US: Use of grocery apps to increase 50% this year
Next year, more than one in five adults will use a grocery app to order food at least once a month, according to a new forecast from eMarketer. That will equate to nearly 23mln people, up from 18mln grocery app users this year. More than 30mln adults may use an app to order groceries by 2022. According to eMarketer senior analyst Patricia Orsini, online grocery sales represent just 2.8% of all U.S. e-commerce sales, but grocery is one of the fastest growing categories. Shoppers are becoming more comfortable ordering groceries online or through an app, especially as retailers implement click-and-collect models and more grocers offer apps. But if the experience isn't positive from the beginning, Orsini warns that a consumer could be turned off for good.
Source: fooddive.com
US: Whole Foods store employees look to unionize
A group of Whole Foods Market employees is urging fellow store-level workers to unionize. Under the effort, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the organizing employees sent an email to workers at Whole Foods stores across the country that calls for the formation of a cross-regional committee to press their demands with the Austin, Texas-based grocer and parent company Amazon.com Inc.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Gristedes joins Allegiance Retail Services, LLC
Gristedes Food’s, Inc and Allegiance Retail Services, LLC announced that the Gristedes supermarket chain with 23 stores in the New York metro market has joined the ARS cooperative. Gristedes owned by Red Apple Group, a New York City-based firm, is the 30th member of the cooperative and increases the number of stores serviced by Allegiance to 120. “Strategically aligning the Gristedes business with Allegiance in the New York market positions us to improve our offerings and further increases our ability to be the Neighborhood Grocer for all New Yorkers,” said John Catsimatidis, Red Apple Group’s Chairman and CEO.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Costco Wholesale Corporation reports August sales results
Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) reported net sales of $11.0bln for the retail month of August, the four weeks ended September 2, 2018, an increase of 12.2% from $9.8bln last year. For the 16-week fourth quarter, the Company reported net sales of $43.4bln, an increase of 5.0% compared to net sales of $41.4bln in the 17-week fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017. For the 52-week fiscal year ended September 2, 2018, the Company reported net sales of $138.4bln, an increase of 9.7% from the $126.2bln reported in the 53-week fiscal year 2017.
Source: globenewswire.com
Next year, more than one in five adults will use a grocery app to order food at least once a month, according to a new forecast from eMarketer. That will equate to nearly 23mln people, up from 18mln grocery app users this year. More than 30mln adults may use an app to order groceries by 2022. According to eMarketer senior analyst Patricia Orsini, online grocery sales represent just 2.8% of all U.S. e-commerce sales, but grocery is one of the fastest growing categories. Shoppers are becoming more comfortable ordering groceries online or through an app, especially as retailers implement click-and-collect models and more grocers offer apps. But if the experience isn't positive from the beginning, Orsini warns that a consumer could be turned off for good.Source: fooddive.com
US: Whole Foods store employees look to unionize
A group of Whole Foods Market employees is urging fellow store-level workers to unionize. Under the effort, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the organizing employees sent an email to workers at Whole Foods stores across the country that calls for the formation of a cross-regional committee to press their demands with the Austin, Texas-based grocer and parent company Amazon.com Inc.Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Gristedes joins Allegiance Retail Services, LLC
Gristedes Food’s, Inc and Allegiance Retail Services, LLC announced that the Gristedes supermarket chain with 23 stores in the New York metro market has joined the ARS cooperative. Gristedes owned by Red Apple Group, a New York City-based firm, is the 30th member of the cooperative and increases the number of stores serviced by Allegiance to 120. “Strategically aligning the Gristedes business with Allegiance in the New York market positions us to improve our offerings and further increases our ability to be the Neighborhood Grocer for all New Yorkers,” said John Catsimatidis, Red Apple Group’s Chairman and CEO.Source: businesswire.com
US: Costco Wholesale Corporation reports August sales results
Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) reported net sales of $11.0bln for the retail month of August, the four weeks ended September 2, 2018, an increase of 12.2% from $9.8bln last year. For the 16-week fourth quarter, the Company reported net sales of $43.4bln, an increase of 5.0% compared to net sales of $41.4bln in the 17-week fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017. For the 52-week fiscal year ended September 2, 2018, the Company reported net sales of $138.4bln, an increase of 9.7% from the $126.2bln reported in the 53-week fiscal year 2017.Source: globenewswire.com
