Pandemic and inflation to impact consumption in Italy, study finds
Caught between COVID-19 and inflation, Italian consumers will struggle to maintain last year’s spending levels in 2022, 2 surveys conducted by Coop Italia to map out consumption forecasts for the year have revealed. Despite uncertainties and worries, 49% of households do not expect to change their spending levels compared to the pre-pandemic time, while 22% hope to exceed it.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Switzerland: Coop sees retail sales up 2.6% in 2021
Coop Switzerland has seen net sales in its retail arm grow by 2.6% in full-year 2021, to CHF19.6bln (€18.8bln), with its supermarket business 'on a par' with the previous year's record performance, the group said. Sales across its supermarket channel, including Coop.ch, stood at CHF12.1bln (€11.6bln) for the year.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Euro zone retail sales growth surges past expectations in November
Euro zone retail sales surged past all expectations in November, driven by in-store non-food purchases, data from Eurostat showed, indicating that consumer demand remained healthy even as fresh pandemic-related restrictions were implemented. Retail sales, a proxy for consumer demand, in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose 1% by value on the month, defying expectations for a 0.5% drop in a Reuters poll of analysts. Compared to a year earlier, retail sales expanded by 7.8%, well ahead of projections for 5.6%, the European Union's statistics agency said.
Source: reuters.com
UK: Aldi reports best ever Christmas
The return of Kevin the Carrot in the standout TV advert of Christmas helped Aldi attract more than half a million new customers from more expensive Big Four supermarkets and propelled it to its best ever festive sales results. Sales in December rose +0.4% compared to the previous year, when grocery spending was higher than usual due to the national lockdown and temporary closure of bars and restaurants. Aldi was the only major supermarket to grow sales in December according to Kantar, and its sales were also up 8.1% on 2019.
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
India: How BigBasket plans to enter the crowded group buying segment
Tata Group-owned etailer BigBasket has started testing a group buying model for delivering groceries in Tier IV towns amid growing competition in the category, according to people briefed on the matter. BigBasket’s move to experiment with community buying - or what’s loosely called social commerce - comes at a time when companies are trying different ways to amp up their grocery and essentials verticals amid an increase in demand for these categories online.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Iraq’s q-commerce startup TipTop raises $5mln to fuel expansion
TipTop recently closed a $5mln Seed round from Kurdistan-based mobile operator Korek Telecom to expand its q-commerce operations beyond Erbil. Since its founding, the startup has raised a total of $7mln, making it one of the top-funded startups in the country.
Source: wamda.com
Tesco, M&S seen as Christmas winners before UK spending squeeze hits
Britain's biggest retailer Tesco and food and clothing group Marks & Spencer are expected to emerge as Christmas winners from a raft of market updates as investors fret over a looming squeeze on consumer spending. "M&S had remarkable momentum in-store during Q3 and we see little to believe that this did not continue at Christmas time", said Shore Capital analyst Clive Black. "Of the 'Big Four' (grocers) we believe that Tesco UK, with strong availability, standards and growing (loyalty) Clubcard penetration, will win - both M&S and Tesco could guide (profits) higher".
Source: reuters.com
Holland: Vomar sees year-on-year turnover growth of 8.5% in 2021
Dutch discounter Vomar Voordeelmarkt has reported an 8.5% year-on-year growth in turnover in 2021. Excluding the extra week in 2020, the retailer's year-on-year turnover growth for 2021 stood at 10.7%. The discounter also emerged as the fastest-growing supermarket in the country for the 5th year in a row, according to data from Nielsen.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Sainsbury's to pay store staff at least 10 pounds an hour
Sainsbury's, Britain's 2nd largest supermarket group and one of the country's biggest private sector employers, will raise the basic hourly pay of its store workers to at least 10 pounds ($13.55) an hour from 9.50 pounds previously.
Source: reuters.com
Holland: Coop launches new campaign to encourage sustainable choices
Coop Netherlands has launched a new campaign ‘Zo kan ’t ook!’ (It's possible) to inspire people to make healthy, varied, and sustainable choices that are affordable. The campaign aligns with Coop's ‘Together you make a difference’ campaign from 2017.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Amazon files new legal challenges in dispute with Future Group - sources
Amazon.com Inc has filed fresh legal challenges in its long-running dispute with Indian retailer Future Group after the national antitrust agency suspended a 2019 deal between the two sides, leading to a halt in their arbitration, four sources told Reuters.
Source: reuters.com
Uber to bow out of Brazil restaurant deliveries
Uber said it will end its Uber Eats restaurant delivery service in Brazil from March 7 and focus instead on deliveries by its online groceries provider Cornershop and on Uber Direct, a delivery service for stores.
Source: reuters.com
US: Deka Group bags Whole Foods site in Santa Monica for $54mln
An investor based in Germany has bought into the thriving grocery segment of the retail sector in the U.S. with a $54mln acquisition of the site of a Whole Foods Market in Santa Monica. Deka Immobilien paid $54.3mln to Santa Monica-based Tooley Interests for the 29,064-square-foot building, home to the upscale market at 2121 Cloverfield Blvd., according to the Commercial Observer.
Source: therealdeal.com
US: Ralphs and Kitchen United MIX open 1st location
Ralphs and Kitchen United MIX announced the opening of the 1st kitchen center in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Customers can build their freshly prepared, on-demand restaurant meals from any or all of the participating restaurants to satisfy even the pickiest eaters.
Source: prnewswire.com