Uzbekistan Ambassador holds talks with LuLu Hypermarket Director
In a move to strengthen economic ties and promote Uzbek exports to Kuwait, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan H.E. Dr. Ayubkham Yunusov held a business meeting with the Director of LuLu Hypermarket Kuwait, Mohamed Haris, at the LuLu Kuwait regional office. The discussions centered on exploring the potential for importing a variety of Uzbek products into the Kuwaiti market, with a particular emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, and other high-quality produce. This initiative aims to diversify LuLu Hypermarket's offerings and provide Kuwaiti consumers with access to new and exciting products from Uzbekistan.
Source: arabtimesonline.com
Amazon invests 1.2bln in French expansion
Amazon has announced it will create more than 3,000 jobs and invest 1.2bln euros in France, mostly in artificial intelligence, cloud services and logistics.
Source: retaildetail.eu
China: Alibaba Group announces March quarter 2024 and fiscal year 2024 results
Alibaba Group Holding Limited, ("Alibaba" or "Alibaba Group") announced its financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. In the quarter ended March 31, 2024: revenue was RMB221,874mln (US$30,729mln), an increase of 7% year-over-year. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024: revenue was RMB941,168mln (US$130,350mln), an increase of 8% year-over-year.
Source: alibabagroup.com
SPAR Hungary invests €9.2mln in SPAR Supermarket in Szentendre
SPAR Hungary is investing around €9.2mln (HUF3.6bln) in a greenfield project to build a modern SPAR Supermarket and underground car park in Szentendre, covering more than 4,000m2. A SPAR enjoy self-service cooler and cold-cut counter will include a range of salads while the SPAR to Go Grill counter will offer a variety of dishes and sides.
Source: spar-international.com
Belgium: Colruyt Group wants to receive product data exclusively via GS1 platform
From 1 July, Colruyt Group suppliers will exclusively be able to supply their product data via GS1's data exchange platform. The retailer is counting on more efficiency and higher data quality.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Tesco's 10mln pound man - CEO's annual pay package doubles
The boss of Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket group, saw his pay package more than double to almost 10mln pounds ($12.6mln) in its 2023/24 financial year, a period when millions of its customers battled a cost of living crisis.
Source: reuters.com
Poland: Eurocash Group reports 'stable' sales in first quarter
Eurocash Group has reported 'stable' sales amounting to PLN7.6bln (€1.8bln) in the first quarter of its financial year. EBITDA for the quarter reached PLN139mln (€32.5mln), while net loss amounted to PLN87mln (€20.4mln), the company noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Government: UK farms must grow more fruit and veg for food security
Farmers need to grow more fruit and vegetables to ensure the UK is not overly reliant on foreign imports, the government has warned. A new national food security index found that just 17% of fruit and 55% of vegetables consumed in the UK are grown here. New funding for growers was announced at a Downing Street food supply summit.
Source: bbc.com
Germany: METRO AG streamlines Management Board
METRO is strengthening the management's focus on the implementation of the sCore wholesale strategy. In this context, the Management Board will be reduced from five to four positions and all departments will be given additional operational functions. This will also increase the efficiency of METRO's Management Board work. All changes to the Management Board will become effective on 1 June 2024.
Source: newsroom.metroag.de
M&S: Stores with a human touch will be the future, says chair
M&S chairman Archie Norman has said that the upmarket retailer will not rely on self-checkouts in the future as they have a "robotic type of feel". The supermarket boss took to the air in an interview on radio station LBC to speak about his opinion on 'no-till' stores.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
'Not profitable': Almond Breeze milk to depart Australian supermarkets
A popular almond milk brand will no longer be sold in Australian supermarkets after the shock announcement that it will be exiting the market. Almond Breeze milk products will stop being sold at Woolworths, Coles and all other national retailers once stock runs out, according to a notice. The suppliers Blue Diamond Growers said the almond milk range was "no longer competitive or profitable" in Australia.
Source: news.com.au
Walmart to cut jobs at headquarters, relocate others
Walmart Inc announced that it plans to cut hundreds of jobs at its corporate headquarters and relocate a majority of its U.S. and Canada-based remote workforce to three offices, a shift in strategy after initially endorsing virtual work during the pandemic.
Source: reuters.com
US: Publix reaches milestone, donating 100mln pounds of produce to help feed neighbors in need
Publix has donated 100mln pounds of produce to Feeding America partner food banks, marking a significant milestone in the company's ongoing commitment to help feed neighbors facing food insecurity. The company began purchasing produce in 2020 at the height of the pandemic to help struggling farmers and provide additional fresh fruits and vegetables to its food bank partners.
Source: businesswire.com
US: GrubMarket named to CNBC Disruptor 50 list for second consecutive year
GrubMarket, the AI-powered technology enabler and digital transformer for the American food supply chain industry, announced that it has been named to the 2024 CNBC Disruptor 50 list, a highly-regarded honor awarded to the top private companies whose innovations are revolutionizing their industries and inspiring positive change globally. GrubMarket has now earned a coveted spot on this list for its second consecutive year.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Big Y seeking Hispanic products
Ahead of the grand reopening of its newly renovated West Springfield, Massachusetts, store next month, Big Y is looking for more locally produced Hispanic and Latin American items to carry at the location through the grocer's Local Hispanic Vendor Discovery Tour. The West Springfield store's Hispanic grocery section will feature traditional ingredients and pantry staples from across Latin America, including Brazil and the Caribbean, with a selection of tropical produce such as plantains, ajicito peppers, an expanded selection of roots, sugar cane, chayote, and an assortment of chilies.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Online grocery sales rise broadly in April
Grocery e-commerce sales totaled $8.5bln in April, about 4% above their level during the same month in 2023, according to data by Brick Meets Click and Mercatus. Pickup orders represented approximately 43% of the U.S. online grocery sector last month, while delivery claimed about 38% of sales and ship-to-home accounted for just over 18% of the market.
Source: grocerydive.com
US: Welch's Fruit Snacks debuts largest-ever campaign with Gordon Ramsay
Welch's Fruit Snacks launched its largest-ever ad campaign, "Wholly Fruit", that includes the brand's first TV commercial, per details shared with Marketing Dive. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay serves as the snack's first "CFO" - or Chief Fruit Officer - and appears in the TV creative. Ramsay will also play a key role in furthering Welch's Fruit Snacks' educational Whole Fruit initiative. The campaign, made with Gut Miami, will roll out nationwide over the summer across broadcast, digital and social channels. Messaging conveys how Welch's Fruit Snacks uses the "whole fruit", or every edible part of the fruit, making it the superior choice over competitors.
Source: marketingdive.com