Caroline Oosterbaan named chair of SPAR Holding B.V. supervisory board
SPAR Netherlands has appointed Caroline Oosterbaan as the new chair of the supervisory board of SPAR Holding B.V. from September 1.
Source: esmmagazine.com
South African supermarket giant Shoprite's full-year profit jumps
South Africa's biggest supermarket group, Shoprite Holdings, reported a 9.6% rise in annual profit on the back of a double-digit sales growth across its food stores and the integration of 92 Massmart stores in the second half. Amid a cost-of-living crisis, the retailer, which competes with Pick n Pay, SPAR, and Woolworths, gained record levels of market share, Chief Executive Pieter Engelbrecht said, increasing sales by 16.9% to 215bln rand ($11.20bln).
Link: reuters.com
Czechia: Agriculture Minister to discuss food prices with retail chain representatives
Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny (KDU-CSL) will discuss food prices on Thursday with representatives of the eight biggest retail chains operating in the country, he said in a discussion program on Czech Television. He said he is not the minister for setting prices but would like to discuss the issue informally with the producers and sellers.
Source: brnodaily.com
UK: M&S locks prices on 140 popular food items
Marks and Spencer has price-locked 140 popular food products until the end of the year, with highlights including cheese, butter, and apples. According to The Grocer, price-locked lines include RSPCA Assured outdoor-bred British pork sausages (£2 for a pack of eight), Homestyle frozen chips (£2.50 for 1kg), Braeburn apples (£1.70 for six) and other products.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
Italy: Conad snaps up Tuscan supermarket chain Marzi & Fulignati
Italian food retail giant Conad has taken over local supermarket chain Marzi & Fulignati, expanding its presence in Italy's Tuscany region. From 2024, all five of Marzi & Fulignati's stores, of which three are located in Empoli, one in Sovigliana, and one in Capraia, will convert to the Conad banner.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Japan: 7-Eleven scans palms to check if customers are eating their veggies
It's common knowledge that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables boosts health and longevity. Unfortunately, intake often falls short of recommended daily portions. Instead of just telling people to fill up their plates with plants, 7-Eleven now shows them whether they're eating well. In numerous stores in Japan, the retailer recently introduced Vege-Check - a device that uses reflection spectroscopy to measure carotenoid levels in a person's skin.
Source: trendwatching.com
THIS secures first international listings with the Netherlands' largest supermarket chain
UK alt meat brand THIS announces its first international launch through an exclusive partnership with Albert Heijn, the Netherlands' largest supermarket chain. The debut of THIS products in the Netherlands marks a significant milestone for the brand as it continues to succeed in the plant-based food industry with its realistic alternatives.
Source: vegconomist.com
Belgium: Delhaize continues spin-off operation with 17 more stores
Supermarket chain Delhaize has found acquirers for seventeen more supermarkets, making a total of 32 supermarkets sold - a quarter of all the stores under its own management. The opening date for the first fifteen shops has also been announced.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Delhaize Belgium to double food delivery capacityDelhaize Belgium is planning to build a second delivery center in Vorst (Forest), which it says will double its e-commerce capacity. The retailer has teamed up with the property developer Montea, which will be responsible for constructing the 20,000-square-metre building.
Source: esmmagazine.com
'Ugly' produce proves just as tasty and nutrient-rich: Study
The term "ugly produce" refers to fruits and vegetables with unconventional and irregular shapes, often rejected from conventional supermarkets due to superficial imperfections such as skin blemishes or deformities. In response to this trend, the Rural Development Administration (RDA), a prominent agricultural research and development organization, has taken a proactive stance. The organization has revealed that the appearance of fruits has no bearing on their inherent flavor and has embarked on initiatives to promote the sale of these "ugly" fruits.
Source: koreabizwire.com
Georgia: Agrohub is developing a farm-to-table retail concept
Agrohub opens a new branch - a modern complex, which will open in Tbilisi, on Zviad Gamsakhurdia embankment N80, in early 2024, reports EastFruit with reference to Business Insider Georgia. This will be the fourth store of the premium retail chain in Tbilisi. "As for Agrohub's core business, the new branch, like the others, will be supplied daily with fresh, healthy, and natural products from Agrohub's central warehouse, farms, and greenhouses," the company says.
Source: east-fruit.com
World's first upcycled kumara gelato 
A Kiwi patisserie engineer has developed the world's first gelato from upcycled toka toka (gold) kumara. The culinary innovation is part of a new initiative to reduce food waste by demonstrating the use of imperfect fruit and vegetables in artisan food products.
Source: supermarketnews.co.nz
Kenya: Court appoints liquidator for debt-riddled retailer Tuskys
Tuskys Supermarket is now on the verge of losing assets valued at about Sh6bln following the appointment of a liquidator by the High Court. The move will be the last nail in the coffin of formerly one of Kenya's largest supermarkets, which had been in business for three decades.
Source: businessdailyafrica.com
Carrefour registers logo for new wholesale format in France
Carrefour has officially registered the logo of its new wholesale format in France, imported from the Brazilian market. The design of the Atacadão banner in France will be different from that used in Brazil and Morocco, the retailer said.
Source: esmmagazine.com
BABA's Freshippo inks strategic cooperation with 17 fruit merchants
Freshippo (Hema) under BABA-SW announced a strategic cooperation with 17 fruit merchants at the International Fruit Expo 2023 in Guangzhou, continuing its deployment of the global fresh produce supply chain. Freshippo signed cooperation agreements with a number of organizations, including Garces Fruit, a Chilean cherry planter and exporter; Niran International, a durian distributor in China; Sunkist, a global cooperative of fruits and vegetables; and the Chilean Fresh Fruit Exporters Association.
Source: aastocks.com
JD.com opens commercial office in Chile
China’s leading e-commerce company, JD.com, has opened a new commercial office in South America which will be led by Fernando Schmidt as commercial director of the fruit and food department. Fernando will settle in Santiago de Chile and take on the new challenge of bringing exporters directly to the sale and distribution of products through the e-commerce platform.
Source: nationworldnews.com
UNLIMEAT expands its reach into the US natural and organic market
UNLIMEAT, a prominent player in the alternative meat industry in Asia, is ramping up its expansion into the US market. The company recently announced the launch of its delectable plant-based offerings, including UNLIMEAT Korean BBQ, pulled pork, and Mandu, at natural and organic stores such as Mollie Stone's Markets, Berkeley Bowl, Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins in California, and Good Earth Markets in Utah. The launches of natural & organic stores mark the company's most significant achievement since its successful debut in Albertsons, one of the largest supermarket chains in the USA, earlier this year.
Source: prnewswire.com
Former CEO of Brazil's Americanas denies knowledge of accounting fraud
Former Americanas Chief Executive Miguel Gutierrez has denied in a letter sent to congressional investigators any knowledge of accounting irregularities during the two decades he helmed the Brazilian retailer.
Source: reuters.com