Bigbasket, India’s largest online supermarket, has shown its support to tomato farmers, who have been affected by the fall in prices in Karnataka, by procuring them at Rs 7 per kg to cover their cost of cultivation and provide them a subsistence income. The market price is Rs 5 per kg. (fnbnews.com) 
Germany: Lidl Express and click & collect cancelledShortly after the CEO of Lidl Sven Seidel stepped down from his role in February 2017, Lidl called off the launch of its Lidl Express store in Berlin as well as the introduction of its click & collect service. (igd.com)
Germany: Edeka Nord announces new vice-president of sales
German retailer Edeka Nord has announced that Boris Göttsche will become the company's new senior vice-president of sales and marketing. His predecessor, Michael Meinert, will stay with the company and assume an advisory role in the sales department until his retirement. (esmmagazine.com) Coloured LED uplights boost German supermarket sales
Philips Lighting partnered with Globus, a major grocery retailer in Germany, in a joint research project to measure the positive effects of lighting on shopper behaviour. The successful study revealed a 6% increase in sales and a 15% boost in traffic to the store’s promotional area. (architectureanddesign.com.au)Spain’s Dia sees 4.1% sales increase
Spanish retailer Dia has posted a 4.1% increase in comparable sales in the first quarter of its financial year, driven by a contribution of 0.8% from its Iberia stores and 10% from Argentina and Brazil. The group posted overall gross sales under banner of €2.5bn for the period, which implies growth of 2.9% in local currency compared to the same period last year and an increase of 6.8% in euros. Gross sales under banner in its core Spanish market dropped 2%. Its Argentina and Brazil businesses posted 13% growth, achieving €933m worth of sales. (esmmagazine.com) New grocery delivery company arrives, but vows not to compete with Amazon or Instacart
Same-day delivery company Deliv announced a new grocery service called Deliv Fresh that’s partnering with specialty retailers such as Eataly Chicago and Plum Market, as well as meal kit companies and other perishable food providers, according to a company release. The company, which offers last-mile delivery to a wide range of retailers, differentiates itself from competitors Instacart and Amazon Prime Now by operating as an add-on delivery option to retailer’s existing ecommerce services rather than as a separate marketplace. (fooddive.com) US: Jet.com to sell fresh in physical store
Wal-Mart’s online retailer partner, Jet.com, took a decidedly brick-and-mortar turn this week, selling a small selection of its products that focus on fresh food in a New York City boutique for the next six weeks. This is the first time Jet.com’s products have been sold in a physical location. The shop was erected inside Story, a retail shop that changes its products, decor and events every month or so. Story will temporarily refer to itself as Fresh Story to reflect its current Jet.com-based theme. (bizjournals.com) Costco to begin on-demand grocery-delivery service in South Florida
The chain this month expanded its partnership with San Francisco-based grocery delivery service Shipt, giving users of the Shipt mobile app in South Florida access to its massive inventory on demand. Shipt promises delivery within one hour. (bizjournals.com) Independents shop for new suppliers in wake of Central Grocers bankruptcy
Independent retailer-owners of Central Grocers are finding new suppliers in the wake of the cooperative distributor’s bankruptcy filing last week. According to sources, Supervalu has secured new customers including Sunset Foods, Potash Bros., Shop & Save Markets, Garden Fresh and Cermak Fresh Markets, which it would serve from its Champaign, Ill., distribution center. Associated Wholesale Grocers in the meantime has added new business from Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Market, Treasure Island Foods, Fairplay Foods and Pete’s Fresh Market. Those stores will be served from AWG’s facility in Kenosha, Wis. Please, click here to read more at supermarketnews.com. US: Sweeping changes at Whole Foods
Whole Foods Market announced a slate of dramatic changes, supermarketnews.com reports. The retailer said its goal was to deliver better returns for shareholders while setting the stage for positive comparable-store sales and earnings growth by the end of its 2018 fiscal year in September 2018. Initiatives include accelerating an affinity loyalty rollout to all U.S. stores and completing a restructure of its purchasing program by the end of the 2017 calendar year. The company said it would implement category management chainwide by the end of the 2018 fiscal year. The retailer is aiming to realise $300m in additional cost savings by the end of 2020. Its supply chain will be optimized through an accelerated order-to-shelf rollout. Separately Whole Foods announced the appointment of five new independent directors, including a new CFO and chairman. Those announcements came as Whole Foods' sales increased by 1.1% to $3.7bn in the second quarter, with comparable store sales down 2.8%. (Click here to read more at supermarketnews.com)