US: UNFI retail chief Mike Stigers to exit
Mike Stigers, CEO of retail at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), plans to leave the company later this spring, the Providence, Rhode Island-based distributor reported in an 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: The Fresh Market launches annual partnership with Boston celebrity Chef Anna Rossi taking its shoppable video-live commerce retail media network to the next Level
The Fresh Market is welcoming spring and the upcoming Easter holiday by launching an annual partnership with Boston celebrity Chef Anna Rossi. In her new role as a brand ambassador and spokesperson, Rossi will create recipes, lifestyle content and host a monthly livestreaming shoppable event on the company’s website.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Dallas-Fort Worth bags 3 new Kroger supermarkets opening in 2024
Three Dallas-Fort Worth cities are set to score new supermarkets. According to a release, the Kroger supermarket chain is opening new Kroger Marketplace format stores in North Texas in three cities: Plano, Melissa, and Fort Worth.
Source: dallas.culturemap.com
US: Instacart serves up more fresh produce with innovative new advertising capability
Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, announced an industry-first online advertising capability, enabling produce brands to advertise fresh, weighted items - such as carrots, grapes, onions, oranges, sweet potatoes, and watermelons - from the produce department across the Instacart Marketplace.
Source: prnewswire.com
Loblaw takes delivery of first eCascadia sold in Canada
Loblaw has taken delivery of the first production series all-electric Freightliner eCascadia to be put into service in Canada, deploying it out of its Boucherville, Quebec, distribution center. It will service Loblaw-owned stores in the Greater Montreal Area, including those under the Provigo, Provigo Le Marche, and Maxi banners.
Source: trucknews.com
US: Walmart lays off hundreds of workers at e-commerce facilities
Walmart is laying off hundreds of employees at e-commerce fulfillment centers across the country. The big-box giant joins a growing list of retailers, including Amazon and Target, that are cutting costs.
Source: cnbc.com
Japan: ValueAct seeks to oust four directors of Seven & i
ValueAct Capital informed Seven & i Holdings it would lobby to remove four directors from the Japanese convenience store operator's 14-member board, citing "a failed corporate strategy".
Source: reuters.com
UK: Sainsbury's continues convenience expansion with launch of new store in Merseyside
Earlier this month Sainsbury’s announced that its convenience stores achieved sales of £3bln for the first time, with 12% more customers shopping in Sainsbury’s Locals than in the previous year, and the retailer is continuing its convenience rollout with the opening of its Maghull Central Square Local in Sefton, Merseyside. Fresh bread and pastries will be baked in the store every day and it will also provide an excellent range of great value, high quality chilled food, fruit and vegetables, along with other grocery and household staples.
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
Bangladesh: Shwapno to sell sliced watermelons
The authorities of Shwapno, one of the largest retail brand chain shop in Bangladesh, have decided to sell sliced watermelons by cutting a full one into three different sizes in the month of Ramadan, said a press release. In other news: Shwapno targets massive expansion.
Source: newagebd.net
Swedish online grocery delivery startup is acquired by its competitor
Kavall, a fast delivery startup in Stockholm, has been acquired by its competitor Mathem. Kavall has offered delivery of groceries in just 10 minutes, from its own stores to the customer’s door, while Mathem is a tech-driven supermarket that offers a flexible e-commerce service for, among other things, groceries, kitchen products, and home furnishings.
Source: arcticstartup.com
Bulgaria: Commission on Protection of Competition begins investigating for cartels in food production and trade
The Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) institutes three proceedings to establish possible violations under Art. 15 of the Protection of Competition Act, in the form of prohibited agreements and decisions by associations of enterprises. They affect participants at all levels of distribution in the food sector and their associations - Association for Modern Trade, Billa Bulgaria EOOD, Lidl Bulgaria EOOD & Co, Kaufland Bulgaria EOOD & Co, Maxima Bulgaria EOOD, Promarket EEOD, Fantastico Group and Metro Cash and Carry Bulgaria EOOD.
Source: bta.bg
Lidl leads Portuguese retail growth in 2022
Retailers Sonae and Jerónimo Martins ended 2022 as the biggest players in Portugal's grocery sector, although Lidl saw the highest growth, new data from Kantar has revealed. According to the data, which was published by Economia Online, MC Sonae, which operates the Continente banner, saw its market share drop from 28.7% in Q4 2021 to 27.1% in Q4 2022.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Millions of Brits make permanent switch to ordering groceries online since pandemic
Millions of Brits have made the permanent switch to ordering groceries exclusively online since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, new figures have revealed. According to new consumer trends data from Barclays - which combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions to provide a detailed view of UK spending - the pandemic and ongoing cost-of-living crisis have had a significant impact on consumer behaviour and how the public are spending their discretionary income.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
Shoptalk Europe to reveal the latest retail innovations
Shoptalk Europe, taking place from 9-11 May at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, is the number one platform for fuelling conversations around the future of retail.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Britain's Tesco beats rapid delivery rollout target
Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket group, has beaten its target for the rollout of its rapid delivery service Whoosh, it said. A raft of rapid delivery firms, including Getir and GoPuff, have emerged in recent years, prompting traditional supermarket groups like Tesco to rethink their business models.
Source: reuters.com
Norway: Price reduction initiatives dent NorgesGruppen’s annual profit
Investments in price reduction initiatives and increased costs led to a decline in profit for NorgesGruppen in its 2022 financial year. The Norwegian retail conglomerate saw profit drop to NOK2.9bln (€260mln) in 2022, from NOK3.9bln (€350mln) in 2021, while profit margin for the period was 2.8% - down from 3.8% a year ago.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Jeronimo Martins urges Portugal to cut VAT on food, eyes Slovak market
Portugal’s second-largest retailer Jeronimo Martins urged the government to cut the value added tax on basic food products and promised to reduce its domestic prices accordingly, saying the anti-inflation measure was long overdue. Luis Araújo, head of the Polish unit Biedronka, which is the largest food retailer in Poland, said many Slovak consumers were already crossing the border to buy at Biedronka, and the company has been “looking carefully at Slovakia” for expansion.
Source: reuters.com