The leading Bosnian retailer in revenue terms, Bingo is also poised to become the market leader in terms of store count, later this month. The current leader in terms of retail space, Konzum, will see its store total in Bosnia and Herzegovina drop from the current 260 to slightly over 170, as a result of a deal to divide the retail activities of Croatian retailer Agrokor into two units – Konzum and Mercator. According to local portal Biznis Info, Mercator will rebrand some 83 Konzum stores, while some of the remaining Konzum stores may be closed or sold to competitors. (esmmagazine.com) Japanese housewares company to sell fruit and veg
Muji, the simplicity-loving Japanese housewares company has redesigned their global flagship store in Tokyo, inspired by the core necessities of survival: food, shelter, clothing. This is the first Muji store in the world to contain a fruit and vegetable market. All the produce is grown with little-to-no fertilizers and pesticides, and sourced directly from growers who will be able to include notes to customers near their items. The store is also stocked with a curated selection of 300 additional grocery items like spices and snacks. (curbed.com)UK: Sainsbury’s grants significant pay rise
The UK’s second largest supermarket retailer has announced a significant pay rise for its colleagues, bringing the base rate of pay to £8 per hour. Today Sainsbury’s announced a 4.4% pay increase for 135,000 colleagues, including those under 25. (retailgazette.co.uk) Ahold Delhaize Q2 profit rises 68% on strong Dutch sales
Dutch-Belgian supermarket company Ahold Delhaize on Wednesday said its second-quarter net profit rose 68%, on the back of strong sales growth in the Netherlands and improving results at its US stores. The company, formed in July last year by the merger of Dutch retailer Ahold with its Belgian rival Delhaize, reported net income of €355m ($417.13m). Sales rose 3.4% to €16bn, when adjusted for the merger. "We look toward the second half of the year with confidence and expect our underlying operating margin for the full year 2017 to be broadly in line with the first half of the year," CEO Dick Boer said in a statement. The sales and net earnings figures were ahead of market forecasts. Ahold's shares fell 2.4% in early trading in Amsterdam. The underlying operating margin of the US operations of Ahold and Delhaize improved in the second quarter to 4 and 3.8% respectively, helped by rising prices and a slight growth in sales. (esmmagazine.com) Finland's SOK posts 2.4% increase in first half sales
Finland's SOK, or S Group, has posted a 2.4% increase in retail sales for the period from January to June, of €5.5bn. The group said that its profit before tax was €119m, up from €105m the previous year. It said that the introduction of 'more diverse product selections, extended opening hours and lower prices' are helping to boost sales growth. In addition, e-commerce sales were up around 50% on the same period last year. (esmmagazine.com) 
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CA: Loblaw CEO strikes back against claim of ‘sabotage’ on minimum wage hike
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is catching heat from advocacy group Leadnow after disclosing the company could incur $190-million in additional labour expenses in 2018 as a result of minimum-wage increases in Ontario and Alberta. Loblaw chief executive Galen Weston disclosed the possible costs to the company’s bottom line during a recent earnings call with analysts that eventually led to backlash on social media. (theglobeandmail.com) Value-added produce presents double-digit growth opportunity for retailers
Sales of value-added fruits and vegetables have grown by double digits over the past several years, creating all sorts of merchandising opportunities for produce departments, according to Grocery Headquarters. Value-added options focused on snacking and on kids are particularly popular in retail stores these days. Crunch Pak offers bags of sliced apple rings, while Stemilt sells bags of kid-sized fruit called “Lil Snappers”. (fooddive.com)