Belgium: OKay Supermarkets Welcome Bon'Ap Shop-In-Shops
Belgian grocery retailer Colruyt has announced that four former Comarkt stores in East and West Flanders will reopen as OKay supermarkets, each featuring a new Bon'Ap department. This 'shop-in-shop' concept launched in Machelen (Zulte) on 5 November. The former Comarkt in Machelen already housed a Buurtslagers counter, part of the Meat&More group, which also includes Bon'Ap. The roll-out will continue in De Haan in December, followed by Mariakerke and Wachtebeke in the spring of 2026.
Source: ESM Magazine
Ireland: Lidl Ireland is laying claim to Ireland's first net zero energy supermarket.
The new loaction in Maynooth, Co. Kildare is pitched as a huge step forward on its Road to Zero journey – combining forward thinking design, renewable energy generation and the most advanced sustainability features ever implemented in a Lidl store.
Key highlights include: 575 kWp rooftop solar PV system - 2.5× the standard store size. On-site battery storage (215 kWh) powering the store for up to six hours. 40% reduction in energy consumption vs. a standard store. 25% reduction in embodied carbon through sustainable construction materials. Green travel options including EV charging, e-bike/scooter and cargo bike spaces. Biodiversity focused landscaping, green walls and rainwater harvesting systems. BREEAM Outstanding certification.
In a LinkedIn post, Tim Ulbrich, COO at Lidly Ireland and Lidl Northern Ireland, said: "Together, these innovations make Maynooth a living testbed for the future of sustainable retail in Ireland and across Europe."
Source: Retailtech Innovation Hub
Portugal: Mercadona signs contract for new Portugal supermarket
The Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona has signed a contract to open a new store in HOP – Heart of Porto, a multifunctional project set to transform the city centre. According to Mercadona: "We are delighted to be part of HOP - Heart of Porto, a project that stands out for its innovation, sustainability and integration into the urban fabric. This location represents an important step in our growth plan, strengthening our proximity to the city and its dynamics, and will be an opportunity for us to be present in one of the most relevant urban contexts in the country."
Source: The Portugal News
Spain: Lidl accelerates Spanish expansionLidl is stepping up its growth in Spain with the launch of five new supermarkets in November, backed by a €25 million investment. The five new outlets will add around 7,000 m² of retail space and create over 120 stable jobs. The new stores are set in: Navalcarnero (Madrid), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Catalonia) — both opening 7 November — and later in Jaén, Alhaurín de la Torre and Salamanca.
They each feature modern layouts, expanded fresh produce sections, and eco-friendly touches such as EV charging points in some locations. This flock of new openings forms part of Lidl's plan for fiscal 2025 (1 March 2025 – 28 February 2026), wherein it expects around 50 new outlets across Spain — about 40 brand-new openings and the remainder being refurbishments or expansions.
Source: International Supermarket News
US: Grocers boost food banks amid government shutdown
Grocers are stepping up to support families in their marketing areas impacted by the ongoing federal government shutdown and the uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits.
ShopRite and Wakefern Food Corp. are pledging $1.25 million in food and funds to food banks across its northeastern U.S. operating region. Elsewhere, Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) is donating $500,000 to food banks in the Southwest.
Source: Progressive Grocer
US: Whole Foods debuts in-store MFC with conventional grocery items
One of the specialty grocer's locations has launched a new "store within a store" concept that uses an automated system to provide products like Goldfish crackers to shoppers. While products like Pepperidge Farm Goldfish and Tide Laundry Detergent Pods aren't on Whole Foods' shelves in front of the eyes of shoppers, the companies' newly launched "store within a store" concept in Pennsylvania.
The automated MFC holds over 12,000 items from both Whole Foods and Amazon's assortments. In-store customers can scan QR codes on digital screens throughout the store, which bring them to the Amazon app and a custom mobile storefront. From there, they can purchase items not offered directly on Whole Foods' shelves and pick them up at a designated counter.
Source: Grocery Dive
US: Oregon Grocery Outlets extend 10% discount to all customers
A handful of Grocery Outlet operators in Oregon have expanded their offer to help customers in need after their initial plan ran afoul of government regulations. Several Grocery Outlet store owners in the Pacific Northwest had planned to offer a 10% discount to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries after SNAP benefits were not distributed this month, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent them notices warning them that singling out SNAP recipients for special pricing was not allowed.
"The solution is, we are going to be offering that discount to everybody," said Mike McGinty, owner of the McMinnville (Oregon) Grocery Outlet, in a video he posted on Facebook. He added, however, that "there was a catch" to his offer. "We put a budget on this of $5,000," he said. "If you do not need a discount, please do not ask for it, or take it, because there's only so much money in that pot."
Source: Supermarket News
US: Iconic 80-year-old Florida supermarket chain unexpectedly closes every last store
An iconic Florida grocery chain has closed after 80 years. A descendant of the co-founders said he's 'relieved' to see it go. Hitchcock's Market, a North Florida grocery chain that once employed more than 800 people and pulled in roughly $150million a year, shut down for good at the end of October.
The family-run grocer sold its final ten stores — scattered across small towns in North Central Florida — to larger competitors like Winn-Dixie and Bravo. 'It's sad to see the name disappear,' said Alan Hitchcock, the son of the store's co-founder, who sold the chain in 2008.
Source: Daily Mail
South Africa: Community farmers bring hope and harvests to Shoprite and Checkers' Market Day
Shoppers were greeted by rows of fresh spinach, fragrant herbs and baskets of homegrown produce lining selected Shoprite and Checkers stores nationwide on Thursday, 6 November 2025. The displays marked the retailers' annual Market Day, showcasing the harvests of over 70 community food gardens.
Market Day gives local farmers and co-operatives the chance to sell their produce directly to the public, gain retail experience and strengthen the roots of small businesses that feed their neighbourhoods – and this year was no different.
Source: Shoprite
India: Carrefour ropes in retail veteran to build India business from scratch
Carrefour has hired Saurabh Bansal as chief merchandising officer to spearhead the French retailer's India launch, nabbing a veteran who just pulled off the rare feat of making Spencer's Retail profitable for the first time in 22 quarters.
Bansal, who joined Carrefour in September after two years as executive director at Spencer's, is tasked with building the hypermarket chain's Indian operations from ground zero. His exit comes months after he steered Spencer's to EBITDA profitability in the third quarter of fiscal 2024-25—a milestone the struggling retailer hadn't touched since early 2019.
Source: IndianTelevision.com
Philippines: 7-Eleven PH Jan-Sept income dips to P2.38B
Seven Corp., the local licensee of 7-Eleven, posted a 7.8 percent decline in net income to P2.38 billion for the first nine months of 2025, from P2.58 billion a year earlier, as weaker same-store sales offset the gains from network expansion. In a third quarter report, the company said the earnings dip was mainly driven by a 2.1-percent contraction in same-store sales, a reversal from the 5.8 percent growth recorded during the same period in 2024. Stores in Metro Manila posted the sharpest drop at 3.9 percent while outlets in Mindanao were the only ones to post growth, up 1.5 percent.
Source: Manila Times
