Sweden's ICA sees sales up 7.9% 
Swedish retailer ICA has posted a 7.9% increase in sales across its store estate for the month of May 2020. Like-for-like sales were up 7.7%, with the group's large-scale store banner, Maxi ICA Stormarknad, seeing the biggest increase in sales for the period. The group's ICA Supermarket banner saw sales up 3.3% (+4.6% like-for-like), while its ICA Nära convenience store operation posted a 7.9% increase in sales (+8.1% like-for-like). Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Morrisons extends faster payment for farmers
British supermarket group Morrisons will make immediate payments to its smaller suppliers for a further three months to help them through the ongoing coronavirus crisis, it said. Morrisons, the UK’s No. 4 supermarket chain, implemented the faster payment scheme in March to run until the end of May to help small foodmakers and farmers with their cashflow.
Source: uk.reuters.com
France: Carrefour to cut CO2 by 30% with help of suppliers
Carrefour has pledged to reduce carbon emissions from products sold in its stores by 30% by 2030 compared to 2019. Carrefour aims to achieve the new goal by focusing on three areas - suppliers, consumers and transportation of goods. The retailer will encourage consumers and suppliers to focus on products that are local, eco-designed and require less packaging. It will also offer more plant-based food items.
Source: esmmagazine.com
JD.com files for Hong Kong secondary listing
China's No 2 online retailer JD.com has filed for a secondary listing in Hong Kong, hot on the heels of NetEase's US$2.7bln (S$3.8bln) share sale in the city, as the US-listed firms seek a foothold closer to home amid rising US-China tensions. JD.com filed a preliminary prospectus on June 5 with the Hong Kong stock exchange, which doesn't contain any share sale details. The company could launch the offering to raise at least US$2bln as soon as this week, Bloomberg News has reported.
Source: straitstimes.com
Russia's Sberbank in talks to buy stake in Ozon
Sberbank is in talks to buy a large stake in online retailer Ozon, four sources close to the matter said, as Russia’s biggest bank prepares to sever its ties with Yandex. The proposed Ozon deal is part of Sberbank boss German Gref’s plan to create a one-stop technology platform offering a wide range of financial and other services. Sberbank is ending two online joint ventures with Yandex, having long failed to agree on strategy with the Russian online giant, and plans instead to join telecoms-to-medicine firm Sistema and private equity group Baring Vostok as Ozon stakeholders.
Source: reuters.com
Russian chain VkusVill opens first foreign store in Amsterdam
VkusVill says its aim is to offer as many fresh and healthy food products as possible. The Amsterdam store offers 150 local products, including fruit and vegetables. Founder Andreï Krivenko says he chose Amsterdam for his first foreign store because that was the first place where he found a team that shared his chain's values and concept. He considers the Amsterdam store a test-case to see if VkusVill's rapid success (growing from 0 to 1200 stores in ten years) can be repeated in Western Europe.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Lidl to open nearly 90 new stores in Yorkshire
Budget supermarket giant Lidl is planning to open up to 89 new stores across Yorkshire. The German retail chain is hoping to double the number of its shops in the UK and is looking to strike deals with site owners across the county.
Source: examinerlive.co.uk
Italy: Carrefour introduces organic corner Carrefour Italia has introduced a dedicated corner for organic products in its hypermarket in Carugate, Milan, as part of a pilot project that could be rolled out in other stores. The ‘Bio’ corner, spread across an area of 115 square metres, houses more than 1,500 organic products of certified origin, ranging from fresh products to canned goods, according to a report in Gdoweek.
Source: esmmagazine.com
US: Kroger and Ocado to build more CFCs
Kroger is to build three additional Customer Fulfillment Centres in the Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest and West regions through its partnership with Ocado Solutions, two of which will be smaller than those announced to date. These sites will optimise the flexibility of the Ocado model, enabling Kroger to develop the appropriate ecommerce capacity in each location.
Source: igd.com
US: Costco reports 7.5% growth in May
Wholesaler Costco has reported a 7.5% year-on-year growth in net sales, amounting to $12.55 bln (€11.11 bln) in the four weeks ended 31 May. The company’s overall comparable sales increased by 5.4%, with markets outside the US and Canada accounting for 12% growth in sales. In the US, comparable sales grew by 5.5%, while Canada saw a 0.9% decline in this period. The company’s e-commerce division saw comparable sales increase by 106.2% in May.
Source: esmmagazine.com