US: UFCW Local 75, Kroger revisit wages after cut-fruit pilot
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 75 revisited its contract with The Kroger Co. to earn a 50-cent hourly wage increase for about 11,000 supermarket employees in the Cincinnati/Dayton area. The wage hike came about when the union and Kroger agreed to pilot a fresh-cut fruit program at eight stores, Kevin Garvey, president of UFCW Local 75, said in an interview with Winsight Grocery Business.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
Loblaw to spend $1.5bln to expand business in Canada, create 6,000 jobs
Loblaw Companies Ltd said it would spend C$2bln ($1.50bln) to expand its business in 2023 and create more than 6,000 new jobs in retail, supply chain, technology and construction in Canada.
Source: reuters.com
US: Big Y getting ready to launch new-concept store in Massachusetts
Big Y Foods Inc. is getting ready to open its new-concept Big Y Express Fresh Market in Springfield, Massachusetts. Located at 1500 Main Street as part of the Tower Square, the new 10,000-square-foot urban market will be tailored to fit the needs of the city’s downtown community, which has been considered a food desert due to a lack of fresh and healthy food.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: United Natural Foods helps emerging brands successfully grow and scale their business
With consumers looking for new food experiences in addition to connecting with brands that share similar values, United Natural Foods, Inc. (the “Company” or “UNFI”) is leveraging the scale of its distribution network to help emerging brands expand distribution with UNFI’s diverse customer base and better reach North American consumers.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Albertsons enables iPhone, Apple Watch links to Sincerely Health platform
Through a collaboration with Apple, Albertsons Cos. now can accept activity data from the iPhone and the Apple Watch on its Sincerely Health digital health-and-wellness platform.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Lidl sets grand opening for latest Virginia Store
Lidl is getting ready to lift the lid on its latest store in Virginia. The German grocer that regularly touts its low prices is set open a location at 14445 Chantilly Crossing Lane in the town of Chantilly, Virginia, on May 3.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Walmart’s chief merchandising officer to depart as retailer navigates tough sales environment
Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Charles Redfield is stepping down next month. He will stay on as an advisor for the business. Redfield’s replacement will be announced soon, according to a company memo.
Source: cnbc.com
Wage protests halt high-speed grocery deliveries at India's Zomato
Around 50 stores of Indian food delivery company Zomato's grocery unit Blinkit are shut as bike riders have stopped work in the latest protest to hit India's gig economy as employees push demands for better wages.
Source: reuters.com
Top 10 supermarket retail chains in The Netherlands
Here's an overview of the top ten supermarket retail chains in the Netherlands, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index (www.retail-index.com) 1. Albert Heijn turnover: €16.4bln (2021); 2. Jumbo turnover: €10bln (2022); 3. Lidl turnover: €4.5bln (2020, estimated); 4. Aldi turnover: €3bln (2020, estimated); 5. PLUS turnover: €5.5bln (2022, estimated); 6. Detailresult turnover: €2.2bln (2021); 7. Sligro turnover: €1.9bln (2021); 8. SPAR turnover: €829mln (2021); 9. Makro turnover: €797mln (2020); 10. Hoogvliet turnover: €765mln (2019).
Source: esmmagazine.com
France: Casino bondholders seeking better terms in Teract tie-up
Some holders of bonds issued by French food retailer Casino are working with financial adviser Perella Weinberg Partners to push for better terms should the company's planned tie-up with smaller food firm Teract proceed, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Source: reuters.com
Amazon Fresh expands its presence to 50+ cities in India
Amazon Fresh, the online grocery arm of Amazon, has expanded its presence to 50+ cities in India as compared to around 22 cities in April last year, according to Srikant Sree Ram, Director of Amazon Fresh. Sree Ram told businessline that over 50% of Amazon Fresh customers have been coming from Tier 2 and 3 towns and hence, they are a critical customer base for Amazon Fresh. “Our focus has remained squarely on ensuring we provide high-quality products, especially in fresh fruits and vegetables and ensure that we offer our customer the best value. Whether it comes through pricing or through offers. Grocery for us has been one of our fastest growing categories nationally,” he added.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
Asda and Wayve launch UK’s largest self-driving grocery home delivery trial
Asda has partnered with autonomous vehicle technology start-up Wayve to deliver groceries to customers using self-driving vehicles. Customers of the Park Royal superstore in London will be the first to have grocery orders delivered by self-driving vehicles. The year-long trial covers a catchment area of 72,000 households in London, making it the largest trial in the UK.
Source: corporate.asda.com
New Zealand: Cost increases from grocery suppliers to supermarkets increase 10.3% in March
"The latest increase in March continues the rapid pace of cost increases so far in 2023, with producers and others up and down the supply chain still facing intense and sustained input cost pressures", says Infometrics Chief Executive and Principal Economist Brad Olsen. "Even with a 21%pa increase in produce costs, this figure underestimates the full increase in produce costs, with a number of fresh produce cost increases being outside the parameters of the index - an unusual situation brought about by the cyclone", says Mr Olsen.
Source: voxy.co.nz
Lithuanian supermarket chain begins rolling out contactless stores
Lithuanian supermarket chain IKI has opened its second contactless convenience store in the capital Vilnius, enabling customers to check in at the store door by tapping their payment card, mobile wallet or retailer’s app, select the products they want and pay for their purchases without needing to scan them, by tapping their payment card as they leave.
Source: nfcw.com
The owner of Georgian hypermarkets Agrohub opened a distribution center in partnership with the Bank of Georgia
The Georgian company Agrohub, which owns the chain of Agrohub agricultural hypermarkets, has opened a distribution center (DC) in partnership with the Bank of Georgia. According to the Bank of Georgia, the enterprise, located in Avchala (outskirts of Tbilisi), on an area of 3 000 square meters, has modern equipment and laboratories. The total cost of the project was 9mlnGEL ($3.6mln), of which 8.5mlnGEL ($3.4mln) was the bank’s investment.
Source: east-fruit.com
Lidl Portugal to switch to digital price tagsLidl has announced plans to introduce digital price tags at all its stores in Portugal, replacing the existing paper labels. The German chain said the move is part of its continued commitment to sustainability, and will result in savings of 400kg of paper per year per outlet (or 108 tonnes annually for its country network).
Source: kamcity.com
UK: Award-winning frozen chocolate banana snack lands at Vegan Kind
Pukpip’s frozen real chocolate banana treat is now being stocked at the newly relaunched Vegan Kind supermarket. As a first of its kind in the UK, the indulgent fruit treat contains only natural ingredients and no additives or preservatives. Following the success of its sister brand in the US, Pukpip adapted its new product to fit the UK food market.
Source: veganfoodandliving.com