China: JD opens first Seven Fresh in Shenzhen
JD opened the first Shenzhen branch of its omni-channel fresh produce supermarket SEVEN FRESH. The supermarket is located in Wankeli, a property developed by Vanke, the giant real estate developer in China, in the Shenzhen’s central Futian district. It covers an area of 1,983 square meters and provides a variety of fresh food including fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and seafood.
Source: jdcorporateblog.com
Ukraine: SPAR continues nationwide store rollout
SPAR Ukraine has opened a further 3 stores, all providing foodservice solutions, as part of its expansion strategy. 2 stores are run by independent retailers, while the third store is a company-operated supermarket catering to Rivne's needs.
Source: spar-international.com
Germany: Edeka grows strongly in pandemic year
Germany's largest food retailer profited significantly last year from the fact that people were cooking at home more often as a result of the closure of restaurants and widespread teleworking. As a result, Edeka's group sales rose by 9.5% to 61bln euro, reports Handelsblatt.
This growth was particularly driven by the 3,600 or so independent Edeka retailers, who saw their combined revenues increase by no less than 14.2% to 33.1bln euros. Discount subsidiary Netto achieved a plus of 7.9%, good for a turnover of approximately 14.6bln euro.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Croatia: Fortenova sees revenue, profits decline in full-year 2020
Croatian food producer and retailer Fortenova Grupa, formerly known as Agrokor, has reported lower revenue and operating profit last year, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business. Fortenova said in a statement its consolidated 2020 revenues amounted to 21bln kuna (€2.78bln), or 11.7% lower than a year before, while operating profit (EBITDA) reached 1.3bln kuna (€170mln), or 30.1% below the 2019 level.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Whistl opens 3 UK fulfillment sites
Logistics company Whistl has announced it will open 3 new fulfillment sites in the United Kingdom. To accelerate its expansion into online fulfillment, Whistl is to open depots in Lutterworth, Northampton and Plymouth.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Switzerland: Coop expands vegan offering
Coop Switzerland has added a new plant-based product range from YOLO to its vegan offering. The YOLO range includes vegan alternatives to chicken and egg sandwiches as well as a selection of grill products.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Latvia: Maxima announces departure of chief corporate officer
Maxima Latvia has announced that its board member and chief corporate officer, Jānis Vanags, has resigned from the group. The retailer is one of the largest operating in Latvia, managing 176 stores across the country.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Online share of retail sales jumps to 19% amid lockdowns - UN
Online sales accounted for nearly a fifth of total retail turnover last year as lockdowns to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic fuelled a boom in e-commerce, a United Nations study showed. Online sales accounted for 19% of overall retail sales in 2020, up from 16% a year earlier, according to estimates from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) based on national statistical offices in major economies.
Source: reuters.com
US: Instacart announces expansion of EBT SNAP payment to 3 new retailers for same-day grocery delivery and pickup
Instacart, the leading online grocery platform in North America, announced an expansion of its EBT SNAP payment integration to include 3 new retailers - Publix, The Save Mart Companies and Price Chopper/Market 32 - for online grocery delivery and pickup. This expansion will increase EBT SNAP availability by more than 1,500 stores across 15 states.
Source: prnewswire.com
U.S. online shoppers exhibit need for speed
When it comes to home delivery, U.S. online shoppers clearly favor speed, the latest NielsenIQ omnibus poll finds. Same-day delivery, same-day pickup and next-day/later pickup all gained traction among online consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas two-day and next-day delivery lost interest, according to NielsenIQ’s Omnichannel Shopping Fundamentals Survey, conducted February 26 to March 28.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Online grocer Farmstead expands to Texas with delivery service planned for Austin
Farmstead, the first online grocer to offer fresh, high-quality groceries, delivered for free, at better prices than local supermarkets, announced its fifth major city: Austin, Texas. Farmstead will bring its online grocery service to the area by mid-2021.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Weis Markets to invest $135mln in its growth
Weis Markets Inc. has big plans to sustain its growth in 2021 with the rollout of a $135mln cap ex program. During the company's annual shareholder meeting in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, Chairman, President and CEO Jonathan H. Weis said the company plans to continue to invest in new stores, remodels, fuel centers, information technology upgrades and more than 1,000 smaller store improvement projects. "Already this year, we've opened a new store in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and a remodeled store in Gap, Pennsylvania, which was closed for 18 months due to a fire", said Weis.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Canada: SPUD goes public and changes name
Vancouver-based Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (SPUD) has changed its name to Freshlocal Solutions upon going public. SPUD conducted a reverse takeover of TSXV-traded Rainy Hollow Ventures in a going public transaction that was completed earlier this month. The newly named entity, Freshlocal Solutions Inc., is trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Sprouts’ 1st store of 2021 to open in Reno, Nevada
Sprouts Farmers Market will open its first store in 2021 and third store in the Reno-Sparks, Nevada, area at 299 East Plumb Lane on Wednesday, May 12. Part of the redeveloped Reno Public Market retail center, the store brings 95 jobs to the community.
Source: progressivegrocer.com