German consumer morale heads for historic low in May - GfK
German consumer morale is projected to plunge to a historic low in May as the war in Ukraine leads to soaring costs for households and dashes hopes of a post-pandemic recovery, a survey showed. The GfK institute said its consumer sentiment index, based on a survey of around 2,000 Germans, dropped to -26.5 points heading into May from a revised -15.7 points a month earlier. That marked a drop below the previous record low set in May 2020 during Germany's first COVID-19 lockdown.
Source: reuters.com
India: Food delivery platform Swiggy all set to start drone trials for grocery service
Online food delivery major Swiggy will make use of drones for its grocery service Instamart. Swiggy will commence the pilot immediately in 2 tranches - starting in Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR. The pilot will be executed with Garuda Aerospace in Bengaluru and Skye Air Mobility in Delhi-NCR. After the learnings from the first tranche, the food delivery firm will commence its tranche 2 along with ANRA, TechEagle Consortia and Marut Dronetech.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Asda chairman Stuart Rose: Food prices will keep rising
Food prices will keep rising, and stay higher "for quite some time" due to the high cost of raw materials, Asda chairman Lord Rose has said. Speaking to the BBC Sunday Morning programme, the Asda chairman said he feared that food prices "are going to go higher, and they are going to stay high for quite some time."
Source: bbc.com
Australia: Woolworths slashes prices of 300 winter staples to help reduce household grocery bills
From Wednesday, May 4, Woolworths will be offering more than 300 winter staples at discounted prices to help millions of Australians to save on food and everyday products. Shoppers can save up to 30% on a range of everyday items this winter, including: Odd Bunch Potatoes 4kg (was $5.90 now $4.50).
Source: au.finance.yahoo.com
EuroCommerce welcomes launch of public consultation on sustainable food
EuroCommerce, which represents the retail and wholesale sectors in Europe, has welcomed the launch of a public consultation on the EU framework for sustainable food systems, with director general Christel Delberghe saying that the consultation demonstrates how the "retail and wholesale sector is fully committed to working with other stakeholders in the supply chain to build sustainable food systems in Europe."
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Cost of living crisis bites as households suffer record drop in discretionary incomeAsda’s latest Income Tracker has revealed that UK households experienced the biggest fall in discretionary income on record last month due to soaring living costs. The Income Tracker showed that after paying taxes and essential bills, households had an average discretionary income of £231 per week in March, down £16.19 a week year-on-year, representing the largest fall since the tracker was created in 2008.
Source: corporate.asda.com
Amazon to get hearing that could overturn NY union vote, labor board official says
Amazon.com Inc's objections to a landmark union election at a company warehouse in New York City justify a hearing that could overturn the result, a U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) official said.
Source: reuters.com
US: SpartanNash gears up for contested board vote
SpartanNash followed up on a recent communication to shareholders with a new letter detailing the qualifications of its recommended board members. The letter reiterates a request to vote for the slate of candidates at the June 9 annual meeting and provides more background on each individual.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Pacific Ocean Marketplace bought by national Asian American supermarket chain
Pacific Ocean Marketplace, a business that calls itself “Denver’s largest and best Asian supermarket,” was recently acquired by Great Wall Supermarket, a national chain. Trong Lam, POM’s president, founded it more than 3 decades ago, opening the Denver location at 2200 West Alameda Ave. in the late 1980s. The Broomfield site at 6600 West 120th Ave. followed in 2005, with the newest Pacific Ocean Marketplace opening in 2014 in Aurora at 12303 East Mississippi Ave. All 3 locations were included in the deal. The Denver store was transferred on April 25, with the Broomfield location set for July 25 and the Aurora site on October 25.
Source: denverpost.com
US: Study finds SNAP-eligible families less likely to buy fresh foods - and sweets - when grocery shopping online
Study participants say they don’t trust hired shoppers to select high-quality fruits and vegetables. Families who are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are less likely to purchase both healthy foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and sweets when buying groceries online compared to in-store, finds a new study by a team of nutrition researchers.
Source: nyu.edu
US: The plant-based meat startup that raised $10mln for its alternative chicken nuggets
Plant-based meat company Nowadays is putting health at the forefront of its creative process, touting to have the most nutritious offering on the market. The brand's first product - faux crispy chicken nuggets - does have that classic fried chicken taste. And they are made with only 7 ingredients, including non-GMO yellow pea protein, and boast 13 grams of protein, no saturated fat, and 250 milligrams sodium per serving. Founded in 2020, the San Francisco-based company recently closed a seed round at $7mln, raising just shy of $10mln to-date. The round was led by Stray Dog Capital, with additional support from Standard Meat Company, a privately-owned meat processing and packaging company suppling major national restaurant and supermarket chains.
Source: fortune.com
US: BJ’s Market small-format club set to make debut 
BJ’s Wholesale Club unveiled BJ’s Market, a smaller-format store in Warwick, Rhode Island that’s roughly half the size of a full-sized club location. Plans call for the 43,000-square-foot BJ’s Market, located at 375 East Ave. in Warwick, to officially open on May 6, Westborough, Massachusetts-based BJ’s said. The new retail concept is designed to provide a “convenient, efficient shopping experience”, offering a mix of top-selling fresh foods, produce, sundries and seasonal products, among other items, according to the warehouse club chain.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Plant-based foods take their place in the grocery basket
Prompted by health concerns, 4 in 10 shoppers buy plant-based meat and/or dairy products, with most doing so on a regular basis, new research from CPG sales and marketing firm Acosta shows. 40% of consumers polled in March purchased plant-based meat and/or dairy products within the last 6 months, with 60% buying plant-based products several times per month, according to Acosta’s “Plant-Based Eating: Trend or Fad?” report. The study, based on online surveys from the company’s proprietary Shopper Community, found that customers typically buy plant-based meat and dairy items to replace beef, pork and traditional milk.
Source: supermarketnews.com