US: Grocery e-commerce sales jumped 2.4% in December
Online U.S. grocery sales totaled $9.1bln in December, up 2.4% from $1.8bln in the year-earlier period, according to the monthly Brick Meets Click/Mercatus grocery shopping survey. Driving the growth was a combination of more households buying groceries online and slightly higher order values.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Kroger-Albertsons merger - Western Growers submits comment letter to the FTC
Western Growers joined the California Fresh Fruit Association and Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association to send a letter to Lina Khan, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), opposing the merger between Kroger and Albertsons.
Source: wga.com
US: Weis Markets offers same-day grocery delivery via Instacart
Weis Markets Inc. and Instacart have formed a partnership to offer same-day grocery delivery from 133 Weis locations in Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Dollar stores pose increasing threat: report
Dollar stores are well-positioned to increase their share of total U.S. grocery sales, especially in an inflationary environment, according to the report "Dollar Stores: Flexing Muscle in US Grocery" from Coresight Research.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Albertsons posts 8.5% revenue gains in Q3
Albertsons said inflation helped drive same-store sales gains of 7.9% in the third fiscal quarter, but higher costs put some pressure on margins. The Boise, Idaho-based company said net income for the 12-week period that ended December 2, 2022, was down about 11.5%, to 375.5mln, compared with the year-ago third quarter, when the company realized several one-time gains.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Kroger celebrates 10 years of Simple Truth®
The Kroger Co., America's grocer, shared its $3+ billion Simple Truth® brand is marking its tenth anniversary, celebrating a decade of offering customers affordable and unique foods made with simple ingredients. Customer's Simple Truth® most loved items of the decade include: Organic Garbanzo Beans; Mixed Berry Granola; Organic Apple Juice; Organic Creamy Peanut Butter; Organic Whole White Mushrooms; Natural Cage Free Large Brown Eggs; Organic Mixed Vegetables; Exotic Vegetable Chips; Organic 100% Whole Wheat Penne Rigate; Organic Baby Spring Mix.
Source: prnewswire.com
Oxbotica raises $140 mln to deploy self-driving commercial vehicles
Self-driving software startup Oxbotica has raised $140mln from investors to speed deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in areas including heavy industry, ports and airports.
Source: reuters.com
Britain's Sainsbury's raises profit sights after Christmas sales rise
British supermarket group Sainsbury's forecast full-year profit towards the upper end of its guided range as a better-than-expected performance in general merchandise drove a 5.9% rise in underlying sales for the Christmas quarter. The UK's second largest supermarket chain after Tesco had previously forecast 2022-23 underlying pre-tax profit of between 630mln and 690mln pounds ($767-$840mln). It made 730mln pounds in 2021-22.
Source: reuters.com
Amazon plans to shut three UK warehouses, impacting 1,200 jobs
Amazon plans to shut three warehouses in Britain in a move that will impact 1,200 jobs, but workers will be given the chance to transfer to other units, the online retail giant said.
Source: reuters.com
Belgium: Budget-friendly Christmas dinner prevails during busiest period of the year at Colruyt Group
Colruyt Group reported: "The most popular vegetables were Belgian endives and mushrooms. Residential care organisations often put stuffed apples with cranberries, sauerkraut and ice cream in the shape of a Christmas tree on the menu".
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
UK recession to limit 2023 growth in food retail sales to 5% - NielsenIQ
Weak confidence around personal finances and a squeeze on disposable income will hold back growth in food retail sales to around 5% in 2023, according to market researcher NielsenIQ. NielsenIQ said UK grocery sales rose 10.9% in the four weeks to December 31 year-on-year, masking a drop in volumes when accounting for inflation.
Source: reuters.com
Dig into Aussie fruit
Berry Good Produce owner Mark Berry said that macadamia nuts were something he associated with being Australian, with them being native to Australia, particularly in central and southeastern Queensland. The rise in living costs over the last 12 months has dominated the list of the most ‘Un-Australian’ thing to have happened, but the $34 watermelon caused the most uproar. Although the watermelons at Berry Good Produce located in Parkhurst are well below this figure, Mr Berry said it would have been because of a supply and demand issue.
Source: cqtoday.com.au
UAE: Careem records 97mln rides in 2022 covering 1.2bln km
Monthly grocery orders through Careem Quik grew 26x in 2022, and the number of grocery items available in each Quik dark store doubled, with new categories like fresh meat and seafood on offer to customers. Male customers ordered lots of Coca Cola and very few vegetables through Careem Quik, while female customers ordered more fruits, vegetables and herbs. Overall the most popular orders made through Quik were Vimto, Al Ain water, and Chiquita bananas.
Source: zawya.com
Makro Belgium now officially bankrupt
The new year did not bring a new beginning for Makro Belgium’s 1,400 employees: their company has just filed for bankruptcy. Within hours, the court in Antwerp has indeed declared the chain bankrupt.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Sligro starts reopening Belgian Metro stores
Dutch wholesaler Sligro has started reopening its recently acquired Belgian Metro shops. The first to carry the name Sligro-M was the store in Hasselt. The other stores will follow in the next ten days, a feat whose scale and risk are only now becoming clear.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Russian supermarket chain Magnit to found new discount chain - Kommersant
Supermarket chain Magnit is planning to create a new discount grocery chain, Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported, citing two sources familiar with the plans. “We consider discounters one of the most promising formats for development, so we will actively increase our presence in this segment”, Magnit’s press service said in response to a Reuters request. Since 2020, Magnit has been developing the Moya Tsena (My Price) discounter chain. According to Magnit, as of December 2022, there are about 700 My Price stores in 63 regions.
Source: reuters.com
Australia: ALDI brings “Good Different” to Adelaide’s north
ALDI has opened its newest store in the inner northern Adelaide suburb of Prospect. With doors opened from 8:30am on January 11, ALDI Prospect is set to provide the community with award-winning grocery products and popular Special Buys, together with fresh fruit, vegetables and bread delivered daily.
Source: retailworldmagazine.com.au