Germany's Tengelmann Group plans to launch its discount grocery chain Plus this year in Russia as the country's economic crisis boosts low-price retailers, newspaper Vedomosti reported Wednesday, citing a company representative, themoscowtimes.com reports. Tengelmann will open 12 Plus stores across the Moscow, Tula and Nizhny Novgorod regions, as well as in the cities of Kaluga, Tver and Murom. It eventually plans to expand the chain to 150 locations in Russia by the end of 2022, Vedomosti reported, citing Tengelmann Group spokesperson Justine Zagalak.UK: Budgens offering free fruit to kids in loyalty scheme
Budgens offering free fruit to kids in loyalty scheme, thegrocer.co.uk reports. The ‘Free Fruit Challenge’ offers school children of any age one free piece of fruit a day from participating stores. US: A&P acknowledges strategic options
A&P on Wednesday issued a statement acknowledging that it is currently seeking strategic alternatives for its business, but said a sale of company assets was only one of its options, supermarketnews.com reports. The statement was issued following a wave of speculation evidently sparked by scheduled meetings between the Montvale, N.J.-based retailer and union labor leaders this week.China: Alibaba expands into fresh-food delivery
Alibaba’s logistics arm is opening refrigerated distribution centers for fresh groceries in three major Chinese cities, techcrunch.com reports. Located in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the warehouses will not only allow Alibaba to meet growing demand for grocery deliveries, but also help it better compete against rivals like JD.com, which has invested heavily in its own logistics system. The new temperature-controlled distribution centers operated by Cainiao, which Alibaba holds a 48 percent stake in, are designed for fresh produce, meat, and other highly perishable food items. They will allow Alibaba to expand its 24-hour delivery service to 50 new cities by the end of this year. The move would increase the infrastructure availability for Tmall and Taobao vendors.UK: Waitrose launches 'pick your own offers' scheme for loyal shoppers
Waitrose has launched a new salvo in the UK’s supermarket price war by giving loyalty card shoppers 20% off their 10 favourite items on every shop theguardian.com reports. The “pick your own offers” scheme allows shoppers to choose the items on which they’ll get a discount from a list of 950 possibilities. The cost of the price cuts could add up to £260m a year or more, although Waitrose will split that cost with suppliers who have signed up.US: Walmart hid $76bn of assets in foreign tax havens
Walmart hid $76bn of assets in tax havens across the world, including $64.2bn managed by 22 different subsidiaries in Luxembourg, where Walmart has no stores, according to a study, theguardian.com reports. The study, published by campaign group Americans for Tax Fairness, alleged that Walmart has “kept its tax haven subsidiaries secretive by burying mention of their existence”. Walmart denied the claims. The authors claimed Walmart’s global empire keeps billions of dollars of assets away from the prying eyes of the taxman via a network of shell companies in Luxembourg, the Netherlands and a host of Caribbean countries known for their low taxes. Germany: SPAR selling herbs for gardeners
Like last year, SPAR is again going to sell fragrant herbs for gardeners in six locations, presse.spar.at reports. "With our SPAR herbs, we want to improve the shopping experience of our customers with a great scent" said SPAR CEO Christoph Holzer.Switzerland: Lidl is the big winner
The sales of Migros and Coop is stagnating at a high level. Big winner is Lidl. Last year, the discounter's sales grew by 10% and discounter Aldi's sales grew by 3%, blick.ch reports. Last year the Swiss retail sales were CHF 97.6bn. That's a decline of 0.4 over the previous year. US Foods to close Severn warehouse
US Foods Inc. said Wednesday it plans to close its distribution center in Anne Arundel County, a decision that could affect about 350 workers and eliminate the last vestige of what once was a major company in the Baltimore region, baltimoresun.com reports. Spokeswoman Michelle Calcagni said US Foods' business shrank in the Washington region over the past few years, leaving the firm with excess capacity.UK: Tesco/Sainsbury's axe Click&Collect at tube stations
Tesco and Sainsbury’s have pulled out of a partnership with Transport for London that offers commuters the opportunity to pick up their groceries in Tube station car parks, standard.co.uk 
reports. The Click and Collect service was hailed as the start of a retail revolution when it launched 18 months ago — as TfL attempts to fill some of the £3 billion worth of wasted space on its network.UK: M&S opens largest franchise store in London
Marks and Spencer has opened its largest franchise store in partnership with SSP in London's Waterloo station following an extensive refit to increase sales space, igd.com reports. The store features both an ordering screen and ordering point where shoppers can access the entire M&S catalogue.UK: Booker appoints new chairman
Leading UK wholesaler Booker has announced the appointment of Stewart Gilliland as its new non-executive chairman, to replace Richard Rose, who will step down at this year's company annual general meeting on 8 July, igd.com reports. Stewart Gilliland will take on the role at a key moment in the development of the Booker business, as it seeks to progress its proposed take-over of the Musgrave GB business, which will add both the Londis and Budgens to its portfolio of symbol group brands.UK: P&H targets small retailers with social media advice
Major UK national delivered wholesaler, Palmer & Harvey has launched a free guide to help its independent retail customers understand the value and capability of social media in promoting their businesses, igd.com reports. Interesting links on retail:
Why China Shops Online for GroceriesClick here to read the article.
5 reasons why supermarkets want you to eat your fruits and vegetablesClick here to read the article.
Moody's changes outlook on Delhaize's Baa3 rating to positiveClick here to read the article.