FamilyMart Southeast Asian operations in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are under review after mounting losses. “If we can get them to rally we will, but we cannot continue to pour in resources,” president Koji Takayanagi told Reuters in an interview. (insideretail.asia) Aldi UK plans one store for every 25.000 people
Aldi has set out an ambitious plan to conquer the UK grocery market that could see it open up to eight stores in some towns.“If you look at the population, we think not only could we have a store in every town and city, but one for every 25,000 to 30,000 people,” said Matthew Barnes, the UK and Ireland CEO of the German grocer. Aldi had set a target to reach 1,000 stores by 2022 but Barnes told the Grocer magazine the total could be closer to 1,300 by that date, and added: “I think there is massively more potential than that.” (theguardian.com)
UK: Asda launches fruit and breakfast food-to-go items
Asda has recently launched a new range of fruit and breakfast solutions, which includes 14 new items. With the new range, Asda aims to capture a share of the growing on the go breakfast mission and healthy snacking mission. The snack mission specifically highlights this mission, and shoppers are increasingly buying fruit as part of this. (igd.com)UK: Morrisons sells avocados at record low prices
Morrisons will sell misshapen and superficially blemished avocados for 39p each, or £2.40 a kilogram, as the average retail price hits £1.05, up from 98p last year. It comes as the global price of avocados has recently reached record levels due to flooding and drought, late harvests and worker strikes in grower areas. (telegraph.co.uk) Lithuania’s Maxima Grupė sees turnover decline in home market
Lithuanian retailer Maxima Grupė has seen its turnover decrease in its home market by 1.4% to €1.503bn, however the group’s businesses in other markets all saw growth. In Bulgaria, turnover increased 22.1% to €88.5m, while in Poland, turnover was up 6.2% to €48.2m. In Estonia, the group posted a turnover increase of 1.1% to €445m, while in Latvia, turnover was up 0.7% to €694m. (esmmagazine.com)Edeka Minden-Hanover posts revenue increase
Edeka Minden-Hanover, part of Germany’s Edeka Group, has posted a 2.2% increase in sales to €7.89bn for full-year 2016, according to results published by the retailer. During the year, the group increased its capital expenditure to €330m, with a total of 24 new stores opened, and 155 stores modernised and expanded. The group now consists of 1,491 stores, 73% of which are operated by independent retailers. (esmmagazine.com) China: Sun Art announces moderate growth for Q1
China's leading retailer, Sun Art, posts 2% growth for Q1 2017 on both revenue and gross profit compared to the same period last year. The retailer registered revenue of RMB31,617mn (US$4.6bn) and gross profit of RMB 6,836mn (US$990mn) for Q1. As part of the results announcement, the retailer shared that food prices have declined by 2.1%. Some of the slow growth is likely contributed by lower food prices. (igd.com)Aldi CEO aims to beat Walmart
Already with 1,600 U.S. stores, Aldi’s internal studies show its prices are 21% lower than its lowest-priced rivals, including Wal-Mart, according to CEO Jason Hart. He plans to maintain that gap going forward. His strategy, previously unreported, centers on adding more private-label goods, which are a retailer's in-house brands, to win over price-sensitive customers, and a massive expansion to further disrupt a US grocery sector that has seen 18 companies go bankrupt since 2014. Hart's plan calls for spending $1.6bn to expand and remodel 1,300 U.S. stores, and open 400 new stores mainly in Florida, Texas and on both coasts by end of 2018. He also pledged Aldi will be willing to change prices more frequently to respond to rivals if needed. (Reuters)US: Marsh files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Marsh has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to a news release, the 44 remaining locations will continue as normal throughout the bankruptcy process. "While today's decision was extremely difficult, we believe this action is necessary to preserve the value of the business as we seek a sale," said CEO Tom O'Boyle. "After reviewing every alternative, we concluded that Chapter 11 clearly provides the most effective and efficient means to ensure the best recovery for the company's stakeholders." This week, Marsh announced it would close all locations if it doesn't find a buyer in the next two months. (theindychannel.com) German grocer Lidl is quietly buying up land in North Texas
German grocer Lidl has started seeking approvals from local cities for new stores and has purchased land in North Texas as it prepares for its U.S. expansion. A search of area county records found a half dozen locations where Lidl has either purchased land or set in motion planning and zoning requests in Frisco, McKinney, Little Elm, North Richland Hills, Rockwall and Wylie. One more site, an undisclosed location in southwest Dallas, is expected to be on the city's planning and zoning agenda soon. (dallasnews.com) US: Albertsons’ Q4 comp declines accelerate
Comparable-store sales declines at Albertsons Cos. deepened in the fiscal fourth quarter, the company. For the fiscal year, Albertsons reported pro-forma sales of $59.7bn, a 1.6% increase from the previous year, and a net loss of $131m. Comparable-store sales for the year declined by 0.4%. Sales of perishable products accounted for approximately 40.9% of total sales in fiscal 2016 up from 40.3% in fiscal 2015. (supermarketnews.com) 
US: Kroger to unveil new convenience conceptKroger opened a new fresh-focused convenience store in Columbus, Ohio called Fresh Eats MKT on Wednesday, according to Supermarket News. The small-format store will carry many grocery staples, including fresh produce.
(fooddive.com)
PepsiCo Greater China Region signs deal with Alibaba
PepsiCo Greater China Region (GCR) signed a strategic agreement with Alibaba Group, the world's largest online and mobile commerce company. The collaboration enables PepsiCo to further enhance consumer experiences by leveraging Alibaba's data to introduce innovative marketing initiatives, customized products and integrated omnichannel solutions. (potatopro.com) Wal-Mart CEO to be questioned in US lawsuit
A federal judge on Thursday ordered Wal-Mart CEO Douglas McMillon to submit to questioning in a lawsuit by shareholders hoping to learn what he knows about suspected bribery by the world's largest retailer in Mexico. (Reuters)