US: FMI shines spotlight on supermarkets’ GreenChill efforts
Grocery retailers are improving management of refrigerants and reducing carbon emissions through participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership, said Marjorie DePuy of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). DePuy, senior director of supply chain and sustainability at FMI, noted in a blog post that store certifications and re-certifications are rising. Citing figures presented by EPA GreenChill manager Tom Land at FMI’s Energy & Store Development conference, she said certifications have grown by more than 100 stores over the past year, raising the total to more than 350 stores. Platinum-level certifications, in particular, have seen increased growth since 2016.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Brookshire Grocery Company and Cranford's enter into agreement, acquire three stores
Recently, an agreement was made between Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC) with Cranford’s Supermarkets. BGC already has Super 1 Foods, FRESH by Brookshire’s, and Spring Market under its belt, but it looks like it will be adding three stores with this latest acquisition in Arkansas. "We are pleased to have secured a strong partner in the Brookshire Grocery Company, who shares our focus on customers and who respects and values their employees. We know BGC very well and are confident that the three stores being transitioned will see continued success in their communities", stated Larry Cranford, President and CEO of Cranford’s. “We would like to thank our loyal customers who have faithfully supported Cranford's and our team of hardworking associates for their commitment to serving our customers over the past 30 years."
Source: delimarketnews.com
US: Kroger to equip home cooks with new kitchenware line
Kroger has entered an exclusive partnership with media company Meredith Corporation and Lifetime Brands to carry a line of kitchen products under the Allrecipes trademark, according to a press release. The line, which includes kitchen tools, bakeware, cutlery products, food prep and storage containers, is designed with innovative features like cutting guides in baking pans and grips to prevent cutting boards from slipping. More than 80 products are now available at Kroger stores. In-store displays will feature codes that customers can scan for recipe ideas and instructions on where to find the right tools and ingredients within the store.
Source: grocerydive.com
US: iFresh announces exclusive distribution partnership agreement with Fuzhou Great World Natural Food Co., Ltd.
iFresh, Inc. ("iFresh" or "the Company"), a leading Asian American grocery supermarket chain and online grocer, has entered into an exclusive distribution partnership agreement with Fuzhou Great World Natural Food Co., Ltd. (“Fuzhou Great World Natural”) for the exclusive distribution of “Great World” brand food products and beverages in America for three years commencing immediately. Founded in 1993, Fuzhou Great World Natural’s holding company Fuzhou Great World Olive Co., Ltd is a leading provincial agricultural industrial enterprise with engaging in integrating planting, research and development, production, processing, and sales. The company uses olive, plum, green plum, Yugan, and other Fujian specialty agricultural products as the main raw materials to produce “Great World” brand series of preserves, juice beverages, and other natural fruits and vegetables.
Source: globenewswire.com
US: H-E-B earns top-rated workplace, other grocers make the cut
H-E-B, Costco and Wegmans have all made it into the top five of Austin, Texas-based global job site Indeed's "Top-Rated Workplaces: Best Retailers". Other grocers to make the top 25 include Publix and Whole Foods Markets. Indeed's data analytics team looked at 180mln ratings and reviews on Indeed company pages to come up with its rankings. The list has many similarities to last year, including these five grocers, although Costco and Wegmans dropped one place while Publix dropped two and Whole Foods Market dropped three.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Trader Joe's expands in multiple states
This week, Trader Joe's will open a location on Friday, October 25th in Boston, Massachusetts. According to NBC Boston, this marks Trader Joe’s first location in the Seaport neighborhood and its second in the city of Boston. Last week, on October 17th, Trader Joe’s opened its second store in the Boise area, targeting Meridian, Idaho, as its new home spot in the Gem State, according to Idaho Statesman. The new location occupies 17,000 square feet of the former 60,000-square-foot Rosauers, which is larger than the first Boise store (the first TJ's in Idaho). The retailer is then closing out a whirlwind month with two more stores slated to open in New Jersey, with an additional two on the way. Ocean County welcomed its first Trader Joe’s on October 17th, while Denville will be joining the opening festivities this Friday, October 25th. According to News12 New Jersey, the grocery chain also plans to open more locations in Cherry Hill and Bridgewater, adding to its 13-store-strong network in the Garden State.
Source: delimarketnews.com
Brazil: Carrefour's 3rd-qtr gross sales rise 9%, driven by wholesale, e-commerce
Carrefour Brasil said total gross sales grew 8.9% in the third quarter compared with a year ago, underpinned by an ongoing expansion of its wholesale unit and growing efforts to integrate online and brick-and-mortar stores. Excluding gasoline, total gross sales hit 14.44bln reais ($3.50bln) in the quarter, the local subsidiary of France’s Carrefour SA said in a securities filing. Same-store sales in the quarter rose by 3.8%.
