Penny Italia has concluded the acquisition of 16 stores

Still getting 5 a day? High prices force Belgians to buy less fruit and veg
A quarter of all Belgians now buy less fruit and vegetables compared to this time last year, as soaring food prices and general high inflation have forced households to radically restructure their supermarket spending habits. According to a study commissioned by Aldi Belgium, more than half of all Belgians now only purchase fruit and vegetables when they are on sale. "Currently, the purchase of fresh products such as fruits and vegetables is strongly influenced by promotions", the survey noted. In addition, the study recorded an increase in the number of Belgians buying cheaper fruit: 10% of the survey's respondents stated that they purchase apples, pears and bananas more often than they did before in order to cut costs.
Source: brusselstimes.com 

Penny Italia acquires 16 stores, grows presence in Rome
Penny Italia has concluded the acquisition of 16 stores from Gruppo Faranda (Tuodì and Fresco Market banners) and a Gruppo Pam franchise. Of this total, 13 outlets are located in Rome, where Penny has almost tripled its presence, while the other three are located in Frosinone, Ispra and Riccione. All these stores will reopen under the Penny Italia banner by 8 June, in addition to two new Penny outlets in Rome (Via Gargano and Via L'Aquila).
Source: esmmagazine.com 

France: Carrefour can expand as a stand-alone - CEO
Reuters reported: "French food retailer Carrefour has the financial means for its expansion and will continue to expand through tactical deals, Chairman and Chief Executive Alexandre Bompard said. "We don't need anyone to accelerate our expansion. We are strengthening our business through tactical deals. We are in an ideal position to continue to expand that way," Bompard told shareholders".
Source: nasdaq.com 

UK: Waitrose shelves completely bare at Cambs store as supermarket struggles with stock issues
Shelves at a popular supermarket in Cambridgeshire have been completely bare on Friday, May 26, sparking frustration among shoppers. Waitrose in Trumpington has had empty shelves all day in many aisles, according to residents. There were no fruit and vegetables, and no cream and limited other perishable products, one shopper told CambsLive. In a video seen by CambsLive, aisle after aisle in the fresh produce section is completely empty.
Source: cambridge-news.co.uk 

Groupe Casino to sell some French stores to Groupement Les Mousquetaires
Groupement Les Mousquetaires and Groupe Casino have signed a protocol which will see the latter selling some stores to the former as both businesses aim to optimise their respective networks and extend their industrial and purchasing partnerships. Stores to be offloaded include hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience formats in France worth around €1.05bln, excluding VAT (€1.15bln, including VAT). The disposal of stores will be conducted in two groups, with the first valued at €549mln and scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
Source: esmmagazine.com 

UK: James White launches organic fruit and vegetable juices for children
James White Drinks has launched a range of organic fruit and vegetable juices, designed specifically for children. Made with organic juices and 50% water, the juices are available in two flavours: mango, apple and carrot, and grape, apricot, apple and cucumber.
Source: foodbev.com 

Online sales forecast for Germany tempered
Inflation and subdued consumer confidence are expected to dampen online spending in Germany, according to the latest announcement by Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE). In its HDE Online Monitor 2023, the retail association has revised its earlier projections for online revenue growth in Germany downward.
Source: ecommercenews.eu 

UK: Food price cap will not make a difference - retailers
Government plans to introduce a cap on the price of basic food items will not help tackle the rising cost of living, retailers have warned. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the measures would not make a "jot of difference" and could thwart efforts to cut inflation.
Source: bbc.com 

The world's top 25 retailers - Ranked
The top 25 publicly-traded global retailers collectively achieved revenue growth of 7.1% in 2022, to $3.5tln (€3.26tln), new data from GlobalData has found. GlobalData’s Company Reports Database reveals that of the top 25 publicly traded retailers, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Seven & i, Costco, and CVS Health posted double-digit year-on-year revenue growth. Other retailers to post impressive gains included Walmart, Amazon, JD.com, Kroger, Tesco and Albertsons, which all reported more than 5% growth in their revenue.
Source: esmmagazine.com 

US: Numerator announces SNAP Trip Tracker to analyze channel and category impact
Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has published a SNAP Trip Tracker to understand longitudinal trends in SNAP / WIC usage and how SNAP shopping trips have changed in terms of frequency, composition, and location. While grocery trips where SNAP benefits are used tend to be larger than non-SNAP trips, the overall volume of SNAP trips, basket sizes, and units per basket have all seen declines following the end of the Emergency Allotment program.
Source: globenewswire.com 

Axios Harris Poll names Kroger one of America's most visible & trusted companies
The Kroger Co. announced its inclusion among the 2023 Axios Harris Poll 100, an annual ranking of the reputations of the most visible companies in the U.S. The Axios Harris Poll is a trusted ranking of the reputations of companies most on the minds of Americans, with a framework used by Harris since 1999.
Source: prnewswire.com 

US: NGA says proposed WIC online ordering rule can be more accessible to independents
The National Grocers Association (NGA) said it has sent comments to the USDA about the agency’s proposal to allow online ordering for participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The trade association, which represents independent supermarkets, said it supports efforts to make online purchasing possible for WIC participants and also made several suggestions for how the agency can make WIC online ordering a more accessible option for smaller grocers. “[The] proposed rule lacks general details and guidance for retailers on how to actually implement online ordering for WIC”, Stephanie Johnson, NGA’s vice president of government relations, said in a statement. “NGA members will require technical assistance, detailed guidance from USDA, and sufficient time to implement these changes.”
Source: grocerydive.com