Germany: Metro to appoint Wuerth Manager Greubel as CEO
Metro AG, the German wholesaler that has been without a permanent chief executive since the start of the year, is set to appoint Steffen Greubel to the post. Greubel will take the helm at Metro from May 1, if approved by the supervisory board, Metro said in a statement. He is currently on the management board of privately held Wuerth Group, a German maker of screws, adhesives and other fasteners.
Source: bloombergquint.com
Poland: Fruit & vegetables directly from producers - new strategy of Biedronka stores
Biedronka focuses on cooperation with local Polish producers of vegetables and fruit. At the end of 2021, 90% of sales of these vegetables and fruits, which are grown in Poland, will come from domestic producers, with an increased share of supplies from small family farms. They will be able to deliver products to the nearest Biedronka distribution center. Thanks to the shorter route from field to shelf, deliveries will be made in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
What next for India’s BigBasket?
BigBasket has reported a 36% increase in its revenue to INR38,180mln (US$525mln) in FY20 (ending March 2020). However, with overall expenses increasing 31% to INR44,114mln (US$605mln) the retailer reported losses of 26%, equating to INR7,099mln (US$97mln). Supermarket Grocery Supplies (SGS) operates e-grocery platform BigBasket, which supplies Kirana stores, pharmacies, hotels and other institutions. Although India’s retail market is dominated by traditional trade with 12m Kirana stores, the entry of established names into online grocery retail has made B2B ecommerce more challenging.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Italy: In’s Mercato to open 30 new stores in 2021
Italian discounter In's Mercato plans to consolidate its brand identity and expand market penetration during 2021. The banner, owned by the Pam-Panorama retail group, is planning 30 new store openings and 90 store restyling projects in Northeast, Northwest and Central Italy over the coming year. The new stores will include the In’s Forno bakery department and the In’s Orto loose fruit and vegetable department, new concepts that were introduced during 2020.
Source: esmmagazine.com
French startup Cajoo promises grocery delivery in 15 minutes
Cajoo, a new startup from France, promises to deliver groceries in 15 minutes. The ecommerce logistics company had just raised 6mln euros to make this possible. Cajoo raised the money during a funding round led by Frst and XAnge, while the two co-founders of Chauffeur-Privé (which is now called Kapten) also participated. Cajoo recently launched their mobile app and is ready to deliver groceries, starting in Paris.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
India: Flipkart Wholesale rolls out grocery services for kirana shops
Flipkart Wholesale, the digital business-to-business marketplace of e-commerce firm Flipkart, has started selling groceries to kiranas and small retailers on its app, in a bid to increase its market share in the burgeoning e-grocery landscape and high-margin B2B front. Flipkart Wholesale will operate a fulfilment centre at Bilaspur, Gurugram to deliver directly to kirana shops. Initially, groceries will be available to retailers only in Gurugram. It will be later expanded to other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) and subsequently to other cities over the next few months.
Source: livemint.com
US: Chicory survey reveals that over 50% of consumers place an online grocery order once a week or more often
Chicory, the leading digital shopper marketing platform for CPG and grocery companies, released the results of a new national grocery consumer research study, Online Grocery Usership Changes Year Over Year. The results of this fifth quarterly consumer survey quantify the impact of COVID-19 on online grocery usage by comparing current 2021 results to past quarterly studies throughout 2020. For an infographic of the high-level data captured from this survey, please visit this link.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: BJ’s expands New York presence with pair of new clubs
BJ’s Wholesale Club opened its 220th and 221st locations late last month with new clubs in Long Island City and Newburgh, New York. The 79,000-square-foot club in Long Island City, located at 34-60 48th St., in the New York City borough of Queens, opened to the public on January 29, a week after the opening of the 89,000-square-foot club at 401 Auto Park Place in Newburgh, about 60 miles north of Manhattan.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage announces first quarter fiscal 2021 results
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. announced results for its first quarter of fiscal 2021 ended December 31, 2020 and confirmed its outlook for fiscal 2021. Highlights for first quarter fiscal 2021 compared to first quarter fiscal 2020: Net sales increased 15.2% to $265.0mln; Daily average comparable store sales increased 12.7%; Operating income increased 82.7% to $5.2mln; Net income increased 94.4% to $3.6mln with diluted earnings per share of $0.16; Adjusted EBITDA increased 25.5% to $13.2mln; and opened one new store, resulting in a 3.2% new store growth rate for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2020.
Source: prnewswire.com