Loblaw is combining its Shoppers Optimum and PC Plus loyalty programs into a new program, PC Optimum. The new program will go live on February 1, 2018, and through a single card or app, members will be able to earn and redeem loyalty points across Loblaw's network of stores and its ecommerce sites. This move has been widely anticipated since Loblaw, which operates PC Plus, completed the acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart, which operates Shoppers Optimum, in 2014. This will create a more seamless experience for Loblaw’s customers as they move across its various physical formats and digital platforms, and potentially create opportunities for it to run promotions and events across these. (igd)US: Kroger's Ralphs Division now offering home delivery powered by Instacart
Ralphs Grocery Company, a division of The Kroger Co. announced it is offering home delivery in select locations in Southern California through a partnership with Instacart, the technology-driven, nationwide on-demand retail delivery service. This pilot supports two key drivers of the company's Restock Kroger Plan: Expand Partnerships to Create Customer Value and Redefine the Food and Grocery Customer Experience. (ir.kroger.com) Carrefour to lease-manage hypermarkets in France
Carrefour is set to launch a lease-management programme at its hypermarkets in France as it looks to turnaround the performance at some of its underperforming stores. In its third quarter results Carrefour said total sales at its hypermarkets in France fell 0.6%, with like-for-like sales down 1.7%. While the retailer said its largest stores were impacted by the later start of the anniversary campaign, which launched at the end of Q3, and the strong deflation in fresh fruit and vegetables over the summer period, the contraction continued a period of like-for-like falls. (igd)UK’s Iceland: 60 second update
Iceland
has revealed plans to expand its larger format stores, the launch of its new premium range and the offering of discounts to students. According to reports from The Grocer, in the long-term, Iceland hopes to open 400 of its The Food Warehouse outlets, a drastic development of its currently existing 52 Warehouses. (igd)Russia: Lenta to acquire 22 new stores in Siberia
Russian retail chain Lenta has agreed to purchase 22 supermarkets in the Siberia region from the Holiday Group, currently operating under the 'Holiday Classic', 'Kora' and 'Holdy' brands. Eleven of the stores are in Novosibirsk, seven in Kemerovo, and four in Barnaul. The stores are expected to transfer before the end of 2017 with some temporary refurbishments and rebranding expected until the end of March 2018. (esmmagazine.com) UK: Sainsbury's profit falls and sales growth slows
British supermarket Sainsbury’s reported a 9% fall in first half profit and a slowdown in quarterly sales growth as intense competition in the grocery market took its toll. Sainsbury’s did, however, say it had exceeded its cost savings target and forecast profits for the full 2017-18 year would be in line with the current market consensus. (Reuters)