Supermarket giant Countdown says it is "not surprised" to see its competitor's move to launch a new Auckland chain. Foodstuffs North Island yesterday opened the first smaller-format Fresh Collective by New World store on the North Shore in ex-Nosh and ex-New World premises. Chris Fisher, Countdown's merchandise general manager, said it was no surprise to his business that Foodstuffs had made the move. "The New Zealand grocery market is incredibly competitive, with customers having more choice than ever before about where they shop and what they buy," Fisher said. (nzherald.co.nz) S Group acquires Stockmann’s Finnish grocery stores
Finnish retail company Stockmann has announced that it’s selling its Delicatessen grocery stores in Finland to S Group. S Group operates more than 1,600 retail outlets in Finland, a well as a number of regional cooperatives, and now aims to develop Stockmann’s six Delicatessen outlets into ‘top-level flagship stores’. The deal is currently pending approval from the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, but it is expected to be completed the end of 2017. (esmmagazine.com) Ocado's international deal "first of many"
Ocado posted a slump in first half profits yesterday, even as sales increased more than 20%, but indicated that the trend of price deflation in the fiercely-competitive U.K. food market may be turning. Ocado said pre-tax profit fell 9.4% to £7.7m ($9.94m) in the 26 weeks ending on May 28, although sales for the same period were up 22.2% to £713.8m and retail revenue increased 12.5% to £659.6m. Ocado also said its active customer base increased 12.7% to more than 600,000. It also said it expected the international deal it secured last month to be the first of many. (thestreet.com) Japan's Aeon Q1 profit jumps
Aeon reported a 11.4% rise in first-quarter profit, beating estimates, boosted by improved performance at its struggling general merchandising stores. Operating profit reached 36.6bn yen ($323.18m) for the three months through May. That compared with a 35.2bn yen average of three analysts polled by a Thomson Reuters. The supermarket operator reiterated its operating profit forecast for the year ending Feb. 28 at 195bn yen, versus the 198.9bn yen average of nine analyst estimates. (Reuters)Suppliers pick Woolworths over Coles for first time
Woolworths Ltd has topped Coles in a key supplier survey, the first time in five years it has done so. The UBS supplier survey saw suppliers give Woolworths a 6.7/10 rating, up 50bps, with improvements recorded in every metric. In comparison, Coles saw its rating drop to 6.1/10, down 60bps from the previous survey. In the latest survey, Coles led in just one category – own label. The survey polls 48 suppliers to supermarkets each quarter, asking them to rate them on 26 different categories, including morale, pricing strategy, and promotional effectiveness. (kamcity.com) Coop Danmark expands crowdfunding project
Coop Danmark has announced that the first round of its Coop Crowdfunding project has been successful. Three months after its introduction, the first crowd-funded projects have reached their deadline. Coop Danmark says that 10 out of 11m kroner requested (€1.5m) has been raised by around 1,900 contributors. Coop Crowdfunding aims to bring together food producers that often lack funding to bring their ideas into fruition. (esmmagazine.com)Subway plans to grow in the UK
Subway has announced it will open up to 500 stores over the next three years, giving it a potential estate of 3,000 UK & Irish stores by 2020. On announcing the expansion plans, UK MD Peter Dowding spoke of the plans in place to upgrade different day part offers, and to flex the range more around breakfast and evening solutions. A key recent development has been introducing new salad lines to the offer. And this is a clear opportunity for further development. (igd.com)Market value of Esselunga close to €7bn
Last month the owners of Italian supermarket chain Esselunga reached an agreement for a future stock exchange listing. Now Corriere della Sera reports that the company's market value could be around €7bn - ten times its operating margin. This means that Esselunga, with its 154 stores, could be worth more than many of its EU competitors, according to Citi analysts. (esmmagazine.com) Tesco's targeted Booker Group sees like-for-like sales grow
To conicide with its AGM, which takes place today, Tesco target Booker Group has posted a 4.2% increase in like-for-like sales in the first quarter of its financial year. The group said that like-for-like non tobacco sales were up 9.6%, while tobacco sales were down 7.9%. Total sales at the group were up 4.0%. (esmmagazine.com) Former Tesco CEO on the UK supermarket 'Perfect Storm' (VIDEO)
US: Lidl faces Kroger lawsuit over ‘Preferred Selection’ range
After opening its first store in the US in June, Lidl is facing a lawsuit over a trademark it filed to cover a food range. Kroger, which has over 2,000 retail stores in the US, sued the budget retailer over its ‘Preferred Selection’ range, claiming it was created to “capitalise on and benefit from the goodwill” of Kroger’s ‘Private Selection’ range. (worldipreview.com) Walmart Mexico gets new DC in Yucatán
Mexico’s major grocery store chain, Walmart Mexico and Central America, will invest 650m pesos ($36m USD) in the construction of a new Distribution Center (Cedis) in Yucatan, which seeks to expand — as well as strengthen — its logistics network in the country. (theyucatantimes.com) US: Lidl unveils plans for a $100M GA facility
Lidl revealed that the company intends to invest $100m in a new distribution center that will also incorporate the company’s regional headquarters in Cartersville, Ga. By next summer, the retail giant intends to open roughly 100 stores along the East Coast. (cpexecutive.com) 
Israel’s first vegan supermarket opens in Tel AvivPlease, click here to read the article at haaretz.com. (subsription required)