US: Natural Grocers™ brings organic and natural groceries and free nutrition education to Jefferson City on March 3
Natural Grocers, the nation's largest family-operated natural and organic grocery retailer, announces the opening of its Jefferson City, Missouri location, scheduled for Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The store will feature grand opening specials from March 3 through March 31, 2021. These discounts (offers valid for in-store customer purchase only, see store for details) include 100% organic produce such as Gala apples, Ataulfo mango, and blueberries.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Walmart opens its marketplace to BigCommerce merchants
BigCommerce sealed a new partnership with Walmart - a move that gives its sellers the ability to sell products on Walmart.com, according to a press release. U.S. BigCommerce merchants can now find Walmart Marketplace as a new channel in the BigCommerce Channel Manager, the company said. Walmart is also rolling out a "New-Seller Savings" offer, designed to waive commission fees during a merchant's first month working with Walmart.com if they join the platform by March 31 this year. Merchants who want to sell through Walmart's online marketplace will also get an expedited application review to quickly get their goods posted on Walmart.com, per the release.
Source: retaildive.com
Amazon Go draws high interest from U.S. shoppers
Though not a direct supermarket competitor, the cashierless Amazon Go stores generate a high level of interest among Americans and could become a heady rival for the food retail dollar, according to new research from consumer opinion pollster Piplsay. Nearly 60% of more than 30,000 U.S. adults polled online by Piplsay would like to have an Amazon Go in their area and see the concept as a threat to big food retailers such as Walmart and Kroger. Less than a third of respondents have visited an Amazon Go location, but over half think the checkout-free format will be successful.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Australia: Woolworths warns of slowing sales growth after first-half profit surge
Woolworths Group warned of slowing sales growth ahead after a pandemic-driven surge in demand helped Australia’s largest supermarket chain post a 28% jump in the first-half profit. “We expect sales to decline over the March to June period compared to the prior year in all our businesses...as we cycle last year’s COVID surge”, Group Chief Executive Brad Banducci said. Profit attributable from continuing operations came in at A$1.14bln ($901.63mln), compared with A$887mln a year ago.
Source: reuters.com
Germany: Rewe’s turnover broke through €75bln barrier in 2020
In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Rewe’s chief executive, Lionel Souque, said the company’s turnover reached the €75bln mark for the first time. Rewe’s turnover in 2019 was €62.7bln. According to Souque, the acquisition of Lekkerland in 2019 boosted its performance in 2020, adding €12bln in revenue. Lekkerland supplies neighbourhood and convenience stores, which saw a benefit from shoppers in many European countries choosing to buy more locally, to limit the time they spent outside their homes. Rewe’s wider grocery business saw good growth in 2020 too. Its supermarkets and other grocery-focused operations saw a strong increase in turnover due to COVID-19’s impact on shoppers’ spending behaviours.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Kinokuniya, renowned supermarket chain in Japan, launches its 1st pop-up stores in Singapore
With international travel not looking to resume soon, Kinokuniya has decided to bring the tastes of Japan to the travel-hungry people in Singapore through its first-ever pop-up series. For a limited period, the pop-up stores will offer an exclusive range of some of the most popular products in Japan.
Source: taiwannews.com.tw
UAE’s Majid Al Futtaim reports 188% surge in online sales
Dubai’s Majid Al Futtaim recorded a 188% rise in its online sales in 2020, meaning its overall retail revenue for the year decreased by just 1% year-on-year. The dramatic rise in online sales at the retailer, which operates more than 350 Carrefour outlets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, came as workers were forced to stay at home and many governments imposed restrictions on movement in a bid to curtail the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Source: arabnews.com
Spain: Mercadona lowers prices but has ruled out a price war with other supermarkets
Mercadona lowers prices but has ruled out a price war with other supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl. Market leader Mercadona has started to lower prices, particularly in the areas of fresh food such as vegetables, fish and meat. They have also lowered the cost of some packaged products. Currently Mercadona lead the market with a share of 24.5%.
Source: euroweeklynews.com
Singapore: Sheng Siong full-year net profit jumps 84% as consumers stocked up during COVID-19
Supermarket chain Sheng Siong said that its full-year net profit jumped 83.7% as customers stocked up and had meals at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Net profit for the year ended December 2020 rose to S$139.1mln from S$75.8mln the previous year, it said. Revenue rose 40.6% to S$1.4bln, mainly driven by elevated demand arising from COVID-19.
Source: channelnewsasia.com
Jersey: Online grocery operation partners with Sainsbury’s
First Choice, which launched in Jersey last year, has partnered with Sainsbury’s to ‘deliver great quality and savings on people’s weekly shops’. Jake Shaw, director of First Choice Groceries, said that the company was aiming to introduce the branded products early in March.
Source: jerseyeveningpost.com
Switzerland: Coop introduces 'Ünique' Swiss garlic
Coop Switzerland has announced that it is now offering Swiss garlic under its Ünique private-label brand. Ünique offers unusually shaped, small or oversized fruit and vegetables which do not meet aesthetic requirements due to unusual appearance. Garlic bulbs sometimes develop purple, brown discolourations or cracks due to the weather. As the taste and flavour remain unaffected, the retailer has decided to include such harvests in the Ünique range to prevent food waste and support producers. Ünique garlic is currently available in larger Coop supermarkets.
Source: esmmagazine.com