Amazon India in Hindi
Amazon is the first to offer its service in Hindi, the most widely spoken language in India. Shoppers are now able to choose the Hindi language on Amazon's mobile site or android app. This will soon be extended to its desktop and Apple mobile app. The retailer will be able to reach non-English speakers ahead of its key competitors. Flipkart, Paytm Mall and Snapdeal do not have any local language services yet. Manish Tiwary, VP of category management at Amazon India, said, "what we believe is, Amazon in Hindi is a critical step to actually address the next 100mln customers."Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Bulgaria-active retailer Maxima Grupe places 5-year 300mln euro bond
Lithuanian retailer Maxima Grupe, which is active in Bulgaria through its T-Market brand, has placed a five-year 300mln euro ($347mln) bond, its Bulgarian unit said. Maxima Grupe has been actively expanding in Bulgaria throughout the past two years, opening 20 new T-Market stores and boosting its turnover by almost 50%, Maxima Bulgaria said in a statement. The 300mln euro bond issue carries a fixed annual coupon of 3.25%. After the settlement date - September 13, Maxima Grupe intends to list the issue on the Euronext Dublin and Nasdaq Vilnius securities exchanges. The bonds were purchased by more than 60 investors from 14 countries, as demand exceeded the amount of offered securities. Source: seenews.com
Lidl Serbia opens its doors in October
Although the German supermarket chain is reluctant to reveal the exact date of the opening, the media are speculating, citing anonymous sources, that Lidl could be opening its first supermarket in October. The sources also say that Lidl has already ordered a large contingent of goods from domestic manufacturers, which brands it will sell. Considering that Lidl started producing goods with a shorter expiry date this month, that could indicate that the official opening is very near. This will finally put an end to the saga that was the arrival of this supermarket chain to Serbia, which plans to open retail facilities in many cities throughout the country. In June, in the presence of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Lidl opened a large distribution centre in Stara Pazova.Source: serbianmonitor.com
UAE: Union Coop inks deal for new Dubai $25.7mln retail project
Retailer Union Coop has signed an investment contract with Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), to establish a commercial centre worth AED94.4mln ($25.7mln). The commercial centre will comprise a partial basement reserved for car parking, and a ground floor with a number of shops and 250 parking spaces. The first floor will house a Union Coop hypermarket spanning 60,500 sq ft, a statement said. The investment contract was signed by Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, deputy CEO for Operations and Client Affairs at DSOA, and Khalid Humaid bin Diban Al Falasi, CEO of Union Coop.Source: arabianbusiness.com
India: Metro plans wholesale online platform for Kirana stores
German wholesaler Metro’s Indian unit plans to launch an online platform to make it easier for mom-and-pop stores to buy from it. Metro Cash and Carry India Pvt. Ltd. plans to go live with its e-commerce channel by the end of this year. The company will give neighbourhood retail stores the option to integrate their back-end with that of the wholesaler, Arvind Mediratta, managing director and chief executive officer, told BloombergQuint in an interview. That will help Metro keep track of inventory and replenish stock when a store runs out of products.Source: bloombergquint.com
Carrefour expands its 24-hour store network in Spain
France-based Carrefour has expanded its 24-hour hypermarket network by opening its second in Madrid. Carrefour now operates 13 stores with 24-hour opening: 11 supermarkets, and two hypermarkets. Carrefour said that it is supporting trade liberalisation whilst answering the needs of current consumers who want to shop outside normal hours. According to the retailer, it is the first in the sector to open 24/7 in Madrid. Carrefour’s online and click & collect offer also adds convenience for shoppers. Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Romanian retail volumes up 5.3% in July 2018
Turnover volume in the Romanian retail trade was up 5.3% in July compared to the same month the previous year, according to data from the country's Institutul National de Statistica. Retail volume was up 5.4% compared to the previous month, the body said, while in the period from January to July, retail volume was up 6.4% compared to the corresponding period the previous year. Comparing July 2018 with the previous month, food beverages and tobacco sales were up 4.4%, while non-food sales were up 4.5%. Automotive fuel volumes rose by 8.6%.Source: esmmagazine.com