US: Acosta research shows 65% of shoppers want retailers to invest more in sustainability
Acosta, a global integrated sales and marketing services provider in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, released its latest research report: Sustainability Impact on Purchase Behavior. With 59% of shoppers making it a priority to live a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle, the findings demonstrate how consumers plan to take more actions with sustainability in mind.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Southeastern Grocers opens doors to Fresco y Mas stores in Tampa, Deltona
Southeastern Grocers said it has opened 2 new Fresco y Más stores in Tampa and Deltona, Florida, expanding the 5-year-old grocery chain's footprint to a total of 29 locations statewide. Both previously announced stores are conversions for Jacksonville-based SEG: The new Tampa store, which opened at 7851 Palm River Road on November 3, was converted from a Harveys Supermarket; the Deltona store, which opened November 17 at 1229 Providence Blvd., was converted from a Winn-Dixie.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Albertsons is testing a smart cart
Albertsons is testing smart carts made by Seattle-based Veeve at 2 locations - an Albertsons store in Eagle, Idaho, and a Safeway store in Pleasanton, California - according to a report in BoiseDev that was confirmed by Veeve. Veeve is also testing its carts with Kroger in multiple Midwestern markets, Veeve CEO Shariq Siddiqui said.
Source: grocerydive.com
Canada: George Weston Q3 profit down as it sells Weston Foods
George Weston Ltd. reported a 3rd-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of $124mln, down from $303mln in the same quarter last year. The company, which owns large interests in Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, says the profit amounted to 82 cents per diluted share for the 16-week period ended October 9, down from $1.96 per diluted share a year ago. Revenue totalled $16.19bln, up from $15.81bln in the same quarter last year.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Amazon Fresh expanding in New England: Reports
According to local media, Amazon is preparing to add its 1st Amazon Fresh banners in Massachusetts. The Boston Business Journal and The Patriot Ledger newspaper report that the stores will be built in the towns of Saugus and Braintree, citing remarks from local officials.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
UK: Lord Rose and Dame Alison Carnwath join Asda’s Board
Asda has announced 2 significant appointments to its board of directors: Lord Rose has been appointed Chairman of the retailer and Dame Alison Carnwath will join as a non-executive director. The appointments are effective from 1st December 2021.
Source: corporate.asda.com
Walmart store in Shenzhen is closing, sparking broad discussion among Chinese
The US supermarket chain Walmart is closing its 1st store in the Chinese mainland at the end of November, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the company’s entering the market. The closure of the store in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, reached the top of the hot search list of China’s social media platform Sina Weibo, with many netizens saying they are disappointed by the news.
Source: globaltimes.cn
Malaysia: Founder Teng family buys back Jaya Grocer from AIGF
Jaya Grocer’s founder - the Teng family - has bought back its entire stake in Jaya Grocer from AIGF Advisors Pte Ltd, according to a statement issued by the fund. AIGF, however, did not disclose the other details of the stake such as the valuation of the deal and was uncontactable when The Edge reached out to it for a comment on this. According to the statement, the sale will give the Teng family ownership of the entire shareholding of Jaya Grocer, and allow them the flexibility to implement their strategic plans for their consolidated shareholding.
Source: theedgemarkets.com
Italy: Milan-based Macai bags €2.6mln to launch new digital supermarket
Macai, a Milan-based grocery delivery startup launched earlier this year, has just picked up a €2.6mln pre-seed round. This is the largest ever in the Italian market, and an important milestone for the local and European ecosystem, representing a change in our shopping habits.
Source: eu-startups.com
Germany: REWE launches supermarket on a train
REWE has launched a sustainable supermarket on board a train in collaboration with Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Regio and Fairtrade Deutschland. The special train comprises 3 shopping cars and an on-board bistro. The train offers Fairtrade, organic, and regional foods and customers can shop from a range of 3,000 items between 9:00 to 19:00 hours.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Lidl NI hails 'impressive' 24% rise in turnover
Supermarket chain Lidl increased turnover in Northern Ireland by almost a quarter in the period from March 2020 to February 2021. The company recorded sales of more than £345mln, compared to £278mln in the previous year. Profit after tax increased by more than £4mln, to £5.5mln. JP Scally, chief executive of Lidl Ireland and Lidl Northern Ireland, described the performance as "impressive".
Source: bbc.com
Holland: Bol.com expects explosive growth of sales partners
The Dutch online store bol.com expects its strong growth to continue in the coming years, mainly thanks to its sales partner. Therefore, the capacity of the warehouses needs to double.
Source: retaildetail.eu
France: AiFi partners with Carrefour to launch Carrefour Flash 10/10, a next-generation concept store
Carrefour Flash is the 1st store of this kind in France, and will be located at 11 avenue Parmentier, in the capital's 11th arrondissement. With Flash, technology is used to enhance the customer experience, making shopping more straightforward. It has nearly 900 everyday product references on sale.
Source: prnewswire.com
China: JD.com sets to open Hunan province’s 1st JD MALL
JD.com and one of China’s top 7 real-estate companies Excellence Group signed an agreement and set to open Hunan province’s 1st JD MALL in Changsha, which is an upgraded version of JD’s E-Space omni-channel retail experience store. The JD MALL in Changsha will be part of Excellence Group’s business complex, with an area of 100,000 square meters.
Source: jdcorporateblog.com
10-minute grocery delivery start-up Getir to buy UK rival Weezy as buzzy market enters consolidation
Istanbul-based Getir, which aims to ship groceries to people’s doors in as little as 10 minutes, says it is buying Weezy to further expand into the U.K. Europe is home to a flourishing grocery delivery sector that’s seen a flood of challengers emerge trying to take on supermarkets and convenience stores. Analysts say the market is entering a phase of consolidation, as the multitude of different players increasingly struggle to differentiate their offerings.
Source: cnbc.com
Lidl aiming to have 1,100 stores in Britain by 2025The British arm of discounter Lidl has set a new target to have 1,100 stores by the end of 2025, creating up to 4,000 new jobs in the process. Lidl GB, part of Germany's Schwarz retail group, had a previous target of 1,000 stores by the end of 2023, which it said it was on track to reach. Sites of particular interest include 'town centres, retail parks and metropolitan locations', the group said.
Source: esmmagazine.com