US: Rosen urges FTC to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger
Nevada Democratic US Senator Jacky Rosen is urging Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan to block the merger between Kroger and Albertsons grocery. Both grocery retailers have a strong presence in Nevada.
Source: eu.rgj.com
Canada: New agreement ratified for almost 26,000 workers at Loblaw-owned stores in Ontario
The United Food & Commercial Workers union says workers have ratified a collective agreement with Loblaw Cos. Ltd. covering almost 26,000 grocery store workers across Ontario. The agreement with two UFCW locals covers workers at 121 stores under the Loblaw Great Food, Real Canadian Superstore, and Zehrs Great Food banners.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
UK supermarkets to cease selling pre-packed fruits and vegetables by 2024
In a bold initiative to curb food wastage and plastic use, the UK government has announced that from 2024, major supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl, will no longer be able to sell pre-packed fruit and vegetables.
Source: bnnbreaking.com
UK shop price inflation holds at lowest since June 2022 - BRC
Prices charged by British store chains rose at the joint slowest pace in a year and a half in December, an industry group said. The British Retail Consortium said annual shop price inflation held at 4.3%, the same as in the 12 months to November and its weakest since June 2022.
Source: reuters.com
SPAR Gran Canaria renews commitment to local farmers
SPAR Spain reported: "SPAR Gran Canaria, through its extensive retail network, is a leader in fruit and vegetable sales on the island. Additionally, the company has a strong local sourcing policy, which benefits local growers. The company reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to citrus growers in the region of Telde and potato farmers on the island."
Source: spar-international.com
Conad confirms leadership position in Italy
Retailer Conad is on track to achieve impressive growth in 2023, solidifying its position as Italy's leading supermarket chain. According to preliminary data, Conad is expected to record an overall turnover of €20.2bln in 2023, a 9.1% increase in 2022, driven by a focus on private-label brands and digital innovation initiatives like the Hey Conad platform.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Latvia: Maxima promises not to raise prices for local fruit and vegetables from January 1, Rimi and Lidl will work on pricing programs
In response to the increase in the value-added tax (VAT) rate, retailer Maxima Latvija will "freeze" the prices of Latvian vegetables and fruit from January 1, while retailers Rimi and Lidl did not give a specific answer on whether they will join such an initiative, adding that they will continue to work on existing and new price programs.
Source: baltictimes.com
"Brands more expensive in Belgium due to purchasing restrictions"
Belgian Economy Minister Dermagne tasked an institute called Price Observatory to find out once and for all whether food is indeed more expensive in Belgium than in neighboring countries. For fresh products (such as meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables), Belgium actually turns out to be the cheapest: fruit and vegetables are 17% cheaper than in France and 12% cheaper than in Germany.
Source: retaildetail.eu
$53mln manufacturing plan announced at Saudi Arabia dates conference
More than 25 local and international agreements were signed at the recent International Dates Conference and Exhibition in Riyadh. A total of 21 companies selling dates and their derivatives signed a deal with the Alibaba Group to export dates to China and other countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Source: arabnews.com
UK: Fruit and veg farming 'is broken' and family businesses will close without supermarket support, farmers say
More than 112,000 people have signed Riverford Organic's petition for supermarkets to better support British farmers. According to research from veg box supplier Riverford Organic, 49% of British fruit and vegetable farmers believe they will go out of business in the next 12 months if things do not change.
Source: nationalworld.com
Holland: Retail turnover over 3% up in November
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports for November 2023 that the Dutch retail sector recorded 3.2% year-on-year turnover growth. Sales volume was down by 0.8%. Turnover in the food sector increased by 4.8%, while in the non-food sector it rose by 0.7%. Furthermore, online retail turnover decreased by 0.3% year on year.
Source: cbs.nl
Aldi UK and Lidl GB report record Christmas sales
Aldi UK and Lidl GB reported record Christmas trading, with sales at Aldi rising 8% in the four weeks to December 24 to top 1.5bln pounds ($1.91bln) for the first time, while its smaller rival posted an even better 12% increase.
Source: reuters.com
Poland's Żabka Group acquires Romanian food distributor DRIM Daniel
Polish retailer Żabka Group has acquired a majority stake in Romanian food distributor DRIM Daniel Distributie. Żabka said that the partnership with DRIM unlocks crucial market knowledge and experience, paving the way for future investments and expansion across the region.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Italy: Gruppo VéGé's reports 9% revenue growth, targets €20bln by 2030
Retailer Gruppo VéGé has reported record sales of €13.8bln in 2023, up by 9.4% year-on-year, marking its tenth year of continuous growth. The group's performance was better than the sector average (+5.1%), solidifying Gruppo VéGé's position as the fifth largest modern distribution group in Italy, holding a 7.5% market share.
Source: esmmagazine.com
China: JD.com wins antimonopoly lawsuit against Alibaba
Chinese online retailer JD.com said that it won a lawsuit against rival Alibaba, which was fined 1bln yuan ($140.68mln) for monopolistic practices.
Source: reuters.com