US: Tops to host mock produce ‘Olympics’
With the Summer Olympics just weeks away, associates at Tops Friendly Markets are gearing up for their own games - with a plant-based twist. Over the course of the next 7 weeks, associates across Tops’ 3 state imprint (New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania) will be challenging one another to a produce-themed Olympic competition to see who will bring home the gold for best fruit and vegetable display.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Kroger collaborates with KNAPP to modernize and expand Great Lakes Distribution Center
The Kroger Co., America's largest grocery retailer, and KNAPP, a global leader in intelligent automation and specialized software solutions, announced their agreement to deploy, expand, and enhance the capabilities and capacity of the retailer's existing Great Lakes Distribution Center in Delaware, Ohio. The facility is currently being renovated to add modern state-of-the-art technology and is expected to be complete this summer.
Source: prnewswire.com
L Catterton’s Brazil supermarket chain is said to weigh IPO
A Brazilian supermarket chain controlled by L Catterton, the private equity firm backed by French billionaire Bernard Arnault, has chosen banks for a potential initial public offering that could raise as much as 800mln reais ($159mln), people familiar with the matter said. Sao Paulo-based Grupo St Marche is working with Banco Santander Brasil SA, Banco Itau BBA SA and Banco BTG Pactual SA for a possible listing on Brazil’s local exchange, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. Talks are still in early stages and the company could end up scrapping the transaction altogether, the people said.
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca
Swedish Coop supermarkets shut due to US ransomware cyber-attack
Some 500 Coop supermarket stores in Sweden have been forced to close due to an ongoing "colossal" cyber-attack affecting organisations around the world. Coop Sweden says it closed more than half of its 800 stores after point-of-sale tills and self-service checkouts stopped working. The supermarket was not itself targeted by hackers - but is one of a growing number of organisations affected by an attack on a large software supplier the company uses indirectly.
Source: bbc.com
Power struggle at Schwarz-Gruppe (Lidl): CEO Klaus Gehrig has to go
Klaus Gehrig, the top executive at Schwarz-Gruppe, the holding company above Lidl and Kaufland, has had to resign after a disagreement with owner Dieter Schwarz, who is taking the helm himself for the time being. The 73-year-old Klaus Gehrig surprisingly handed in his resignation after a conflict with billionaire and owner Dieter Schwarz over a personnel issue, the Schwarz-Gruppe announced.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Italy: Etruria Retail sees turnover up 16% in FY 2020
Italian food distribution company Etruria Retail has reported a turnover of €253mln in its financial year 2020, up 15.8% compared with the previous year. The performance was driven by increased sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the proximity store segment, as well as the company’s ability to adapt immediately to the new normal. Out of its total profit of over €4.4mln, the company plans to distribute €2.8mln to shareholders. Net financial debt declined to €11.6mln, which is half that of 2018. In terms of product assortment, miscellaneous goods accounted for 50% of sales, followed by cured meats and dairy products (23%), fruit and vegetables (12%), meat (9%), and frozen foods and fresh fish (6%).
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK retailer Morrisons agrees £6.3bln offer from Fortress Investment Group
Morrisons, Britain's 4th largest supermarket operator, has agreed a takeover offer from Fortress Investment Group, which values the business at £6.3bln (€7.34bln), and tops a rival bid proposal from a US private equity firm. The offer from Fortress, which is backed by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Koch Real Estate Investments, exceeds a £5.52bln proposal from Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), which Morrisons rejected on June 19, saying it was far too low.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Germany: Edeka Südbayern sees lfl sales growth of 14.2% in 2020
Edeka Südbayern, part of Germany’s Edeka group of companies, has reported a 14.2% growth in like-for-like sales in its financial year 2020. Through its network of more than 650 entrepreneurs, the retailer emerged as one of the leading grocery retailers in the southern Bavarian region and rural districts in the southeast of Baden-Württemberg. Edeka described 2020 as a year of ‘extremes’ due to the pandemic and related changes in regulations and unprecedented demand for goods.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Holland's Jumbo CEO: ‘We did not buy HEMA to make Jumbos’
Jumbo CEO Frits van Eerd once said he wanted to buy HEMA, but not because the family business from Veghel does not understand non-food. They did it anyway. Of course, in the long run, benefits must be gained from bringing Jumbo and HEMA under one owner. First, HEMA has to strike the right chord with the consumer again.
Source: paudal.com
Walmart’s Flipkart enters social commerce market in India with Shopsy
Flipkart, the Walmart-backed Indian ecommerce platform, is taking a shot at social commerce with the launch of Shopsy. Shopsy is a new application that allows users to share catalogs of products from the platform with their contacts and place orders on their behalf through WhatsApp or Facebook.
Source: techinasia.com
France: Groupe Casino, Deliveroo extend partnership for 2 years
French supermarket giant Groupe Casino has announced the extension of its partnership with delivery firm Deliveroo for a further 2-year period, with plans to roll the service out to a wider range of cities. 'This collaboration aims to enable customers of the Deliveroo platform to have Groupe Casino's products and food brands delivered in less than 30 minutes on average', Casino said in a statement.
Source: esmmagazine.com