Walmart: purchase of Perimercados, Super Compro and Saretto

Costco Canada dips its toes into delivery

As the grocery delivery wars heat up across the country, Costco Wholesale Canada is finally entering the battle, at least in parts of Ontario. The warehouse club retailer announced that it is launching Costco Grocery, the company’s first online grocery site in Canada.
Source: canadiangrocer.com

US: Associated Food Stores ditches Western Family brand for another private label

Wholesaler and cooperative Associated Food Stores has dropped the Western Family brand from Tigard, Oregon-based Western Family Foods and is replacing it with the Food Club brand from Topco Associates LLC, a cooperative based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The Salt Lake City-based wholesaler is transitioning to the brand as its national-brand-equivalent private label for the independent grocers it serves, with plans to bring a variety of current and new staples under the brands to the more than 400 independent grocery stores it serves across the Intermountain west. Food Club offers such center store products as canned fruits and vegetables, baking goods such as sugar and flour, condiments, cereal, crackers and other snacks, and frozen foods.
Source: progressivegrocer.com

US: Online grocery delivery service expands into Iowa

Residents in eight communities in two Iowa metro areas can now order groceries online and have them delivered to their doors. Instacart operations manager Megan Zigler says they recently launched service in the Council Bluffs-Omaha area as well as in the Quad Cities. “Instacart is a service that delivers groceries and everyday essentials same day, often in as little as one hour,” Zigler says. “We connect customer orders with shoppers in the area who will pick up and deliver those groceries from the favorite local stores.”
Source: radioiowa.com

US: Kroger releases annual sustainability report

The Kroger Co. released its 12 [th] annual sustainability report, available online at http://sustainability.kroger.com/. The report details progress in 2017 on Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan as well as its 2020 Sustainability Goals. "Kroger associates achieved incredible progress on our business strategy and sustainability journey in 2017. We launched our three-year Restock Kroger plan, engaged more deeply with our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit™, made progress on our 2020 Sustainability Goals, and introduced Kroger's ambitious Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "These are all profoundly important to who we are and what we stand for as a company."
Source: marketwatch.com

Costa Rica: Walmart announces purchase of Perimercados, Super Compro and Saretto

Pending approval from regulating authorities, Walmart announced the purchase of Perimercados, Super Compro and Saretto stores from Grupo Empresarial de Supermercados (Gessa). Once authorization is received from the Comisión para la Promoción de la Competencia (Coprocom) - Commission for the Promotion of Competition of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC), the retail chain will begin an integration process so that the 52 points of sale (POS) are acquired under its standards and brands in the country. More than 1,300 employees of the acquired stores will join the Walmart team in Costa Rica.
Source: qcostarica.com

Malaysia: Aeon keeps prices steady as it awaits more clarity on SST

Aeon Co (M) Bhd is still waiting for clarity from the government about the sales and services tax (SST), its executive director Poh Ying Loo said, adding that it will refrain from commenting whether it will raise prices of products across its outlets post-SST implementation until then. "Until the SST policies are clearly laid out by the government on the scope of coverage and items to be covered under the new tax system, it is difficult at this point in time to determine the impact that it will have on the prices of goods and services," Poh told reporters after Aeon representatives met with the five-man Council of Eminent Persons.
Source: theedgemarkets.com

France's Cora posts stable results for 2017

Strong turnover and operating results posted by French retailer Cora for FY2017 indicates that the company has been able to stabilise sales and margins, according to French publication Linéaires. The company reported €4.69bln in sales, a slight drop of 0.3% from 2016's numbers. The operating result of €158 million can be considered stable when compared to €161mln in 2016. While these figures may not seem very impressive, French magazine Linéaires points out that Cora's operating ratio at 3,36% is pretty strong when compared to the results of Carrefour (1.93%) or Casino (2.94%) in France.
Source: esmmagazine.com

UK: Asda commits to tackling microplastics in clothing

Asda becomes the first supermarket to join the Microfibre Consortium, which looks at reducing the impact of microplastics on the environment. With reducing plastic use high on customers’ minds, Asda has joined forces with other brands to understand and reduce the impact of microfibres in clothing - which can find their way into the ocean - by joining the European Outdoor Group’s Microfibre Consortium. The Consortium aims to fully understand the issue of microfibre shedding, how and why it occurs, and find ways for industry to reduce it. Asda, which through its clothing brand, George, is the second biggest clothing retailer by volume in the UK, is the first supermarket to join the group, underlining its commitment to reduce its products’ impact on the environment.
Source: corporate.asda.com

UK retail sales grow at fastest since 2004 in Q2, despite June dip

British shoppers stepped up purchases by the most in over a decade in the second quarter despite lower spending in June, official data showed, giving the Bank of England some reassurance that a sluggish start to 2018 is over. Sales for the second quarter as a whole were 2.1% higher than the first three months of the year, the biggest calendar-quarter increase since the first quarter of 2004, Britain’s Office for National Statistics said.
Source: reuters.com

South Africa: Woolworths posts weaker second half

Woolworths Holdings Ltd. posted a weaker second half as South African customers didn’t take to its latest choice of women’s fashion and selling conditions remained tough in its home market and in Australia. The specialist in organic food and designer clothing for wealthier customers also said charges related to its struggling Australian business will result in a full-year loss, its first since at least 2002.
Source: bloomberg.com

Holland's Sligro: Half-year figures 2018: net profit €29mln

Sales from continued operations in the first half of 2018 were €1,131mln, up 11.0% on the corresponding period in 2017. Organic sales declined by 0.1%, partly as a result of a change in reporting rules. Operating profit from continued operations fell €2mln to €31mln. Net profit from continued operations declined by €1mln to €25mln in the first six months of the year. The Group’s net profit, including discontinued operations, increased by €1mln to €29mln. Koen Slippens, CEO: "After a difficult start to the year, we closed the first half of the year with two fantastic summer months. We are seeing net growth in our sales markets, even though it doesn’t appear to be as strong we had originally expected. At Foodservice, the first six months of the year were dominated by the acquisition of the Heineken wholesale operations. Our first priority is of course to look after our joint customers and to ensure continuity of operations. In addition, we are working hard on the preparations for the further integration of the activities, due to start later this year. There is a strong belief in the partnership and we are seeing the opportunities for sales and logistical benefits over the next few years confirmed. The preparations for the opening of Sligro-ISPC in Antwerp and the launch of our IT transition, both scheduled for later this year, are fully under way."
Source: sligrofoodgroup.nl