Jumbo to expand to Belgian coast
Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has applied for a permit for the construction of a shop in Middelkerke, its first location on the Belgian shoreline. The coastal municipality is becoming a true battlefield, with many other supermarkets already active in the immediate vicinity.
The Dutch retailer has applied for an environmental permit from the council of Middelkerke, together with Euro Shop. The new supermarket would be located in Middelkerke Sea shopping Center, between Euro Shop and market leader Colruyt.
Source: Retail Detail
Carrefour expands express grocery delivery partnership with Deliveroo
Carrefour and Deliveroo said on Tuesday they were expanding to France their partnership to bring on-demand groceries in less than 30 minutes their customers’ homes. The service is already available in Belgium, Italy and Spain, Carrefour said in a statement. Retailers have been increasingly teaming up with delivery firms to service stuck at home customers during lockdowns triggered by the coronavirus. Last year, Carrefour struck a deal with Uber Eats for a home delivery partnership in France and in Belgium, also offering 30-minute home delivery. The Carrefour-Deliveroo partnership is being launched in France this week, starting in Paris with plans for a rollout to 10 other top cities over the coming months.
Source: Reuters
Tesco removed 1 billion pieces of plastic from across its stores in 2020
By working with its suppliers, Tesco managed to permanently remove one billion pieces of plastic from its UK stores in 2020. Customers at Britain’s largest grocery store chain now see much less plastic when they do their shopping. There are no small plastic bags available for packing vegetables, pastries, and loose fruit; there’s no unnecessary plastic in holiday products like crackers, and no more plastic covers on no-label and branded greetings cards from companies like Hallmark—this last move alone is already saving 44 million pieces of plastic from being used a year. Tesco’s decision to remove a billion plastic pieces from its packaging is part of a larger strategy to tackle plastics through its ‘4Rs packaging strategy’: To remove it where it can, reduce where it can’t, reuse more, and recycle what’s left.
Source: Good News Network
Shoprite sells Nigerian supermarkets, set for December exit
South African-owned retail giant, Shoprite, is edging closer to leaving Nigeria following the disposal of a 100% equity stake in its Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Ltd subsidiary. The company first announced in August 2020 that it was discontinuing operations in Nigeria, citing a reevaluation of its operating model. The retailer has now announced in its latest financial report that the terms of sale have been concluded, and awaiting the approval of the Nigerian Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). The company expects the transaction to be approved by the end of the 2021 financial year after which it will make a clean break from Africa's largest market after 16 years.
Source: Pulse
7-Eleven aims to be force for good, growth
Being an essential business amid the COVID-19 pandemic is something 7-Eleven convenience-store employees take to heart. “It’s a very important responsibility that people feel the weight of at 7-Eleven,” Marissa Jarratt, 7-Eleven’s CMO, told CSP Daily News.
The Irving, Texas-based c-store chain thought about how it could be a force for growth as well as a force for good coming out of the pandemic, Jarratt said, which led to its current promotions with Feeding America. While the company has donated to the hunger relief agency for more than 20 years, it’s stepping up its efforts this year to tackle food insecurity.
Source: CSP Daily
U.S. plant-based food retail sales jumped 27% in 2020
The growth rate for the U.S. plant-based food market more than doubled in 2020, as sales surged 27% to $7 billion, according to the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and The Good Food Institute (GFI). Plant-based food sales rose nearly twice as much as overall U.S. retail food sales, which climbed 15% in 2020 as COVID-19 lockdowns nationwide forced temporary closures of restaurants and spurred consumers to stock up on groceries, PBFA and GFI said Tuesday. What’s more, dollar sales growth for plant-based foods proved to be consistent across the country, with the market posting gains of over 25% in all U.S. census regions.
Source: Supermarketnews
Walmart rolls out Covid-19 vaccines in 48 states
US retailer Walmart has begun administering vaccines in more than 3,800 stores and clubs in 48 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The retailer is offering vaccines through its in-store pharmacies and mobile clinics. Walmart has focused on administering COVID-19 vaccines to residents in rural and vulnerable communities across the US. Over 80% of shots administered through the group's pharmacies and community vaccination events were in what the Health Resources and Services Administration designates as the 'most medically underserved areas of the country'.
Source: ESM Magazine
Canadian grocery stores grow their own greens using vertical farming methods
In some Canadian grocery stores, when consumers ask where their leafy greens come from, the produce manager can just point a finger. More and more grocers are growing lettuce, microgreens and herbs in-store using vertical farming methods or are buying produce grown at giant, warehouse-style vertical farms located near major cities. As consumer demand for locally-grown food grows, vertical farming is gathering momentum. Although methods vary, vertical farms typically rely on LED technology and automation to grow greens in climate-controlled environments. By 2026, the industry could be worth US$12.77 billion globally, compared to US$2.23 billion today, according to Allied Market Research.
Source: Canadian Grocer