India is considering a proposal to lift a cap on investment by foreign retailers in local supermarkets, according to people with the knowledge of the matter. A meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi may decide on a proposal to allow 100% investment by retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Carrefour SA if they agree to sell locally made products and invest at least $100 million, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. Others at the meeting, planned for as early as Friday, include Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the people said. (Bloomberg)UK supermarket investment up by 20% in 2017 to date
UK supermarket investment has increased by 20% year-on-year in the first half of 2017, representing £727 million worth of transactions, according to data from Colliers International. “Despite subdued retail investment activity generally, the food store market has recovered a large amount of ground and is proving increasingly popular with investors," said James Watson, head of retail capital markets at Colliers International. (esmmagazine.com) Woolworths to reduce plastic use for fruit and veg
Single-use plastic bags will phased out from Woolworths and Coles stores across Australia. Woolworth Group announced on Friday morning that stores Australia-wide would phase out the use of plastic bags by July 2018. Coles followed up Woolworth’s announcement by pledging just hours later that it would also phase out the use of plastic bags in stores by the middle of next year. “Our customers can also expect further commitments in reducing plastic use in all parts of our supply chain, especially in fruit and vegetables,” Woolworths said. (theguardian.com) US lawmaker calls for hearing on Amazon's Whole Foods deal
The top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives' antitrust subcommittee has voiced concerns about Amazon's $13.7 billion plan to buy Whole Foods and is pushing for a hearing to look into the deal's impact on consumers. U.S. Representative David Cicilline requested the hearing on Thursday in a letter to the chair of the House Judiciary Committee and the subcommittee chairman. Amazon and Whole Foods declined to comment. (Reuters)UK supermarkets told to stop telling customers to throw away food
Supermarkets must stop telling shoppers to throw away good food by using 'overly cautious' and unnecessarily restrictive dates to eat products by, the Government has said in new guidance. "Use by" dates should also be scrapped in favour of "Best Before" on food that will not cause food poisoning so that people can choose whether they still want to eat it past its best or it can be given to charity, it says. The draft guidance, written by the the Food Standards Agency, Defra Labelling and charity Wrap, is aimed at reducing the 7.3 million tonnes of food thrown away in the UK each year, two million tonnes of which is due to it "not being used in time". (telegraph.co.uk)B&M's groceries boost Q1 results
Variety retailer B&M European Value Retail has delivered upbeat first quarter results, with rapid sales growth in both the UK and Germany. Group revenues rose by an impressive 18.3% over the period (13 weeks to June 24th in the UK and 13 weeks to June 30th in Germany) or +17.2% on a constant currency basis. Strong grocery sales played an important part in lifting growth as B&M stepped up its offer, through a stronger branded presence and improved chilled ranges. (telegraph.co.uk) Sweden: Axfood sees net sales rise in Q2
Swedish retailer Axfood has seen its consolidated net sales rise 9.4% in the second quarter of its financial year, with the group posting sales of SEK 11.925 billion (€1.25 billion) for the period. Operating profit stood at SEK 487 million, slightly down from the SEK 494 million posted in the same period last year. Net profit, at SEK 379 million, was also slightly down year on year (SEK 384 million). (esmmagazine.com)Agrokor to restructure Bosnia & Herzegovina store operations
Croatian retail group Agrokor has announced plans to split its stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina under two banners starting from August. After a meeting with local suppliers in Sarajevo, the Croatian government’s adviser for Agrokor, Ante Ramljak, said that its retail unit Konzum will continue to operate the 170 stores owned in Bosnia and Herzegovina before merging with Slovenian banner Mercator. Mercator will take over 83 stores and the two retail banners will do business separately. (esmmagazine.com)Dominant African supermarket chains to face regulation to protect suppliers
Dominant supermarket chains will face closer State scrutiny to protect suppliers from exploitation, Trade Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo has said. The National Trade Policy launched Monday aims at introducing regulations to police the retail sector, including giving guidelines on access to trade information and unfair competition. Mr Kiptoo said during the policy launch that dominance has created an unfair playing field for smaller suppliers and has worsened the debt burden for major retailers such as Nakumatt and Uchumi whose financial woes now spread wide as many traders are affected. “We had allowed them to self-regulate but that has failed and that is why we have retailers owing suppliers up to Sh48 billion now and, because it is attributed largely to one retailer, many suppliers are affected at the same time,” said Mr Kiptoo. (businessdailyafrica.com) Walmart beats Amazon's Food delivery in price
Comparing a basket of about 45 items across multiple grocery chains, a recent study by the research firm Gordon Haskett found that prices for Amazon's Fresh service are an average of 16.1% higher than at Walmart nationwide. Amazon is trying to get into the crowded food retail business in a more meaningful way. Whole Foods is notorious for its high prices, though analysts are guessing Amazon will use its logistics prowess to help lower costs at the chain. High prices have been called Whole Foods' biggest problem, and according to the study, Amazon's existing grocery offerings are also expensive. (businessinsider.com / inc.com) 
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Target more than doubles its organic offerings
Target's Corporate Responsibility Report highlighted several company advancements in the sustainable grocery space, according to Progressive Grocer. The retailer reported a 139% increase in organic offerings, and 162 new sustainable packaging designs that both incorporate more recycled material and are recyclable. (fooddive.com)