How to overcome organic produce merchandising obstacles
It is crucial that retailers offer top-quality organic produce with solid and consistent assortments if they are to sustain or increase the volume growth rates, said Sherry Frey, vice president of total wellness for NielsenIQ, a New York-based consumer intelligence firm. It is important for merchandisers to emphasize organic produce as it comprises about 12.6% of all produce sales and is a top-selling organic category in stores, Frey said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Subway names Jonathan Fitzpatrick as Chief Executive Officer
Subway® announced that Jonathan Fitzpatrick will join the company as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 28, 2025, following a comprehensive search. Fitzpatrick will work closely with Interim CEO Carrie Walsh to ensure a seamless transition.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Trader Joe's continues to crank out store openings
Trader Joe's plans to open 30 new stores across 18 states in the coming months. Texas, California, and New York are each expected to receive three locations. Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Utah will get two stores each. Trader Joe's also has plans for locations in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Stater Bros. Markets caps off Twentynine Palms store remodel with flag-raising ceremony
Stater Bros. Markets reported: "Stater Bros. Markets is pleased to announce the grand reopening of its extensively remodeled supermarket at 71727 29 Palms Hwy., Twentynine Palms, CA 92277. Making their way through the rest of the store, shoppers will now find highly popular and convenient food solutions such as fresh sushi created in-store by professionally trained sushi chefs, and fresh-cut fruit straight from a fruit-cutting station".
Source: staterbros.com
US: Inside Publix's latest store in Port Saint Lucie
Publix Super Markets has opened its eighth store of the summer in Port Saint Lucie on Florida's eastern coast. The location at the Riverland Town Center officially welcomed shoppers on July 19. The latest Publix in Port Saint Lucie carries a plethora of organic and conventionally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, with locally grown produce and exotic choices.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
A visual approach for hyping produce
Presenting fruit and vegetables in a creative and novel manner can be the coup for creating produce department buzz. Utilizing designs that stand out in the crowded merchandising space are powerful shopper magnets and enable retailers to differentiate their produce assortments from the myriad of rivals, said Jonna Parker, team lead, Fresh Foods Group, for Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US retail giant Costco to set up global capability centre in India, to employ 1000 people, sources say
U.S. retailer Costco Wholesale Corp will open its first technology centre in India in Hyderabad, two people familiar with the plans told Reuters. The Global Capability Centre, handling technology and research operations and working alongside global teams, will initially employ 1,000 people and scale up, sources said.
Source: reuters.com
Cibus expands retail real estate portfolio with ten acquisitions
Real estate firm Cibus has acquired ten properties across Sweden, Denmark, and Belgium in four separate transactions, amounting to approximately €36.5mln in underlying property value. In Belgium, Cibus is acquiring a Proxy Delhaize grocery store in Meerhout, Province of Antwerp, for €1.6mln. The 1,300-square-metre store is leased to Ahold Delhaize, and the deal was signed with a private investor.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Irish tomato-growing brothers star in Marks and Spencer advert
A pair of tomato-growing brothers in Dublin are the stars of Marks and Spencer's latest advertising campaign. John and Matt Foley, from the coastal town of Rush in Co. Dublin, supply M&S with Rosa Vine, Tomalini and classic Salad tomatoes from their Kilbush Nurseries business. M&S Food Ambassador Mark Moriarty met with the siblings to get an insight into how the sweetness of their produce is attributed to their coastal sea location.
Source: irishpost.com
Annual grocery bills could jump by £275
Kantar reported: "Take home sales at the grocers grew by 5.4% in the four weeks to 13 July compared with last year, according to the latest figures from Worldpanel by Numerator. And while not everyone is putting strawberries and cream in sandwiches just yet, Wimbledon did help get them back on shoppers' minds, with sales shooting up by 28% and 16% respectively".
Source: kantar.com
China: JD.com refutes reports on acquisition of HK grocery chain Kai Bo
Chinese mainland e-commerce giant JD.com has denied reports that it reached an agreement four months ago to acquire a majority stake in Hong Kong grocery chain Kai Bo Food Supermarket, saying in response to an enquiry from China Daily that the report of the acquisition "significantly deviates from the facts".
Source: chinadailyasia.com
UK food inflation to peak at 5.1% in 2025, warns IGD
IGD's latest 'Viewpoint' report: 'UK food inflation forecasts 2025-2027' warns that retail food inflation is set to peak at 5.1% in late summer 2025, significantly outpacing general inflation.
Source: talkingretail.com
UK: M&S opens brand-new store in Leytonstone
M&S reported: "M&S has opened a brand-new showstopping 12k sq ft food store on Leytonstone High Road. The new fresh market-style foodhall offers the very best of M&S Food, including seasonal produce from M&S Select Farms, an in-store bakery & coffee counter, serving bread, pastries and a range takeaway hot and iced drinks".
In other news: M&S opens its first ever airside food store in partnership with Heathrow
Source: corporate.marksandspencer.com
New research reveals the £78bln hidden cost of managing unsold and surplus food
University of Portsmouth reported: "A new report published by ECR Retail Loss reveals that the 'hidden costs' to retailers associated with managing unsold and surplus food amounts to €90bln a year. Exploring the True Cost of Unsold Food in Retail, led by Professor Lisa Jack and her team at the University of Portsmouth, found that the additional costs of dealing with unsold food, such as staff time, markdowns, redistribution, and disposal, can be as much as 1.8% of sales revenue. Separate analysis by ECR Retail Loss estimates the global fresh produce market at more than €5tln+ per annum. Suggesting the total global hidden costs of managing surplus and unsold food are €90bln+ every year".
Source: port.ac.uk
SPAR China partner continues growth in the north of the country
SPAR China founding partner SPAR Shandong continues to grow the brand's presence in the north of the country, opening three new and renovated SPAR supermarkets. The new SPAR supermarket Zibo Hengtaicheng opened its doors to customers. Fresh produce is sourced directly from producers and includes a traceability system, whereby customers can understand the journey of their fresh products from origin to the store shelves.
Source: spar-international.com
AI on the Menu: How Dales is using AI to cook up growth
Dales The Chef's Choice, a third-generation family-run foodservice wholesaler, is embracing artificial intelligence and digital transformation to power its continued growth. The business, which delivers fresh, dry, dairy, and frozen products to over 300 customers daily, has adopted Fresho's order management platform to streamline operations and elevate the customer experience.
Source: fpcfreshtalkdaily.co.uk
