate its businesses in Poland, as part of its efforts to simplify its operations and streamline them under one banner, Auchan has said it has now completed the initiative. Auchan Poland said the step was key to helping it build ‘excellence in omnichannel retailing’ and would benefit both employees and shoppers.Germany: Aldi Süd introduces its first forecourt sites
Aldi Süd has partnered with FE-Trading to trial ten forecourt sites with the hope of future expansion throughout Germany. The retailer also plans to increase the number of charging stations for electric cars at several branches nationwide. Following success in Austria, plans were announced to launch forecourt sites in Southern Germany. Aldi Süd leased parking spaces at ten locations to FE-Trading in August. FE-Trading is a subsidiary of OMV, the Austrian oil and gas company. FE-Trading build and operate the sites under the brand of Avanti. The first two forecourt sites have opened in Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. Aldi Süd is set to open eight more forecourt sites. If this trial period is successful a further 200 are planned. This would put Aldi among the 15 largest petrol station operators in Germany.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Ireland: Henderson subsidiaries all report growth as group heads towards £1bln sales
The main subsidiaries within the family-run John Henderson (Holdings) operation, which is the parent company of retail giant Spar in Northern Ireland, have filed their annual accounts for 2017. And it points to the market-leading firm continuing on an almost inexorable path towards becoming a billion pound business in the coming years. In May John Henderson (Holdings), led by brothers Geoff and Martin Agnew, reported a turnover of £759mln during 2017 - up 8.5% from £699mln a year earlier. Now its main offshoots - Henderson Wholesale, Henderson Retail and Henderson Foodservice - have all filed their own individual company results for the year, breaking down where the group's main revenues came from.
Source: irishnews.com
Aldi Süd has partnered with FE-Trading to trial ten forecourt sites with the hope of future expansion throughout Germany. The retailer also plans to increase the number of charging stations for electric cars at several branches nationwide. Following success in Austria, plans were announced to launch forecourt sites in Southern Germany. Aldi Süd leased parking spaces at ten locations to FE-Trading in August. FE-Trading is a subsidiary of OMV, the Austrian oil and gas company. FE-Trading build and operate the sites under the brand of Avanti. The first two forecourt sites have opened in Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. Aldi Süd is set to open eight more forecourt sites. If this trial period is successful a further 200 are planned. This would put Aldi among the 15 largest petrol station operators in Germany.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Ireland: Henderson subsidiaries all report growth as group heads towards £1bln sales
The main subsidiaries within the family-run John Henderson (Holdings) operation, which is the parent company of retail giant Spar in Northern Ireland, have filed their annual accounts for 2017. And it points to the market-leading firm continuing on an almost inexorable path towards becoming a billion pound business in the coming years. In May John Henderson (Holdings), led by brothers Geoff and Martin Agnew, reported a turnover of £759mln during 2017 - up 8.5% from £699mln a year earlier. Now its main offshoots - Henderson Wholesale, Henderson Retail and Henderson Foodservice - have all filed their own individual company results for the year, breaking down where the group's main revenues came from.Source: irishnews.com
Germany's retail sales growth eases in July
Germany's retail sales growth eased more than expected in July, figures from Destatis showed. Retail sales rose 0.8% year-on-year in July, slower than the 2.7% increase in June. Sales were expected to grow 1.3%. Nonetheless, this was the second consecutive increase. Data showed that food, beverages and tobacco sales climbed 0.6% and non-food sales advanced 0.9% in July.Source: markets.businessinsider.com
Belgium: Carrefour launches personal shopper service
Carrefour Belgium, as it looks to build out its digital and online scale, has launched the personal shopper service ‘ShipTo’. Shoppers using the app can order from a range of 10,000 products from a store of their choice for home delivery in 90 minutes, if they live within four kilometres of the store. The app will enable shoppers to track their orders and receive real-time information about their orders. During the ordering process shoppers are provided with information, including their ingredients, nutritional value and allergens, on the products they are ordering. Purchases are made by a personal shopper, with prices the same as those charged in-store. The service is set to launch to enable shoppers to buy only from Carrefour stores, but will be evolved to enable them to buy from third party retailers later. Carrefour has said it aims to offer the service at 18 stores by the end of 2018.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
France: Casino confirms its good operational performance, its financial strength and reaffirms its 2018 profitability and deleveraging objectives
The Casino Group takes note of Standard & Poor’s (S&P) decision to downgrade its financial rating by one notch at BB, negative perspective. Casino notes that the rating agency’s assessment does not take into account the ongoing €1.5bln disposal plan. This rating change has no impact on the cost of Casino’s bond debt, and does not affect its liquidity. At 30 June 2018, Casino in France had €5.5bln liquidity, of which €2.2bln cash and €3.3bln confirmed and undrawn credit lines (unaffected by its rating), of which €3.1bln have a maturity between 2020 and 2022. The Group confirms its objective of €1bln net debt reduction in France by end 2018, to €2.7bln (vs €3.7bln at end 2017) taking into account the proceeds of the ongoing disposal plan and its operational cash-flow.Source: groupe-casino.fr
Auchan expanding its private label range in Russia
Auchan Russia has relaunched several of its private label products with new packaging to make them stand out on-shelf as part of the evolution of its strategy in the country. Aimed at improving their quality perception with shoppers, the product’s packaging has been updated, with pricing taking them into the mid-tier and premium price brackets. Mid-tier ranges will be packaged with a red design, while the premium range will be gold. The relaunched products will appear in all its hypermarkets first.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Auchan Russia has relaunched several of its private label products with new packaging to make them stand out on-shelf as part of the evolution of its strategy in the country. Aimed at improving their quality perception with shoppers, the product’s packaging has been updated, with pricing taking them into the mid-tier and premium price brackets. Mid-tier ranges will be packaged with a red design, while the premium range will be gold. The relaunched products will appear in all its hypermarkets first.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com