The CEOs of Tesco and Booker have issued a strong defence of their proposed £3.7bn merger, as Costcutter joins the growing list of convenience grocers making major moves in response. Concerns have been raised by huge portions of both the grocery and convenience sector ever since the proposed Tesco-Booker deal was announced, but Tesco boss Dave Lewis and Booker’s Charles Wilson yesterday penned a joint letter to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in an attempt to quell fears and streamline the process. (retailgazette.co.uk) UK: Discounter Aldi confirmed as cheapest
Trade magazine The Grocer compared a basket of 33 'essential items' at Britain's supermarkets. The Grocer's independent analysis revealed that shoppers can save £7.82 at Aldi compared to its nearest-priced competitor, Asda, and £16.84 compared to its most expensive rival, Waitrose. (kentlive.news) Israel: Shufersal Q2 profit up
Shufersal said on Sunday that net profit rose in the second quarter, boosted by its private label products and online sales as well as cost cutting measures. * The company posted net profit of 68mln shekels ($19mln), up from 62mln shekels a year earlier. Revenue slipped 2.3% to 3bn shekels due to the timing of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Same store sales in the quarter fell 2.4% due to the Passover holiday. (Reuter)Spar becomes first international retailer to launch in Belarus
Spar International has announced that it is entering the retail market in Belarus, with plans to open 60 new stores by 2020. Spar is partnering with Almi Group, whose subsidiary Unifood CKSC will operate the Spar brand in Belarus. Currently, Almi operates 43 stores in four format under the banners Almi and Zakrama. Spar will be supporting the Almi Group with retail design, staff, training, supply chain review, and marketing campaigns. It will also provide a private label range, and introduce an extensive new range of food-to-go and ready-to-eat products. (esmmagazine.com) HelloFresh goes public in September
It seems HelloFresh will head to the stock exchange in September. The meal box delivery service has been planning the IPO for two years and CEO Dominik Richter says it will happen soon. HelloFresh’ IPO almost happened two years ago, but the plan was scrapped following disappointing results. CEO Richter says he finally expects HelloFresh to appear on the stock exchange in September. (retaildetail.eu) 
Could Woolies be launching new concept stores with street food called “Woolworths Food Quarter”?Please, click here to read the article.
Italy: Eurospin sees 6.7% growth in revenue in 2016
Italian discount supermarket chain Eurospin ended 2016 with a 6.7% growth in revenue to €4.7bn and profits of €184mln (compared to €169mln in 2015). The Verona-based company also saw a 6.9% growth in EBITDA to €307mln, with the average store generating revenues of €4.34mln compared (€4.19mln in 2015). This compares to a national average of €2.56mln, according to figures published by daily Il Sole 24 Ore. (esmmagazine.com)
Alibaba already has supermarkets. Now it wants Australian foodPlease, click here to read the article.
Chile's Cencosud to sell $1bn in assets to cut debt & spur growth
Chile’s Cencosud SA CEN.SN, one of Latin America’s largest retailers, plans to sell up to $1bn in non-strategic assets in the next 12-18 months to cut debt and accelerate growth, the company said on Friday. The decision comes a day after Cencosud reported a second-quarter net profit that came in below market expectations. The results raised concerns among some analysts about the retailer’s debt levels. (Reuters)Retailers can benefit from produce snacking trend: report
With the produce department experiencing a second straight quarter of lower sales, retailers can leverage such trends as the growing popularity of snacking on produce to better meet evolving consumer needs, according the United Fresh Produce Association’s Q2 2017 “FreshFacts on Retail” report. “Everyone snacks, so naturally the topic of snacking has reached all corners of retail stores,” The report said. “Produce plays an important role in the snacking trend. On-the-go produce snacking is a $1.1bn industry, with healthy growth each of the past five years as the ultimate bridge of convenience and health. It’s also an area where retailers can differentiate themselves from the competition.” (progressivegrocer.com) Seven-Eleven and Toyota partner to get greener delivery
Japanese automaker Toyota Motor will develop fuel cell trucks exclusively for convenience store powerhouse Seven-Eleven Japan, the companies announced Wednesday, aiming to cut carbon emissions by promoting the eco-friendly vehicles. The hydrogen-powered trucks will ferry goods to Seven-Eleven's stores from its delivery centers. The two companies aim to start jointly testing them in 2019. (asia.nikkei.com) Amazon's new Whole Foods discounts wipe out nearly $12bn in market value from grocery sellers
Shares of Kroger, Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Supervalu and Sprouts Farmers Markets collapsed Thursday after Amazon said Whole Foods will cut prices on many grocery products. The decline in the six stocks erased nearly $12bn in market value from the names in total. Consumer staples was the worst performing sector in the S&P 500 on Thursday, on pace for its worst day of the year. (cnbc.com)
Costco is playing a dangerous game with the webPlease, click here to read the article.