US: Some grocery chains now require shoppers to wear a face mask
Grocery chains such as Longos and Costco in the U.S. now require shoppers to wear face masks while other retailers, such as Whole Foods, are requesting it of customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move follows a shift from Canadian health officials who, at the start of the pandemic, questioned the benefits of widespread mask wearing and then later suggested it may help stop the spread of COVID-19. On Monday, T&T Supermarket chain mandated that shoppers join its employees in wearing face coverings in the store. The Asian grocery chain, which is owned by Loblaws, has locations in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta.
Source: CBC.ca
US: Kroger tops 100,000 hirings since COVID-19 emergency declared
The Kroger Co. said it has hired more than 100,000 workers over the past eight weeks, the period since President Trump declared coronavirus a national emergency. Kroger said Thursday the new employees — including displaced workers from hard-hit business sectors such as restaurants, hotels and food service distributors — have expanded its overall work force to more than 560,000 associates. The Cincinnati-based grocer noted that, during the COVID-19 outbreak, the extra hands have enabled the company to maintain safe access to fresh, affordable food and other staple items for customers of its 2,757 supermarkets in 35 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: SupermarketNews
Canada: Canada's first 'urban' Superstore opens in East Village
The opening of a new Real Canadian Superstore in Calgary’s East Village will bring more grocery options to inner-city residents. The new store, which opens Friday at 428 6th Ave. S.E., is unlike any other Superstore in Canada. According to Loblaw’s Companies Ltd., which owns the Superstore chain, the East Village location is approximately 80,000 square feet and represents the country’s first “urban” Superstore location. Other Real Canadian Superstore locations in the Calgary region are between 125,000 and 155,000 square feet, the company said.
Source: Calgary Herald
US: Amazon may be on the prowl for more Fairway grocery stores
Amazon is once again on the prowl for stores owned by bankrupt grocer Fairway Market, according to The Post. After paying over $1.5 million for two of Fairway’s grocery stores last March, Amazon has been eyeballing other Fairway locations, including in the Douglaston neighborhood of Queens; in the Long Island town of Westbury and in Harlem. “Amazon is sniffing around but nobody knows what their intentions are or what they are doing with the stores they bought,” one owner of an available Fairway store told The Post.
Source: NYPost
US: Hannaford looking to hire an additional 2,000 associates amid increased COVID-19 demand
The Hannaford Supermarket chain announced Thursday that it is looking to hire another 2,000 people across its five-state service area. These new full- and part-time associates are in addition to the 2,200 new employees the chain announced it would hire in March. Company officials cite both increased demand for its Hannaford To-Go curbside pickup program and rigorous cleaning procedures as the reasons behind the latest round of hiring. Chain-wide, Hannaford employs more than 27,000 people.
Source: DailyGazette
UK: Retailers achieve record improvement in supplier dealings
Supermarkets have achieved a record improvement in their dealings with their suppliers, according to a survey by the Groceries Code Adjudicator. Christine Tacon’s final survey as the UK's GCA shows that retailer compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice is at an all time high. A record of nearly 1,500 direct suppliers to 13 retailers completed the survey and just 36% said they had experienced a Code-related issue at any point in the past 12 months – down from 41% in 2019.
Source: FarmingUK
Turkey: Retail sales volume down in March, but food sales up over 30%
Retail sales volume with constant prices in the Turkish economy slightly dropped 0.2% year-on-year in March, according to official figures released on Thursday. During the month, the highest annual fall was seen in non-food sales -- except automotive fuel -- with 8.7%, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) said. Meanwhile, sales by mail orders and internet climbed 48.3% year-on-year in March. TurkStat also revealed that the calendar-adjusted retail turnover with current prices jumped 8.1% in March, on a yearly basis. "In the same month food, drinks and tobacco sales increased by 32.2%, non-food (except automotive fuel) sales increased by 0.4%, automotive fuel sales decreased by 9.4%," it added.
Source: AA.com.tr
Scotland: Spar Scotland partners with Snappy Shopper
Snappy Shopper, a home delivery platform designed for the convenience sector, had launched their app in multiple stores across Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Inverness, Uddingston and Ayr. Colin McLean, chief executive at Spar Scotland, stated: “With the addition of the Snappy Shopper app, it will make our Spar stores even more convenient by us being able to quickly deliver essential items to consumers without them ever leaving their homes.” Snappy Shopper currently works with more than 300 Spar stores across the UK.
Source: TalkingRetail
UK: Tesco changes bonus rules after Ocado success hits pay
Tesco executives saw their pay boosted last year after online supermarket Ocado was removed from a calculator used to set bonuses. Dave Lewis, Tesco's chief executive, would have missed out on free shares worth about £1.6m if Ocado stayed on a list used to compare rivals' success. Ocado's sharp share price rise meant Tesco would have underperformed in a benchmark comparing performance. Tesco said Ocado was no longer relevant as it was a technology business. According to Tesco's latest annual report, Mr Lewis would have missed out on an extra 979,113 shares if Ocado had not been excluded.
Source: BBC.com