Salad and Go to exit Texas and Oklahoma

US: A need for shopper identification in an evolving produce landscape
Retailers seeking to boost produce activity must keep an eye on the buyer. "Monitoring demographic shifts is essential as the produce shopper base is changing quickly in both size and spending power", said Jack Mackinnon, senior director of cultural insights for the Collage Group, a Bethesda, Maryland-based consumer research firm.
Source: supermarketnews.com

Wing and Walmart set to expand drone delivery to 150 new stores across the USA
Wing and Walmart are expanding their drone delivery service to an additional 150 Walmart stores in the US over the next year, bringing this to more than 40mln Americans.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com

Dunnhumby: Regional grocery chains take top honors in annual ranking for first time
H-E-B, Market Basket and Woodman's ranked as the top three U.S. grocery retailers in dunnhumby's ninth-annual Retailer Preference Index, a nationwide study of the U.S. grocery market.
Source: supermarketnews.com

US: Milestone for Amazon Just Walk Out tech as Tennessee Titans boost fan experience
Amazon reports the largest single venue deployment of its Just Walk Out technology to date. This will see Tennessee Titans' new Nissan Stadium become the first NFL stadium to go frictionless across all 40+ concession locations with Just Walk Out technology.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com

US: Playa Bowls starts the protein wave with its first dedicated high-protein menu
Playa Bowls reported: "Playa Bowls is introducing a powerful new lineup of protein smoothies and bowls that blend the brand's signature fresh flavors with a satisfying protein boost. The new Protein Wave menu features three new smoothies and two bowls made with clean, real ingredients like fresh fruit, nut butters, coconut milk, and kale".
Source: prnewswire.com

US: Bay Food Brokerage names new CEO
Bay Food Brokerage, a Tampa, Florida-based retail food brokerage company serving Florida and the Southeast, has completed a planned leadership transition: As of January 1, company founder Cammie Chatterton has moved from her role as CEO to founder and chairwoman of the board, while Chris Chatterton, her son and previous president and co-owner, has taken on the role of CEO and is now full owner of Bay Food Brokerage.
Source: progressivegrocer.com

US: Salad and Go to exit Texas and Oklahoma as it closes 32 restaurants
Salad and Go is closing its restaurants in Texas and Oklahoma, according to local reports in Texas and the drive-thru salad-chain's home state of Arizona. Chief executive officer Mike Tattersfield told The Arizona Republic that the decision was made so the chain could focus on where it is most successful.
Source: nrn.com

US: New York AG accuses Instacart of violating state law over pricing
New York Attorney General Letitia James is escalating scrutiny of Instacart, saying the grocery delivery company may have violated state law, Reuters reported.
Source: supermarketnews.com

US: Walmart teams up with Google's Gemini to make it easier for shoppers to find and buy products
Walmart and Google said that the companies are working together to make it easier for shoppers to discover and buy items through Google's AI assistant, Gemini.
Source: cnbc.com

SPAR Austria opens new EUROSPAR in Schwadorf
SPAR Austria has opened a modern, sustainably designed EUROSPAR store in Schwadorf, Lower Austria, located at the B10 main road. Customers will find a wide range of everyday products, delicacies, and treats, with freshness as the top priority.
Source: spar-international.com

Greece: Masoutis signs deal to acquire rival supermarket chain Kritikos
Northern Greece supermarket chain Masoutis announced that it has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire 100% of rival grocery chain Kritikos. The deal will be submitted to the Hellenic Competition Commission for approval. The acquisition is expected to significantly reshape market shares in the Greek supermarket sector. Analysts note that this is the first major consolidation between two leading players in the industry in the current decade. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Source: ekathimerini.com

New Zealand: Christchurch shoppers out in droves for new alternative supermarket
The co-owner of a new supermarket in Christchurch says shoppers have turned out in droves in support of the new store since it opened last week. Ethan Vickery and his father Shane opened Kai Co to give shoppers an alternative to the Woolworths and Foodstuffs supermarket duopoly. He said during the first three days since the store opened, sales nearly doubled their expectations.
Source: 1news.co.nz

Italians to prioritise frugality, healthy eating in 2026, Coop says
Coop Italia's Winter 2025 Report suggests minimal growth in Italian consumer spending due to financial limitations. While opinion leaders predict a modest 0.3% growth in consumption, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) is slightly more optimistic, at 0.9%. Italians also plan to consume more vegetables (+23%), fruit (+21%) and fish (+9%), but will cut back on red meat (-21%) and cured meats (-28%).
Source: esmmagazine.com

Tesco reveals vibrant new Grain Bowls in the Fruit & Veg area of stores
NEW Tesco Hot Smoked Salmon Grain Bowl 395g: A mix of cooked grains dressed in lemon juice, hot smoked salmon, edamame soya beans, cucumber, pickled cabbage slaw and spinach with a pot of coconut and lime dressing; NEW Tesco Fajita Chicken Grain Bowl 370g: A mix of cooked grains with black turtle beans dressed in lemon juice, fajita spiced chicken, pickled red onion, roasted sweet potato, spinach, chargrilled sweetcorn and coriander with a pot of avocado and jalapeño dressing; NEW Tesco Gochujang Chicken Grain Bowl 360g: A mix of cooked grains, dressed in a spicy dressing, roasted chicken breast, spicy pickled cucumber and onion, pak choi, red cabbage, butternut squash, carrot and coriander with a pot of spicy gochujang dressing; NEW Tesco Beetroot & Feta Grain Bowl 380g: A mix of cooked grains dressed in lemon juice, roasted sweet potato, a beetroot dip with cannellini beans, cucumber, feta cheese, spinach and pomegranate seeds with a pot of pomegranate, honey and blood orange dressing.
Source: retailtimes.co.uk

French competition authority scrutinizes retail alliances Aura and Concordis
The French competition authority is scrutinizing two recent purchasing alliances: Aura, founded by Intermarché, Auchan, and Casino, and Concordis, founded by Carrefour and Coopérative U. The regulator is asking third parties for input and is examining the potential impact on competition and consumers.
Source: retaildetail.eu

Allegro Group sells operations in Slovenia and Croatia
Polish ecommerce company Allegro is selling its subsidiaries in Slovenia and Croatia, to German private equity firm Mutares. The sale is an effort to streamline Allegro Group's financial results.
Source: ecommercenews.eu

Uroš Lozej joins SPAR Slovenia's management team
As of 1 January 2026, Uroš Lozej has joined the management team of SPAR Slovenia, where he continues in his role as Executive Director responsible for Commercial Operations. SPAR Slovenia's management team also includes Chief Executive Officer David Kovačič and Executive Director for Operations Jure Petkovšek.
Source: spar-international.com

New Zealand: Asian retail chain goes into liquidation owing millions
A chain of Asian supermarkets and retail stores has been placed into liquidation owing millions of dollars. The Yoyoso group of companies, including Acecco supermarkets and Miniso stores, had 23 retail locations, mostly in Auckland, although only eight were still trading at the time of liquidation.
Source: stuff.co.nz