Sainsbury has said it has no plans to remove the Saltire from Scottish produce after berries in a Broughty Ferry store were labelled with a Union Jack. Last month Tesco provoked a storm of fury on social media after it revealed it was removing the Saltire from Scottish strawberries. Now Sainsbury’s has denied it is following suit after eagle-eyed customers spotted blueberries sporting different flags at their Broughty Ferry store. (thecourier.co.uk) Sprouts Farmers Market sales warning sends grocers tumbling
Sprouts Farmers Market said third-quarter sales were likely to be flat due to a prolonged deflationary environment, heavy promotions across the industry and fewer customers. The market for fresh fruit and vegetables is fiercely competitive, with Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other rivals undercutting prices aggressively to take sales from one another. (Reuters)Lidl denies plans to launch in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Discounter Lidl has rejected claims in local media reports that it plans to expand its operations to Bosnia and Herzegovina. "At the moment we have no plans to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina," a company spokesperson told daily Vecernji List. Of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Lidl currently has operations in Slovenia and Croatia. (esmmagazine.com)Tesco ends 24-hour opening in four NI outlets
Tesco is ending 24-hour opening at four of its stores in Northern Ireland as part of changes to its operations. The company said in most cases the trading hours at those stores would be unaffected, or subject to minor change. (BBC)Online grocery shopping a huge hit in UAE capital
The webstore launched by LuLu Hypermarket is changing the way Abu Dhabi residents shop for groceries. The online store luluwebstore.com which had only 50 users in January when it started has thousands of registered customers now. (gulfnews.com)Delhaize to sell vegetables from supermarket roof
Next summer, the Delhaize supermarket branch will be the first to offer short-cycle vegetables. Such vegetables will be cultivated on the roof of its shop. The newly-appointed CEO, Denis Knoops, indicated this Wednesday. The supermarket chain states, “In theory, the vegetables meet the criteria for organic vegetables. However, as they are not cultivated directly in natural soil but on a rooftop, they cannot carry this label.” (brusselstimes.com) Decision on Tesco accounting scandal due
The U.K. Serious Fraud Office is planning to announce a decision on whether to file criminal charges against individuals involved in the Tesco Plc accounting scandal as soon as this month, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The SFO is looking to disclose any charges in the first half of September, the people said, though they declined to be identified because the plans aren’t public. The move would mark the start of a much-anticipated conclusion to a two-year investigation that has plagued the retailer. (esmmagazine.com) 
Safeway brings grocery delivery to Oahu, HawaiiSafeway is now offering grocery delivery in selected areas of Oahu, making Hawaii the eighth state to provide this service. (bizjournals.com)
US: Walmart to build massive DC
Walmart is moving forward with plans to build a huge distribution center in Brevard County, Florida. The retail giant on Sept. 6 applied for a permit to begin a 146-acre project in Cocoa. Plans showed one main facility will have storage for freezer items, dairy, deli, cold produce, meat and dry produce. (bizjournals.com)Asda failing to 'rise above the discounters', says Verdict Retail
Analysts Verdict Retail have said that UK retailer Asda is failing to "rise above the threat of the discounters" and needs to address its low-price proposition in order to win back market share. Verdict Retail's Fiona Paton was commenting following Asda's posting of a 4.7% decline in revenue over its most recent financial year. However, the retailer also saw a rise in pre-tax profits (+5.2%). (esmmagazine.com)SA: Fruit & Veg City drives vertical integration
Fruit & Veg City has been given the go ahead to take full ownership of Glen Aire Butcheries by South Africa’s Competition Tribunal. Glen Aire operates meat counters in Fruit & Veg City and Food Lover’s Markets stores across the country. The acquisition will help Fruit & Veg City drive efficiencies and, at a time when food inflation is rising quickly, enable it to have a better view on the product’s margin along the whole of the supply chain. (igd.com)French Carrefour reports growth in Italy
Carrefour Italia ended the first half of 2016 with a 2.9% growth in revenues, above the market average of 0.33%, to €2.66bn, reports “Il Sole 24 Ore”. According to the Italian daily, the positive trend is the result of the long-term rationalisation and growth strategies imposed by CEO Eric Max Uzan in 2013. These included the sale of assets, reduction of retail space, concentration on North Italy and also acquisition of assets of retailers Billa and Lombardini. (esmmagazine.com) Sweden: Balkow named new Axfood CEO
Swedish retailer Axfood AB has announced that Klas Balkow is to take over as chief executive from next March, succeeding Anders Strålman. Balkow joins Axfood from Clas Ohlson, where he was chief executive, and previously worked at Aximage, a subsidiary (like Axfood) of the Axel Johnson Group. He also previously worked for P&G. (esmmagazine.com)Spain: Eroski opened 44 supermarkets in the first half of 2016
Spanish supermarket chain Eroski opened 44 supermarkets during the first half of the current year. As reported on gondoladigital.com, all of the shops are franchised and are in line with the company's expansion plan, which aims to reach a hundred new franchised openings in 2016. (esmmagazine.com) Programme to offer NYC grocers incentives for efficient refrigeration
Con Edison said on Tuesday that it was offering incentives for certain grocery stores in the New York area to install thermal energy storage systems to help better manage refrigeration costs. (supermarketnews.nl)
