Portugal: Sonae MC achieves 2.8% like-for-like growth in 2018
Portuguese retailer Sonae MC, which operates the Continente banner, has posted a 2.8% increase in like-for-like sales in full-year 2018. Following a store expansion, overall turnover at the business was up 7.0% to €4.16bln, while underlying EBITDA rose by €15mln to €228mln. Sonae MC ended the years with a total of 1,085 stores, an increase of 122 on the previous year, while in the current year to date, it has already opened three additional Continente Bom Dia and one Continente Modelo stores. The group's health and wellness operation also performed strongly, it said, and in early 2019, it completed the acquisition of a 60% stake in Arenal, a Spanish pharmacy and perfumery retailer. Overall, the Sonae Group posted a 8.1% increase in turnover to €5.95bln, with growth reported across all its business units. Underlying EBITDA across all operations grew 8.4%, while investment rose to €702mln, driven by organic expansion and acquisitions.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Lidl Belgium opens pop-up garden in Brussels’ train station.
Lidl opened, for a few days only, a pop-up garden in Brussels’ central train station to celebrate the beginning of spring. It is called the Lidl Garden where commuters can rest while discovering the retailer’s garden assortment. It aims to promote the online shop, lidl-shop.be, where the 92 products of the range could be purchased. Smaller articles will also be available in stores over the next few weeks.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Germany: Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd announce water conservation project
Discounters Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have announced the publication of a joint water protection policy, which will focus on the supply chain for fruit and vegetables as well as textiles. The discounters have also joined the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), the world's largest network promoting sustainable use of water. "Together with our suppliers and partners, we want to treat water responsibly", commented Julia Adou, head of corporate responsibility at Aldi Süd. "It is important for us to minimise the risk along our supply chains, optimise our water management and at the same time improve water quality. That's why we've set out a clear action in our water conservation policy." Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have also announced plans to reduce the use of pesticides in their fruit and vegetable cultivation, and have introduced comprehensive residue monitoring in order to meet these goals. In textiles, the discounters have been able to reduce their water footprint by more than 12% since 2016 through the use of more environmentally-friendly fibres.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Australia: Coles enters partnership with Ocado
Coles Group Limited announced it has entered into an exclusive services agreement with Ocado Group plc to bring the world’s leading online grocery platform, automated single pick fulfilment technology and home delivery solution to Australia prior to the end of the 2023 financial year. Under the agreement, Ocado will partner with Coles in Australia to launch an end-to-end online grocery shopping solution, including: A significantly enhanced customer experience, supported by Ocado’s entire end-to-end proprietary software applications and technology solutions required to operate a world class online grocery business, known as the Ocado Smart Platform (OSP), which will be available to Coles’ customers Australia-wide by the 2023 financial year; Two state-of-the-art automated customer fulfilment centres (CFCs), one located in each of metropolitan Melbourne and Sydney. Ocado will be responsible for the installation of the material handling equipment in the CFCs, including the provision of ongoing maintenance of the equipment; Last-mile routing management technology to optimise delivery efficiency and customer service.
Source: colesgroup.com.au
Tmall Global to import US$200bln worth of products to China
Alibaba has outlined two initiatives to bring US$200bln worth of international products into China over the next five years. One of Alibaba's core missions is to make it easy to do business anywhere. In China, it looks to help different businesses enter the market and trade successfully. One route to market for suppliers is Tmall Global, a cross-border online platform. Alibaba has announced two solutions offered by Tmall Global to support international brands maximise opportunities for strong demand for quality products: Centralised Import Procurement (CIP) and Tmall Overseas Fulfilment (TOF).
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Denmark: Coop announces partnership with Råhandel online marketplace
Coop Denmark has announced a partnership with online marketplace Råhandel, which will enable local producers to channel their products to a local collection point, from which said products will be distributed to stores. The collaboration, which is being trialled in seven stores in the Roskilde area, will enable local produce to reach stores more efficiently, and free up producers' time, enabling them to focus on 'telling their story'. "There is a growing interest in special goods from a customers' neighbourhood", a Coop spokesperson said. "But so far it has been difficult for both manufacturers and stores, and it has limited supply. With the collaboration with Råhandel, we expect a breakthrough that will open many new opportunities and dramatically expand the range of local products in our stores."
Source: esmmagazine.com
Ghana: Government encourages supermarkets to promote locally produced goods
The Government, through the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has begun a campaign to encourage supermarkets and foreign retail shops in the country to promote locally produced goods, while ensuring high standards. The campaign, dubbed: “Made in Ghana Display”, saw the FDA engaging major supermarkets and retail outlets to allocate specific sections in their supermarkets for Made-in-Ghana products for easy access and improved sales. Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Information Minister, announced this at a media encounter in Accra.
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
Belgium: Carrefour opens first 'walk-in' drive in Brussels
Carrefour's first urban pickup point in Belgium is in the heart of the European quarter. The concept offers downtown customers the range and the prices of a hypermarket, including the promotions. This is the Belgian version of the 'drive piéton', which is currently on the rise in various French cities. It's a simple concept: customers order online and walk to the pickup point to pick up their groceries. The orders are prepared elsewhere, in a large depot. The consumer has access to a large portion of Carrefour's product range (10,000 products, instead of the 4,500 one would find in a Carrefour Express). Everything is sold at hypermarket prices, including promotions. Customers are free to choose when they want to pick up their products. Carrefour is hoping to attract a new type of customer this way: in urban centres, there are more single-person households and people who don't drive.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Lidl launches chatbot in GermanyWith shoppers seeking faster access to information, Lidl has launched a new digital assistant in Germany. The chatbot, called LiA, is available via Facebook Messenger. Its aim is to provide customers with information about the weekly offers, location of the nearest stores, tracking status of orders or even career opportunities. The chatbot will be continuously improved thanks to the knowledge acquired from conversations with users. To engage its shoppers more, Lidl invites them to decide LiA’s look, from two different designs via a voting campaign.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
US: Walmart is quietly closing stores
Walmart is closing at least nine US stores across eight states. The closing stores include one Walmart Supercenter in Lafayette, Louisiana, and eight Walmart Neighborhood Market stores in Arizona, California, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. The closing date for most of the affected stores is April 19, according to employees of those stores, who confirmed the closings to Business Insider. Walmart representatives had previously confirmed the closings to various local media outlets but did not immediately return Business Insider’s request for comment. Walmart Neighborhood Markets are about one-fifth the size of a Walmart Supercenter, and they are typically in areas that are more than where Supercenters are located. These stores focus primarily on selling groceries.
Source: businessinsider.nl
US: Target will do end-to-end makeovers of 14 Minnesota stores in 2019
The hammers are starting to fly at more Target stores across America as the Minneapolis-based retailer pushes toward its multiyear effort to overhaul more than 1,000 locations by the end of 2020. Out of about 300 stores slated for an end-to-end makeover in the year ahead, 14 of them are in Minnesota. The retailer will spend $50mln to redo nine in the Twin Cities. Most of the heavy lifting in the state happened in 2018, when the retail chain spent $250mln to update 27 stores in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.
Source: startribune.com