Spain: Mercadona officially ditches plastic bags for eco-friendly alternatives
Supermarket chain Mercadona will no longer provide plastic bags of one single use as of April 15th in Spain. Mercadona will now offer clients bags made of paper, raffia and carriers made with 50 to 70% recycled plastic from left over packaging from the company’s supermarkets. The chain stated that the recent changes “are a result of a combined commitment between clients, staff and providers to improve the way resources are used by reducing, reusing and recycling in a bid to expand their lifespan and to avoid them ending up in landfills”.
Source: euroweeklynews.com
Italy: Competition watchdog launches probe into five Amazon companies
Italy's antitrust authority said it had launched a probe into five Amazon companies for possible abuse of dominant market position in e-commerce and logistical services. It said the probe had been launched into Amazon Services Europe, Amazon Europe Core, Amazon EU, Amazon Italia Services and Amazon Italia Logistica. The competition watchdog claimed Amazon offered certain benefits to third-party sellers only if they signed up to logistical services offered by the US online retail giant. "We are fully cooperating with the Authority," Amazon said in comments sent by email.
Source: esmmagazine.com
China: Meituan downsizes fresh grocery business a year after launch
Meituan is closing five offline Ella Supermarket stores after debuting the brand just a year ago, as the Chinese mega lifestyle platform seeks to pare losses. A total of five stores located in the eastern Chinese cities of Wuxi and Changzhou shut down on Wednesday. In a statement sent to TechNode, Meituan said that the closures are due to mismanagement, and that its two Beijing stores will continue to operate. The company is reducing its store portfolio but is sticking to fresh produce as one of its main businesses strategies over the long term. Meituan will concentrate its resources and focus on revenue growth, improving the shopping experience, and operational efficiency in its two remaining stores, said the company.
Source: technode.com
Jumbo opens Belgian HQ near Antwerp
Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo is opening a Belgian head office in Brasschaat, near Antwerp. The retailer is leasing 530 sqm of office space in preparation for its Belgian expansion. Jumbo is moving into its new Belgian headquarters at Ruiterijschool 14, local blog Made In Antwerp reports based on information provided by real estate adviser EPMC, who has negotiated the transaction. The Dutch discounter has signed a lease for 9 years. Initially the place will house a team of 20 to 25 people, who will prepare the launch of the Dutch chain on the Belgian market. Jumbo is said to have chosen Brasschaat because of its central location and the easy connection between Belgium and the Netherlands. Rebuilding work “to give the office the Jumbo look” will, according to EPMC, begin shortly.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Sweden: Coop tests airport food delivery service
Coop Sweden has announced that it is testing a food delivery service in the Gothenburg Landvetter Airport in Sweden. Customers can place their orders online, and pick up their purchases from the arrivals hall in the airport. The first-of-its-kind service in Sweden aims to provide flexible delivery solutions to customers who are on the move. Charlotte Ljunggren, director of market and commercial development at Swedavia, said that the service is "an ideal arena" to collaborate with Coop. "This service is something that many travellers have requested for in order to avoid getting home to an empty fridge after the trip. Airports are ideal for launching new arrangements with over 19,000 daily travellers who are open to testing new ones."
Source: esmmagazine.com
France: Carrefour trialling Quitoque click and collect concept
Using the Quitoque recipe box solution, Carrefour has launched a trial of a click and collect solution at five stores, rather than having to have shoppers receive their orders at home. Commenting on the solution, one of Quitoque’s co-founders, Céline Nguyen, said: “For some people, being at home on a given delivery window can be a stumbling block.” The five stores running the trial are in Yvelines, including two in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines: Villepreux, Voisins-le-Bretonneux, Marly-le-Roi, Montesson and Croissy-sur-Seine. Nguyen said the stores were chosen as Quitoque already delivers a lot in the area, which is close to its logistics site. According to Nguyen the trial has been successful, with 200 orders being delivered following its launch.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Italy: Gruppo Megamark announces new investment
Italy’s Gruppo Megamark has announced plans to invest €85mln over the next three years in new store launches and renovations. The retailer will launch 10 new supermarkets and modernise 20 stores, it said. The addition of the new stores will take the total sales area of the group to 16,500 square metres, while also generating around 160 jobs, reports La Repubblica. Boasting stores in Italy’s Puglia, Campania, Molise, Basilicata and Calabria regions, the Trani-based retailer has over 500 supermarkets under the Dok, Famila, Iperfamila, Sole365 and A&O banners.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Yonghui boosts stake in Chinese grocery retailer Zhongbai
Dairy Farm Group-backed Yonghui Superstores is to boost its interest in Central Chinese regional supermarket chain, Zhongbai Holdings. According to a stock exchange filing in Shanghai, reported by Mingtiandi, Yonghui is offering RMB8.10 per share to take its stake in the company from 30% to 40%. The deal is worth RMB559mln (US$83.3mln) and the shares will be bought from a state investment fund.
Source: insideretail.hk
China: Amazon plans to shut online store
Amazon plans to shut its online store in China that allows shoppers to buy from local sellers as it downsizes operations in the country. The firm said it would no longer run the domestic marketplace from July, but Chinese shoppers will still be able to order goods from Amazon's global store. It will also continue to operate its cloud business in China. The retail retreat comes as Amazon faces tough competition from local rivals Alibaba and JD.com.
Source: bbc.com
Canada: Nature's Emporium to introduce 100% Certified Compostable Bag option on Earth Day
Canadian health food retailer Nature's Emporium has announced that on Earth Day, Monday April 22nd, they will become the first retailer in Ontario to offer a 100% Certified Compostable Bag option at all checkout lanes in their 4 locations in Burlington, Newmarket, Maple and Woodbridge. "We know that tomorrow can't be taken for granted. That's why we're committed to protecting, preserving and promoting the health of the environment we all share. Our new 'Better Bag' represents a major step forward in that effort. It also builds upon the work we're already doing to reduce our impact, including educating our staff, embracing the use of sustainable packaging materials, developing more sustainable operating practices and supporting the continued growth of the organic industry at large", remarked Joe D'Addario, President of Nature's Emporium.
Source: newswire.ca
US: Smart & Final to be reacquired by Apollo Funds for $1.1bln
Smart & Final Stores has entered into a merger agreement with affiliates of New York-based private-equity firm Apollo Global Management in which Apollo Funds will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Smart & Final’s common stock for $6.50 per share in cash. The transaction, which is valued at $1.1bln, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2019. Apollo previously purchased the value-oriented food and everyday-staples grocer in 2007 for $812mln, before selling its stake to Los Angeles-based Ares Management in 2012. Smart & Final went public in 2014, with Ares retaining a majority share. With this acquisition, Ares is selling its shares.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Canada: Metro reports second quarter profit and sales up from a year ago
Metro Inc. reported strong food sales amid higher prices for fresh fruit and vegetables in its most recent quarter, though the company expects produce costs to moderate close to summer. “Normally we would expect produce inflation to level off as we start to buying more locally, but we’re not there yet, especially with this long winter”, said CEO Eric La Flèche during a conference call with analysts. The grocer’s internal measure for food inflation rose 2.5% over the 12-weeks ending March 16, while its food same-store sales, a key retail metric, moved up 4.3%. Sales totalled $3.7bln, up from $2.9bln. Excluding the Jean Coutu Group, Metro said sales were up 4% compared with a year ago. Pharmacy same-store sales gained 1.1%.
Source: canadiangrocer.com