Albertsons is launching a service for consumer brands to track the real impact of online ads. The grocer has signed up more than 60 consumer companies for the program. The initiative comes as Albertsons doubles down on its digital efforts, including the acquisition of Plated and its partnership with Instacart. Albertsons is looking to partner with consumer brands with a new service aimed at improving their digital advertising. The owner of Safeway and Shaw's is launching a new initiative with Quotient Technology to provide feedback on the impact of brands' digital ads on sales in Albertsons stores. The platform, Albertsons Performance Media, will use shopping data to help brands better target their ads.Source: cnbc.com
US: Shipt and Target Launch Same-Day Delivery in Florida
Shipt, a leading online grocery marketplace, and Target Corporation announced that they will begin same-day delivery of an in-store assortment of groceries, essentials, home, electronics and other products across Florida. Beginning on February 1, 2018, Shipt will deliver from Target stores in Tampa and South Florida. On February 8, delivery from Target will be available in Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Gulf Shores, Jacksonville, Naples, Sarasota, Orlando, Space Coast, St. Augustine, Tallahassee and Treasure Coast.Source: globenewswire.com
US: In surprise move, Lidl heading to NYC
In a surprise announcement, the developer of New York City’s Staten Island Mall confirmed that German grocer Lidl will open a store next year as part of a project redevelopment. The location would be the first in a regional shopping mall - and the first in New York - for Lidl U.S., which previously said it was looking at opening stores between New Jersey and Georgia, with most of those in suburban or rural locations.Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Kroger's Simple Truth brand hits $2bln in sales
The Kroger Co.’s Simple Truth brand - the largest natural and organic product line in the country - has reached $2bln in annual sales. "Simple Truth is a brand that has earned our customers' trust through clean labels, fantastic flavors and affordability since its launch five years ago," said Robert Clark, Kroger's SVP of merchandising. "Simple Truth has become the second-largest brand sold in our stores, and Kroger is proud to have led the way in making this category more mainstream and accessible, feeding our customers' appetites for natural, organic and free-from products."Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Walmart to launch online grocery delivery in Japan
Walmart has struck a partnership with e-commerce firm Rakuten Inc to launch an online grocery delivery service in Japan, its latest effort to forge an alliance with a popular homegrown chain to crack a competitive market. The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, said on Thursday the service will launch in the latter half of 2018. In Japan, the new service will replace Walmart’s existing online grocery delivery offering and will be called “Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper.” Seiyu GK is the name of Walmart’s wholly-owned Japanese unit.Source: reuters.com
Carrefour Brazil: positive results leading to store expansion
Carrefour Brazil has enjoyed a rise in sales as Brazil has come out of recession. There is a more positive outlook for the future, which will lead to a further store expansion. The retailer’s Q4 sales were BRL13.63bln (US$4.23bln), a 5.3% increase on last year. Sales for the full 2017 were BRL 49.65bln (US$15.3bln), a 7.2% increase. This builds on three consecutive years of growth with 2014 seeing a 7.6% increase in sales, followed by 8.2% in 2015 and 10.9% in 2016. During 2017 same store sales rose 1.4%. Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Holland: Technology and service key to food retailing future: Ahold CEO
The service and overall customer experience available in supermarket fresh departments create an important point of differentiation from Amazon's Go, the cashier-less store that the e-commerce giant opened in Seattle this week, according to Dick Boer, CEO of Ahold Delhaize. In an interview with CNBC Boer said the Zaandam, Netherlands-based company has been investing heavily in technology to improve the shopping experience, but in-store fresh departments remain an anchor of the supermarket format.Source: supermarketnews.com
Russia: Lenta sees sales growth in 2017, boosted by Q4 performance
Russian retail chain Lenta has recorded a 0.9% sales increase on a like-for-like basis for 2017, with a 5.2% increase during the final quarter of the year. Total sales for the year grew by 19.2% to RUB 365.2bln, while over 30% of its sales took pace during the final quarter of 2017. This growth was fuelled in large part due to the retailer’s large-scale store expansion during Q4, which resulted in a 23.4% total sales growth year-on-year during that period, to RUB 112.2bln.Source: esmmagazine.com
Switzerland: Migros sales driven by online
Migros in Switzerland has reported steady sales growth in 2017, driven in part by its strong online sales. Overall sales increased by 1% to CHF 28bln (€23.9bln). Domestically, sales grew by 0.9%, increasing to CHF 23.5bln (€20.1bln). However, international sales declined slightly by 0.1% to CHF 1.77bln (€1.5bln). The cooperatives declined slightly to CHF 15.6bln (€13.3bln), driven by an overall sales decrease amongst private label ranges as well as declining sales at Globus, Interio and Office World Group.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Russia: X5 considers acquisition of 100 Ufa stores in Bashkortostan
Russia's X5 Retail Group has announced that it is considering the acquisition of 100 Ufa grocery stores, located in various cities across Bashkortostan. These stores, including 38 located in the city of Ufa, would be integrated into the retailer's Pyaterochka chain. X5 has submitted a request to the Federal Anti-monopoly Service of the Russian Federation, and the deal is subject to this approval.Source: esmmagazine.com
Carrefour Belgium closes 2 hypermarkets and possibly cuts 1,233 jobs
Carrefour Belgium wants to reassess its 44 integrated hypermarkets’ efficiency: three will be turned into a supermarket formula (Westerlo, Bruges Sint-Kruis and Haine-Saint-Pierre). The hypermarket in Turnhout will become smaller, but maintain its status as a hypermarket. Two structurally onerous hypermarkets, in Genk and Belle-Île in Angleur, will close their doors. The company is also considering a simplification and digitization operation at its main office and how to increase the productivity of its central operations and where to invest. These decisions could impact up to 1,223 employees, namely 1,053 hypermarket staff and 180 in Carrefour Belgium’s main office. The chain’s 443 Market Supermarkets and 296 Express convenience stores will not be touched.Source: retaildetail.eu