Source: reuters.com
Lidl begins construction of 100th store in Bulgaria, plans 5 more in 2020
Discount chain Lidl Bulgaria, part of Germany's Lidl Stiftung & Co, said that it has launched the construction of its 100th store in the country, which is expected to be completed in early 2020. Lidl Bulgaria is planning to open at least five new stores in 2020, most of which located in the larger cities on the country's Black Sea coast, the company said in a statement. Lidl has opened seven new stores in Bulgaria so far this year.
Source: seenews.com
Poland: Regulator probes how prices displayed at Jerónimo Martins unit
Polish regulator UOKiK said it would investigate the way prices at Jerónimo Martins' Polish retail chain Biedronka are presented to clients. "The allegations relate to the visibility of lower prices next to the product, followed by the charging of a higher price at the counter in chain stores Biedronka", UOKiK said. The company could receive a penalty of up to 10% of turnover, the regulator said. Biedronka did not immediately respond to a request for comment and asked for the request to be sent by email.
Source: esmmagazine.com
SPAR Italy welcomes new partner
DESPAR Italia has signed a licence agreement with a new partner - retail company, 3A Group. The partnership, which will officially commence on 1 January 2020, will see 3A Group operate the brand in the North-West of Italy. With the addition of the new SPAR Partner, DESPAR Italia will be better placed to expand the brand’s presence in the country and further grow its annual turnover, which amounted to €3.66bln in 2018 from a retail portfolio of 1,393 stores.
Source: spar-international.com
Holland: Takeaway.com says its bid for Just Eat is superior to Prosus offer
Dutch meal delivery firm Takeaway.com said it thinks its bid for British peer Just Eat is superior to the counteroffer internet conglomerate Prosus announced earlier. “We think our bid is better as it gives shareholders of Just Eat the opportunity to benefit from the advantages of our merger”, Takeaway spokesman Joris Wilton told Reuters. “We also offer shareholders more certainty”.
Source: reuters.com
X5 begins scouting for start-ups in China
X5 Retail Group, a leading Russian food retailer, has launched its search for innovative solutions on the Chinese market. Participating start-ups will be reviewed from 18 October to 29 November 2019, with the selection results set to be announced at pitch sessions scheduled for mid-December. The scouting process is designed to provide technology solutions for key areas of retail digitalisation, including customer experience, in-store operations, supply chain, e-commerce, and process automation. In a four-stage selection process, X5’s expert panel will join forces with the Company’s Chinese partners to assess the submitted projects. The Company aims to attract over 100 start-ups as part of this initiative.
Source: internationalsupermarketnews.com
South Africa signs deal with Tencent to boost Chinese tourists
South Africa has signed a two-year agreement with Chinese internet firm Tencent, which will use its popular WeChat platform to market tourism to millions in China, the South African tourism minister said. South Africa is targeting key untapped tourist markets such as China and India as it promotes tourism as a catalyst to help kick-start its struggling economy.
Source: reuters.com
Ireland: New pay deal for Donegal supermarket chain workers
A new pay deal has been secured for the Donegal workers of a supermarket chain. The Mandate trade union has secured a new pay deal for its members working in the Kavanagh Group Supervalu chain which has eight stores operating in Donegal and Mayo. The newly agreed pay award provides a range of pay increases from a minimum of 2.5% to 8.5%. Divisional Organiser for Mandate’s North and West Division Ciaran Campbell said: “The new pay agreement represents an annual pay increase of €1,300 for a full-time worker, while some of our members will be better-off by €2,000 per year.”
Source: donegaldemocrat.ie
Carrefour confident on overhaul despite weak Q3 in France
Carrefour, Europe's largest retailer, said that its overhaul plan aimed at boosting earnings was on track even though sales growth slowed in the third quarter, reflecting a weaker performance in its core French market. In Europe, Spain returned to growth in the quarter. Carrefour is in the midst of a five-year plan to cut costs, boost E-commerce investment, offer more organic products and own-brand labels to tackle competition from the likes of domestic rival Leclerc and online giant Amazon. Third-quarter sales came to €20.2bln ($22.50bln). Growth reached 2.3% on a like-for-like basis - excluding fuel and calendar effects - against 3.9% in the second quarter.
Source: esmmagazine.com
China: Alibaba launches 2019 11.11 Global Shopping Festival
Alibaba Group has launched its 2019 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, taking the annual event into its second decade. The shopping holiday this year focused on “new consumption,” “new business” and actively contributing to a greener society. “Our goal is to stimulate consumption demand and support lifestyle upgrade in China through new brands and products”, said Taobao and Tmall president Fan Jiang. “We will enable merchants in China and around the world to grow their businesses through data-driven product innovation and consumer insights, as well as leverage our recommendation technology and content-driven user engagement to delight consumers in urban coastal cities and less-developed areas of China.”
Source: insideretail.asia