UK supermarket trading practices are improving | Sales surge at Amazon

Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA agreed to sell Vietnam’s Big C grocery chain to Central Group at an enterprise value of €1bn ($1.1bn), extending an Asian divestment program aimed to reduce the French retailer’s debt. Casino will receive €920m in proceeds, the St. Etienne, France-based company said in a statement Friday. The disposal will bring the total of its divestments to €4.2bn, it said. The shares rose as much as 2.1% in early Paris trading. (Bloomberg)

Whole Foods is launching a new chain of stores that will be unlike the grocery-store chain's existing locations. The company revealed details about its new millennial-focused chain. Prices in 365 will be much lower. 365 by Whole Foods will be competing directly on price with Trader Joe's, Kroger, Sprouts, and other similar stores, said Jeff Turnas, president of the new chain. The stores will be smaller than regular Whole Foods stores, with a different layout. It was also revealed that the stores will carry about a third of the products that regular Whole Foods stores carry. It will offer about 7,000 items. There will be a mix of products by Whole Foods' private label (which is called 365 Everyday Value) as well as by a variety of national brands — some of which aren't currently carried by Whole Foods. (uk.businessinsider.com) 

Asda says it has seen a “unprecedented” response to its ‘wonky veg’ boxes, selling more than 160 tonnes of misshapen fruit and vegetables since launching the waste-busting product in February. The supermarket has revealed it has quadrupled sales for the £3.50 boxes since launching the scheme. (huffingtonpost.co.uk) 

Spanish supermarket Mercadona is set to open its first store, in Irun in Gipuzkoa (northern Spain), in a move that will create 40 jobs for the region. The new store openings are part of the company’s expansion strategy, which is based on offering quality products at a lower price. The new store Irun will feature fresh produce from the region. (esmmagazine.com)

Metro Group has taken a majority stake in multi-channel retailer Emmas Enkel, according to Lebensmittel Zeitung. It reported that Metro Group has increased its share in the business to 93%, having initially taken a 15% stake in the business back in December 2014, when it was a Duesseldorf-based start up. (esmmagazine)

Amazon’s first quarter sales increased by 28.2% to $29.1bn, with net income rising to $513m following a loss of $57m in Q1 last year 2014. Sales were up by 27% in North America, and by 24% in its international markets. Amazon finance chief Brian Olsavsky said that Amazon continues to test different ideas with grocery deliveries, including its Prime Pantry service and Prime Now, as it looks for the best approach.(igd.com / cnet.com)

Musgrave, the company behind Supervalu and Centra supermarkets, saw its results jump from losses in 2014 to large profits last year. The group had sales of €4.4bn and a profit before tax of €67.5m in 2015, according to company figures released this Thursday. (farmersjournal.ie)

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is interested in selling food products directly to Indian consumers both by setting up brick-and-mortar as well as online stores, but it will take a final decision after evaluating the policy guidelines that will be notified by the government, said the head of its India unit. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) 

Brazilian retailer Super Muffato has opened its first gourmet store in Londrina, in the southern state of Paraná. It has invested BRL5m (USD1.4m) in the 3,000 sq. m store which stocks more than 30,000 imported and Brazilian products, including exotic fruits. (igd.com) 

Supermarket chain Merkur from Austria has announced its plan to launch an online store next month. The ecommerce website will only accept orders from customers in the Vienna area for now. In the online shop of Merkur, customers can buy the full range of the physical stores. (ecommercenews.eu)

East of England Co-operative has reported a slight decrease in turnover, attributed to difficult market conditions and a focus on the long term. The society’s annual report shows a 0.9% decrease in turnover, although profits before tax and distributions are up £3.3m to £7.8m. The report also revealed that underlying trading profit dropped to £3.8m from £4.3m the previous year. Food sales across the society dropped by 1%. 

Argos owner, Home Retail Group, has posted a significant loss in what are likely to be its last full year results as an independent company. The revelation comes ahead of an agreed takeover bid by the UK's number two grocer, Sainsbury's. Total sales at Argos were broadly flat at £4.1bn in the 52 weeks to 27 February 2016. Like-for-like sales were 2.6% lower. (igd.com)

Shoprite chief executive Whitey Basson has thrown down the challenge to retailers not to use the drought gripping South Africa as a reason to increase food prices. (mini.iol.co.za)