Three supermarket chains in Vladimir, Russia have agreed to pay farmers advances for supplies of vegetables from the next harvest, reports progorod33.ru. The 3 chains, Aleks, Pyaterochka and Verny will continue to buy potatoes and other vegetables from Vladimir farmers. This cooperation began in 2015. Representatives of the regional administration mediated between retail chains and farmers; they also agreed to continue cooperation.UK: Lidl becomes official fruit and veg supplier of football teams
German discount chain Lidl has been appointed official supermarket of the England football team. From Tuesday, the Neckarsulm-based grocer will be the official supplier of water, fish, fruit and vegetables for Roy Hodgson’s boys under a multimillion-pound three-year deal with the Football Association. It will also be official supplier of fish, fruit and vegetables for Scotland and Wales after signing similar deals with their equivalent footballing bodies. Ryan McDonnell, purchasing director for Lidl UK, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Lidl and one that we are both excited and extremely proud to be a part of. We look forward to building successful partnerships with the English, Scottish and Welsh FAs in developing the sport at both national and community levels.” (theguardian.com)UK: Lidl and Aldi reach 10% milestone in market share
Budget upstarts Lidl and Aldi have snapped up a 10% share of all consumer spending in supermarkets, according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel. This is up from 5% just five years ago. Aldi beats Lidl on market share. Sales at Aldi grew 16.5%, keeping its market share at 5.6%, while Lidl's market share reached a new high of 4.4%, and sales there grew 19%. Of the big four, Sainsbury's has sustained growth for 
four straight quarters, overtaking Asda as the second biggest supermarket in the last 12 weeks. Sales fell everywhere else. Tesco sales were down 2.5% while Morrisons sales were down 1.7%. Asda was worst hit, with sales down 3.5%. (independent.co.uk)
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Source: Kantar
NZ: Bread knocks bananas from top supermarket purchases
Bread, bananas and milk were among the top selling products at New Zealand's three major supermarket brands and across the board buying habits show Kiwis love a bargain. Progressive's second annual Countdown Trolley Report found $1 Homebrand bread was the most frequently bought item among the grocery giant's 2.7 million weekly customers, knocking bananas from the top spot which they held in 2014. Fresh produce made up three of the five top sellers, which were in order Homebrand bread, bananas, Homebrand milk, broccoli and avocados. (nzherald.co.nz)Russian retailer Okey expands delivery from its internet stores in Moscow
In February of this year, Russian retail chain Okey launched their online store, reports new-retail.ru. In April, a delivery service was introduced and the delivery point of orders from the hypermarket Putilkovo began to work. Today the retailer has expanded the delivery zone in Moscow, opening another delivery point from the hypermarket Rostokino. The facility is strategically located, meaning another 40 regions of the city and the north-west suburbs will be able to use the online service, including delivery. The company explains that online sales are becoming more popular and they intend to extend their online services and delivery capabilities. The online range is connected to a particular branch of an Okey hypermarket. The next online delivery branch will be opened in St Petersburg.Russia: X5 Retail Group invest €43m in Orenburg retail chains
X5 Retail Group will invest close to €43m in the development of retail chains in the Orenburg region between 2015-2017, reports fruit-inform.com. The group plans to open around 100 grocery stores in the region as well as renovating 70 more, creating 1,700 new jobs. The group also plans to implement programs for disadvantaged citizens, including the distribution of special cards for purchasing discounted goods. In June 2015 the retailer bought 100 stores from the Orenburg retailer SoseDDushka. Currently, 152 Pyaterochka supermarkets, 4 Perekrestok and 1 hypermarket Karusel, operate in the region. Most of the stores will be rebranded as Pyaterochka. France: Carrefour launches first vegetarian own label range
Carrefour has announced the launch of its first-ever all-vegetarian own label range, prompted by growing consumer demand. The ‘Carrefour Veggie’ range is already available at the group’s stores and website across France, and features around 15 “simple and easy-to-cook” products. (kamcity.com)Aldi scoops ‘Brand of the Year’
Budget brand Aldi has been championed with the ‘Brand of the Year’ award at the Festival of Marketing 2015. ‘Brand of the Year’ is one of the top prizes given at the Masters of Marketing Awards, where the company battled against competitors including Airbnb, Lego, Netflix and Santander. In both brand and business, Aldi has had a highly successful year with its low prices, focused merchandising strategy and innovative promotional tactics proving to be a hit with UK shoppers. (ashdowngroup.com)US: Door to Door Organics scores $25.5 mln Series B
Natural and organic online grocer Door to Door Organics has raised $25.5m in Series B funding. Door to Door Organics will use the funding to continue executing on its proven growth model as a leading natural and organic online grocer and accelerate its expansion into additional markets. The investment was led by the Arlon Group, a New York based global food and agriculture investment firm. (pehub.com)AU: Woolworths confirms Holly Kramer to join board
Woolworths has confirmed that it intends to appoint former Best & Less CEO Holly Kramer as a non‐executive director, boosting the level of retail and consumer skills on the board. (smh.com.au)
Italy’s Crai opens 154 new stores in Q1 2015
Italian supermarket chain Crai added 154 new sales points during the first quarter of 2015, taking the total to over 2,000. Sales grew 15% compared to the same period in 2014, as a result of new marketing, commercial, development and diversification initiatives, both in the food channel and drug specialist stores. According to Marco Bordoli, CEO of the Crai Secom Group, Crai saw a 0.3% growth in the food channel. (esmmagazine.com)NZ: The most expensive items on supermarket shelves
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