US: Publix to open next-gen GreenWise format in Georgia
Publix is taking its leaner, greener new GreenWise format to Marietta, Georgia. The retailer announced the fifth location for its new-format GreenWise Market will be built at the corner of Sandy Plains and Shallowford Roads. The opening date is not yet determined. “We admire the diverse cultural landscape and deep history of the Atlanta area,” said Publix Senior Vice President of Retail Operations Kevin Murphy. “We look forward to creating a unique experience for our Atlanta-area customers.”
Source: retailleader.com
US retail sales post the smallest gain in 6 months
U.S. retail sales recorded their smallest gain in six months in August as consumers cut back on purchases of motor vehicles and clothing, but upward revisions to July data likely keep intact expectations of strong economic growth in the third quarter. The Commerce Department said retail sales edged up 0.1% last month, the smallest rise since February. Data for July was revised higher to show sales rising 0.7% instead of the previously reported 0.5% gain.
Source: cnbc.com
US: Aldi investing $93mln in Wisconsin to upgrade its stores
Discount grocer Aldi said it is investing more than $34mln to remodel its Milwaukee area stores and $93mln to remodel its stores across the state by the end of 2020. The initiative is part of a $1.9bln investment by the fast-growing retailer to update 1,300 stores nationwide over the next two years. Aldi currently has 21 stores in the Milwaukee area and 56 stores statewide.
Source: biztimes.com
US: Supervalu to sell 19 Shop ’n Save stores to Schnucks
Supervalu Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 19 of its 36 Shop ‘n Save grocery stores, which are mainly located in the St. Louis area, to Schnuck Markets Inc. The sale of stores, 14 of which are in Missouri and five in Illinois, will occur with a staggered close process that is anticipated to wrap up by late next month, subject to customary closing conditions.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Meijer ranks among Top 50 Most Engaged Workplaces
Meijer’s demonstrated leadership and innovation in engaging its workforce has enabled it to earn a spot for the second year in a row on Achievers’ 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in North America. “On behalf of all Meijer team members, we are humbled and honored to be recognized by Achievers as one of the 50 Most Engaged Workplaces,” Meijer Chief Human Resource Officer Michael Rotelle said in a statement. “Collectively, we are driven by a common principle—to do what is right for our customers. As an organization, we cannot do that effectively without the guidance and feedback of our team members. Collaboration and engagement are vital to our existence. I am proud at the lengths our team members go to achieve this every day.”
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
Amazon Storefronts launched in UK and Germany
Amazon has launched its latest website: Amazon Storefronts. This is a new store for customers to shop from small and medium-sized businesses that sell on Amazon and learn more about them through videos and stories. Amazon Storefronts is now active in the US, the United Kingdom and Germany. Amazon says it launched the new store to offer customers an “easy way to buy from small and medium-sized businesses through the convenient and trusted Amazon experience”.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
German retailer Lidl will open 20 new stores in Romania by end-2019
German discounter Lidl, the third-biggest player on the modern retail market in Romania, will open five new stores by the end of this year and 15 more next year, according to the company’s communication director Cristina Hanganu. “We have been growing on average with 15 new stores a year. We now have 230 stores and by the end of this year we will open five more. Next year, we aim to maintain the same growth rhythm of about 15 stores per year. We can’t say what the total investment will be, Hanganu told News.ro.
Source: romania-insider.com
UK's Waitrose: H1 results and five areas of focus
The newly rebranded Waitrose & Partners reported gross sales growth of 2.1% to £3.39bln, with like-for-likes up 2.6% for the six months to 28 July 2018. Operating profit before exceptional items declined 12.1% to £96.4mln in the reporting period. This was due in part to the John Lewis Partnership's greater investment in cyber security and data protection. However, Waitrose & Partners noted improvements from the first to the second quarter, and expects to report positive profit figures by the end of the year. In challenging retail times the John Lewis Partnership reiterated its investment commitments of £400-£500mln per year. The retailer described its 2.6% like-for-like performance as "pleasing" in current market conditions. It hopes to maintain the improving trend from the first to second quarter into the second half of the year. Gross sales growth of 2.1% was driven by both value and volume.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Musgrave trebles its profits in Northern Ireland
Musgrave, the retail and wholesaling group that owns SuperValu and Centra, trebled its operating profits last year in Northern Ireland. Accounts filed this month by Musgrave Retail Partners NI, the group’s operating company for north of the Border, reveal that turnover at the unit rose by almost 4% to £271mln. The division’s operating profits rose to £1.6mln. Musgrave employs about 625 staff in the North, according to notes attached to the accounts. Staff numbers rose by almost a third after a tranche of workers working in its logistics department moved back in-house after previously being employed by an outside contractor. The group operates or supplies 36 SuperValu stores in the North, as well as 83 Centra outlets. It also has 105 Mace stores in its network in Northern Ireland, as well as 90 Day Today outlets.
Source: irishtimes.com
Australia’s next international supermarket Kaufland embarks on hiring spree ahead of launch
Global hypermarket Kaufland is preparing to take its next step in the lead up to its Australian expansion by recruiting a raft of managers and other staff in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. The German-based company, owned by the world’s fourth largest retailer, Schwarz Group, is searching for area, warehouse, distribution and facility managers in Melbourne, as well as other administrative staff, such as an IT team leader and payroll coordinator. It comes as the retailer, known for its large format ‘hypermarket’ formats, prepares for launch Down Under, having already secured sites in South Australia and Victoria.
Source: smartcompany.com.au
France: Carrefour tests supermarket without brands
French chain Carrefour has removed almost all A-brands products from the shelves in four stores, in order to test the consumers’ willingness to buy only private labels. Part of the major transformation plan CEO Alexandre Bompard announced earlier this year, this move aims to lift the share of private label turnover to 33%. Retail watcher Olivier Dauvers was the first to discover the test and shared it on his blog, describing it is an unprecedented experiment: not all national brands disappeared from the shelves, but private labels now represent up to 80% of the facings. Big French brands like Teisseire are nowhere to be found in the stores in Rouvroy (Pas-de-Calais), Rubelles (Seine-et-Marne), Saran (Loiret) and Ville-du-Bois (Essonne).
Source: retaildetail.eu
Aldi Belgium takes just 6 months to rebrand 100 stores
Since announcing a new store concept last March, Aldi has already remodelled 100 Belgian stores, with 60 more to come before the end of the year. The new store concept, Aldi's largest ever investment in Belgium costing 350mln euro, offers wider aisles to guide customers to the fresh products, like bread, fruit and vegetables. New furniture and better lighting should also enhance the shopping experience in the new stores. The German discounter claims to have received a very positive response and therefore wants to continue the transformation of existing stores, including sixty more stores before the end of the year. By the end of 2019, all the Belgian stores should be remodelled, with the help of 450 extra employees.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Italy: Esselunga introduces voice-based shopping
Italy-based Esselunga has partnered with Google Assistant to help its customers create shopping lists using voice technology. The retailer has described the move as an “important step in making shopping, both in-store and online, more practical, fast and personalised”. Esselunga customers can now use simple voice commands to create shopping lists via Google Assistant. The service responds to, ‘Ok Google, talk to Esselunga’ and ‘Ok Google, ask Esselunga to add...’. Customers can ask Google to find Esselunga products, add specific quantities and remind them what has already been added. The dictated shopping lists are immediately made available on the Esselunga website and app, which can then be accessed in-store or online.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com