Spar International to open 300 stores in Thailand by 2020 -
SPAR International has formally launched in Thailand in partnership with the Bangchak Retail Company Limited (BCR). The €74m (US$78m) investment will see up to 300 new stores across the country in the next five years. During 2016, BCR plans to open 7 new stores, comprising key flagship convenience and neighbourhood developments. From 2017, the retailer plans to open 50-80 stores each year for the next five years. (igd.com)France's Carrefour eyes €4.5bn IPO of Carmila arm
French retailer Carrefour is eyeing an initial public offering in the second quarter of 2017 for its commercial property arm Carmila that could value Carmila at up to €4.5bn ($4.8bn), newspaper Les Echos reported. Les Echos said investment banks Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale were handling the possible Carmila IPO for Carrefour. A Carrefour spokeswoman declined to comment on the situation. Analysts say floating Carmila, which ranks among Europe's five largest commercial property firms, would allow Carrefour to get extra cash to fund its expansion and also unlock some hidden value within Carrefour's asset portfolio. (Reuters)2020 Global food retail market will reach $8,541.9bn -
The global Food Retail market was valued at USD 5,643.6bn in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1 % from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 8,541.9bn in 2020. The rise in the global populations, changing customer preferences, and emerging economies are making the way for the food retail industry. (newsmaker.com.au)
Ex-Tesco boss will not face charges
Tesco’s former CEO Philip Clarke will not face charges in relation to an accounting scandal at the supermarket chain, it has been confirmed. Clarke’s lawyer, David Corker, said on Monday that he had received a letter from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) informing him of the decision. (theguardian.com)Lidl opens pop-up restaurant in Madrid
Lidl has opened its first pop-up restaurant in Spain. Located at the emblematic Capitol Cinemas in Central Madrid, the retailer opened the restaurant between 25 to 28 November, offering a menu created by Michelin star chef, Sergi Arola, using items from its ‘Deluxe’ range. Lidl continues to increase the number of ‘Deluxe’ products sourced in Spain, which currently account for more than 50% of the range. (igd.com)Russia’s Lenta ‘doubles selling space’ ahead of schedule
Russian retailer Lenta has announced that it has doubled its selling space ahead of its target of the end of 2016. The retailer now boasts 1,019,968 square metres of selling space, part of its goal outlined in its IPO of March 2014. During the first nine months of this year, Lenta opened more than 60% of the net selling space added in the hypermarket segment in Russia, up from 35% in 2015. The retailer currently accounts for around 20% of the total hypermarket selling space in Russia. (esmmagazine.com) Carrefour to invest and eyes organic in Poland
During 2016 Carrefour has invested in its operations in the country to open 10 new stores, modernise 14 existing ones and add two new variations to its Market format; an upmarket and an urban version. Discussing the company’s investment during the year, François Vincent, the COO for supermarkets and convenience stores in Poland said that Carrefour would open a further two stores, while looking for opportunities to add its ‘Bio’ (‘Organic’) focused fascia in the country as well. (igd.com)Germany: Deadly spider found in Lidl bananas
A Brazilian wandering spider was discovered by a customer in a Lidl supermarket in Rotenburg, Lower Saxony on Saturday. Employees quickly closed off the area and called the police. A specialist in dangerous animals was then able to trap the eight-legged critter. (thelocal.de) UK: Ocado Andover fulfilment centre goes live
The online supermarket retailer is now operating from its new Andover Customer Fulfilment Centre. The site began picking and delivering customer orders early last week. The online business said it expects volumes to increase over the next few months. The site is expected to add 65,000 orders per week at an estimated cost of £45m. The retailer also has plans for a new fulfilment centre at Erith, Kent, which is due to open at the end of next year. (logisticsmanager.com) 
North Carolina retail competition heats up in triangleTesco 'worth £5.7bn to Northern Ireland'
Tesco has contributed £5.7bn to the Northern Ireland economy over the past two decades, economists claim. And the British retailer, which is marking 20 years since it first set up in the north, said that figure was "conservative". It was the first time it had attempted to put a figure on its economic worth to any region of the UK. The retailer has 1,200 local product lines on its shelves produced by 90 suppliers and 6,000 farmers. (irishnews.com)Thai Berli to spend $281 mln for expansion in 2017
Thailand's Berli Jucker said on Tuesday it planned to spend about 10bn baht ($281m) in 2017 on opening new stores for hypermarket operator Big C Supercenter, as well as expanding its packaging capacity. Berli, the retail flagship of Thai tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi's TCC Group, completed a $6.2bn acquisition of Big C in May after winning an offer for French retailer Casino's 58.6% stake in February. (Reuters)UK: Poundland to offload up to 80 stores
Leading UK discount retailer Poundland is to close up to 80 stores, just two months after it was acquired by South African retail giant Steinhoff International, according to press reports. (igd.com)Carrefour sees opportunities for ‘Easy’ banner in Belgium
In an interview with L’Echo, Carrefour Belgium’s CEO, Francois-Melchior de Polignac, said that despite other people’s views, the company did not feel that the country was saturated and that there were expansion opportunities for its Easy supermarket format. De Polignac said that Carrefour has opened 17 stores in Belgium during 2016, with the launch of the Easy banner being the stand out development for the company. (igd.com) Alfamart Philippines plans 120 stores
Alfamart Philippines is set for major expansion with funding secured for as many as 120 new convenience stores. Minority parent company Sumber Alfaria Trijaya already operates 44 stores in the Philippines in a joint venture with SM Retail, through its local subsidiary Alfamart Retail Asia. (insideretail.asia)Macedonia’s KAM Market starts regional expansion
Macedonian discount grocer KAM Market has opened 13 stores in Kosovo, as part of its regional expansion plans that also include Bulgaria and Albania. This follows KAM Market’s takeover of the local operations of hard discounter Diambe Market that decided to focus its activities on Albania. (esmmagazine.com) 
