US: Aldi kicks off the year with new stores in Florida and California
Aldi is opening two new locations on January 4 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and Visalia, California, both of which are in new markets for the discount grocer. The Visalia store is located at 4320 S. Mooney Blvd. and will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Fort Walton Beach store is at 427 Mary Esther Cutoff NW and will operate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., the grocer said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Veganuary's expert panel determines: Purple sweet potato is the 2024 Vegetable of the Year
Veganuary - the global movement to try vegan for January and beyond - is launching its 2024 campaign by announcing the first-ever Veganuary Vegetable of the Year, determined by the panel of experts, including food futurologists, chefs, and members of key nutrition, retail, and sustainability councils. To select 2024's Vegetable of the Year, the expert panel considered five main criteria: growing popularity, versatility, sustainability, health/nutrition, and affordability/accessibility. With these criteria in mind, the panel determined the purple sweet potato is the official 2024 Vegetable of the Year.
Source: globenewswire.com
US: Seafood City Supermarket opens 1st Texas location
California-based Seafood City Supermarket has opened its first location in Texas. The fast-growing Filipino supermarket chain debuted its new 50,000-square-store on December 14 at 15235 Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land. Seafood City Supermarket stores are known for their array of fish and extensive seafood selection. They also offer hard-to-find fruits and vegetables.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Amazon shuts last Fresh Pickup grocery store
Amazon has shuttered the last of its two Fresh Pickup facilities, marking the end of its experiment with a drive-in and drop-off grocery service.
Source: seattletimes.com
US: Dollar Tree opens three stores in South Florida, and more are on the way
Dollar Tree is expanding in South Florida. The discount grocery store has opened three new stores in Miami, Hialeah, and West Palm Beach. The Miami location is the largest at 14,000 square feet, while the Hialeah and West Palm Beach stores are 13,500 and 9,000 square feet, respectively. There are also plans to open Dollar Trees in Sunny Isles Beach and Lauderhill.
Source: supermarketnews.com
SPAR Austria wins the "Future of European Commerce" Award
With its innovative "Fruit and vegetables 3 days fresher" campaign, SPAR Austria won the "Future of European Commerce" Award in the Digitalisation category, presented by EuroCommerce for the first time.
Source: spar-international.com
Louis Delhaize to shut some Match and Smatch stores in Belgium
Several Match and Smatch stores in Belgium face the risk of closure as they struggle to find new owners, according to a report by the Belga news agency. Of the 27 stores not taken over by Colruyt, 19 will shut their doors between mid-January and March, impacting 163 employees, according to the report.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Ireland: Farmers cannot take hit in retail price war
IFA President Tim Cullinan said farmers would be very skeptical about the latest publicity blitz by some retailers claiming to champion consumers with lower prices. "If the retailers want to engage in combat for customers, it cannot be at the expense of farmers and producers. The idea that primary producers can afford to take a lower price flies in the face of higher input costs. The food chain cannot survive if relentless pressure is piled on those who produce the food", he said.
Source: ifa.ie
Holland: Jumbo exceeds €10bln in sales in FY 2023
Dutch retailer Jumbo has reported a 7.3% increase in sales to €11.02bln in its financial year 2023, exceeding the €10bln sales threshold for the first time. In this period, consumer sales under the Jumbo formula increased by 7.1% to €10.89bln, the company noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Ireland: Aldi announces price reduction on number of items
Aldi has announced price cuts across a range of popular products, with items reduced by up to 23%. Looking back at Christmas, customers bought over 8mln Brussels sprouts, 2.5mln mince pies, and 320,000 bottles of champagne, sparkling wine, and prosecco.
Source: breakingnews.ie
UK's Diddly Squat delights: Field to Fork shop becomes a hit with Clarkson's farm favorites
Field to Fork, a recently opened farm shop in Henley-in-Arden, has quickly become a hit with locals, particularly for its range of Diddly Squat products, famously associated with Jeremy Clarkson's farm. The shop's inventory includes an array of items from Clarkson's brand, including a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Source: fpcfreshtalkdaily.co.uk
France: Kretinsky-led consortium set to own 53.7% of retailer Casino's capital
A consortium led by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky will own and control 53.7% of French retailer Casino's share capital once a restructuring plan is completed, Casino said.
Source: reuters.com
Portugal: Sonae to close Go Natural supermarkets
Sonae will close the Go Natural supermarkets by the end of January, adding that "integration processes" are underway for the chain's workers in other businesses owned by the owner of Continente.
Source: theportugalnews.com
UK: Aldi launches exciting new vegan range as it predicts huge sales uplift this VeganuaryAldi is launching its biggest-ever vegan range, including NEW Plant Menu Corn Dogs and NEW Plant Menu No Salmon Slices. The supermarket predicts a 40% sales uplift year on year on its Plant Menu range.
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
Australia's best value fresh produce in January: underwhelming greens are an excuse to make Greek salad
"Your top two are definitely your peaches and nectarines. They're right at the peak of the season", says Luke Boulus, director at Westridge Fruit Market in Toowoomba. "The quality is really good, the price is really reasonable." In supermarkets, yellow and white flesh nectarines and peaches are between $3.90 and $4.50 a kilo and will likely come down further in price.
Source: theguardian.com
Holland: Supporting sustainable food choices during Veganuary and beyond
Just Eat Takeaway.com reported: "For the fourth year in a row, we're pleased to be supporting the Veganuary challenge by actively engaging with our partners and consumers through a multi-channel communication campaign."
Source: justeattakeaway.com
VAT hike reflecting differently in Estonian supermarket chains 
Estonia's VAT rate, which grew to 22% from January, did not result in an even price hike in all shops, and some chains have opted not to hike the price of popular goods in order to stay competitive. ERR compared prices in December and January and found out that hikes have been selective, with more popular food items the least affected. Potatoes have only become more expensive in Selver supermarkets at 49 cents per kilo, costing 38 cents in other chains both in December and January.
Source: news.err.ee
Discounters, Sainsbury's, and Tesco are UK Christmas winners - Kantar
German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl, No. 2 player Sainsbury's, and market leader Tesco were the biggest winners among British supermarkets at Christmas, according to industry data. Market researcher Kantar said those performing not so well included Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, and Iceland.
Source: reuters.com