US: The Fresh Market named Best Supermarket for 2nd year
For the 2nd year in a row, The Fresh Market has been named the "Best Supermarket in America" in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Hy-Vee was again named the No. 2 supermarket and Aldi took over the 3rd spot.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Supermarkets hold the line on customer satisfaction
After a decline with the onset of COVID-19, customer satisfaction with supermarkets and other retailers largely held steady in 2021, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI Retail and Consumer Shipping Report 2021-2022 is based on interviews with 36,517 U.S. consumers. Retailers are rated by a score of 0 to 100 according to a range of customer service criteria, such as store location and hours, staff courtesy and helpfulness, store layout and cleanliness, merchandise availability, product quality, checkout speed, frequency of sales and promotions, and website. 6 retail sectors were examined, including supermarkets, department and discount stores, drugstores, specialty retail stores, online retailers and gas stations.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Farmstead and Dematic partner to help grocers streamline grocery e-commerce with ‘warehouse in a box’ solution
Farmstead, the 1st online grocer to offer fresh, local fare plus national brands, delivered for free, at better prices than local supermarket, and global logistics company Dematic a leader in intelligent automation, announced a partnership to help grocers drive operational efficiencies through software and automation.
Source: globenewswire.com
US: GrubMarket expands further into Arizona and Texas through the acquisition of SunFed
GrubMarket announced it has completed the acquisition of Nogales, Arizona-based SunFed, a successful and tech-driven fresh produce company that provides the highest quality fruits, vegetables and dry goods that are produced by growers in over 30 locations, including 15 Mexican regions. SunFed currently operates in Arizona and Texas, is one of the top importers of squash into the U.S., and has a strong reputation for being an industry leader in both technology adoption as well as food safety practices.
Source: prnewswire.com
Canada: Alimentation Couche-Tard sees net earnings up in 3rd quarter
Alimentation Couche-Tard has reported net earnings of $746.4mln (€678.5mln), or $0.70 per diluted share, in the 3rd quarter of its financial year, up from $607.5mln (€552.3mlnn), or $0.55 per diluted share, in the same period in its previous financial year. Adjusted net earnings amounted to $746.0mln (€678.2mln), up from $622.0mln (€565.5mln) in the 3rd quarter of fiscal 2021.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Instacart’s CEO is ‘worried’ about inflation of food prices
Rising inflation is taking a bigger bite out of Americans’ food bill. For customers of grocery-delivery giant Instacart Inc., the cost of convenience is poised to get even more expensive. CEO Fidji Simo, who runs the largest online grocery delivery platform in the U.S., is “worried”. “We have seen inflation definitely hit on Instacart”, Simo told Emily Chang in a “Bloomberg Studio 1.0” interview. “The model on Instacart is that the grocer sets the price. And so, we reflect that price back to the customer”.
Source: bloombergquint.com
US: Boxed makes 1st year-end report as public company
In its 1st earnings call since going public, online bulk-products retailer Boxed Inc. reported an uptick in fiscal 2021 4th-quarter net revenue but a decline for the full year. For the quarter ended December 31, net revenue totaled just over $45mln, up 4.2% from $43.2mln a year earlier, New York-based Boxed said. Retail sales were $39.7mln, down 8.1% from the prior-year period, when the company said results were boosted by pandemic-driven consumer demand.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Walmart plans to hire over 50,000 U.S. workers in Q1
Walmart Inc said it plans to hire more than 50,000 workers in the United States in the 1st quarter, as the U.S. retailer looks to bolster its fulfillment centers and stores. Walmart said the new hires would fill roles at its stores, clubs, campuses and supply chain facilities.
Source: reuters.com
Canada: Too Good To Go launches in Quebec City
8 months after establishing its 1st Canadian operation in Toronto followed by launches in Montreal and Vancouver, Too Good To Go has expanded to Quebec City. The app-based product enables consumers to purchase “Surprise Bags” of surplus food - ranging from sushi to produce and pastries - that would otherwise be thrown away.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: PlantX adds same-day delivery in Canada
Los Angeles-based PlantX is launching same-day grocery delivery in Canada. The plant-based food company is expanding its digital reach in the areas of Ottawa and Toronto, where it currently operates physical stores.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Amazon to divert freight as some Chinese cities go under lockdown
Amazon.com Inc said it would counter any disruptions due to the lockdowns in Chinese cities by diverting freight to warehouses in unaffected regions, as companies rush to comply with the country's controls to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Source: reuters.com
Ocado Retail lowers sales outlook as UK market softens
British online supermarket Ocado Retail lowered its annual sales outlook as it reported a 5.7% year-on-year fall in revenue in its latest quarter, which it said partly reflected a softening of the overall market. The business, a 50:50 joint venture between Ocado Group and Marks & Spencer, said a fall in basket sizes offset an increase in the number of customer transactions in its fiscal 1st quarter to February 27.
Source: reuters.com
Spain: Mercadona sees LFL sales up, net profit down in FY2021
Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona reported 3.3% annual growth in like-for-like sales, to €27.8bln, in its financial year 2021. Of this total, €27.4bln was generated in Spain, and the remaining €415mln Portugal, where the banner acquired a 3% market share after 2 years.
Source: esmmagazine.com
34% of Dutch shoppers prefer mcommerce
Ecommerce is booming, which has caused mcommerce to become more popular as well. More than one third of Dutch consumers prefer using their mobile phone while shopping. Not only do consumers use their smartphone during online shopping: a mobile search also precedes purchases in brick-and-mortar stores. The newly published Mobile Shopping Report by Klarna shows that mcommerce is becoming more popular.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
UK: Deliveroo says it will reach core earnings breakeven in next 2 years
Deliveroo said it aimed to reach breakeven in core earnings in around 2 years' time and predicted a 15-25% rise in the value of gross transactions on its platform this year, a slowdown from 70% in 2021 when it was boosted by lockdowns. The British food delivery company said its adjusted core loss widened to 131mln pounds ($173mln) last year compared to a loss of 11mln pounds in 2020, reflecting increased marketing spend and tech investment.
Source: reuters.com
India: Future says will act to reverse store takeovers by Reliance
India's Future Retail said it was committed to taking back its stores which were seized by rival Reliance, saying it had been surprised by the move. Reliance, India's biggest retailer, stunned Future on February 25 with its staff suddenly showing up at many of Future's biggest stores to assume control, in what was seen as a de facto takeover.
Source: reuters.com