Morrisons-Amazon tie-up intensifies

Mercadona seeking out fresh produce analysts -
Mercadona is on the hunt for fresh produce analysts, ahead of its forthcoming entry into Portugal, which is scheduled for 2019. As reported by eleconomista.es, Mercadona has commenced a selection process to hire 30 fresh food analysts. All of them will receive an 18 month-long training programme in Spain, where the company will provide them with the skills needed for the role. (esmmagazine.com)

Morrisons and Amazon sign collection locker deal
Morrisons says it plans to install hundreds of Amazon lockers in its supermarkets this year. There are more than 1,000 Amazon Lockers in locations such as shopping centres, convenience stores, airports, train stations, and universities. They enable customers who are unable to wait at home for orders to collect them from a location of their choice. (bbc.com)

Former Tesco directors to face 10 years in jail if found guilty
Three former senior directors at Tesco have been charged with fraud in relation to a £263m-plus accounting scandal at the supermarket chain. The three men have been summoned to appear at Westminster magistrates court on 22 September 2016 and could face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty of fraud by abuse and seven years for false accounting. (theguardian.com)

Never-before-seen: Aldi Nord and Süd campaign together
Remarkable news in the German hard discount industry, because for the first time ever, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd will launch a joint image campaign in Germany. (retaildetail.eu)

Kroger lowers earnings expectations
Kroger Co. said on Friday that its profit during the fiscal second quarter ended Aug. 13 fell 11.5% due to charges it took as part of a restructuring of employee pension plans. Without those charges, earnings would have increased 4.8% during the quarter. Kroger reported second-quarter net income of $383 million, or 40 cents per share, compared with $433 million, or 44 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. Kroger said its second quarter same-store supermarket sales grew 1.7%. (khou.com)

Australians cut food spending, supermarkets feel squeeze
Despite the continued supermarket war in Australia between Coles and Woolworths in which prices on hundreds of items were cut by up to 25 percent, consumers brought less food. A report by Deloitte Access Economics, released on Wednesday, says food turnover growth in the last 12 months was only 0.7 percent. (ibtimes.com.au)

UK: Aldi shifts focus away from pricing
Aldi recently launched its latest ad campaign which is aimed at moving its messaging beyond just price as it steps up its challenge to the major supermarket multiples. The campaign aims highlight the ethical ways it runs its supply chain, sourcing and treats its staff. (kamcity.com)

Head of Lidl UK steps down
The head of Lidl UK has stepped down after overseeing the supermarket's rapid rise in recent times. Ronny Gottschlich has been replaced by Christian Hartnagel, aged 34, who will take up Lidl UK with immediate effect, according to the company. The new head was on the board in Lidl Austria and led the sales and operations functions. Lidl Austria has been performing very well over the last couple of years with estimated like-for-like growth at c.10% in both 2014 and 2015. (esmmagazine.com)

German Aldi to focus more on fresh produce
Aldi Nord announced it will roll out a new fresh concept in Germany. The retailer has trialled the new concept in Gladbeck, north Germany, and plans to roll it out to 90 stores this year. The refreshed stores will be more modern and will have a larger focus on fresh produce. Positive performance in the Gladbeck store has led to the decision to quickly roll out the concept across the estate. (igd.com)

Russia: X5 opens distribution centre in St. Petersburg.
X5 Retail Group, a leading Russian food retailer, announces the development and optimisation of its logistics infrastructure in the north-west of Russia and the opening of a distribution centre (DC) in St. Petersburg. The new DC is designed to accommodate all categories of goods. (eprretailnews.com)

Brazil: why Cencosud is turning to atacarejo
Please, click here to read more.

Wal-Mart's UK job cuts show how Asda fell behind rivals
Slumping sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Asda supermarket chain have been accompanied by thousands of job cuts that analysts say may help explain the U.K. grocer's declining fortunes. The average number of workers in Asda's retail and distribution facilities fell by 5 percent to 107,740 in 2015, according to company accounts filed this week. That's even as the chain opened 37 new stores. Following the cuts, Asda's sales have progressively worsened. Same-store revenue -- a key barometer of a retailer's performance -- tumbled a record 7.5% in the second quarter of this year. "Taking out service has backfired," said Andrew Gwynn, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas in London. "Wal-Mart's staff cuts have effectively made Asda a poor supermarket." (bloomberg.com)

Local retailers top for revenue in Croatia
Local retailers dominate the Croatian market in terms of revenue, reports local daily "Poslovni Dnevnik". Konzum, Plodine, Tommy, Studenac and KTC had the highest turnover in 2015, followed by foreign rivals Lidl, Kaufland, Spar, Metro and Billa. All retailers saw revenue growth, led by Spar (+14.6% y/y) while Metro had the lowest growth (+2%). While all Croatian retailers are profitable, only two foreign rivals are in the black (Lidl and Kaufland). Please, click here to read the article at esmmagazine.com.

Spanish Froiz expands in Portugal, offering fresh fruit
Spanish wholesale chain Froiz is expanding its presence in Portugal with the opening of its first Cash & Carry store. The store caters to retail and catering professionals, offering a wide variety of groceries including fresh fruit. (esmmagazine.com)

Hungary: Spar invests HUF 1.6 bln in renovating stores
Celebrating its 25th anniversary here, the Hungarian subsidiary of multinational retail chain Spar is investing HUF 1.6bn in renovating seven of its stores around the country, according to a press release. Spar said it is committed to continuing expansion in the future and to keep renovating and modernising its already operating stores. (hbbj.hu)

Pentagon IG investigating produce prices at Pacific stores
The price of commissary produce sold in Pacific region stores and the delivery contract are under investigation by the Department of Defence Inspector General, officials announced Thursday. The reviews began in early August as part of an effort to examine produce quality and prices at commissaries in Korea, Guam and Japan, officials said. Please, click here to read more.

Portugal: Continente transforms Colombo store into 'Hypermarket of the Future'
Portuguese hypermarket chain Continente has transformed its Colombo store in Lisbon by deploying a new concept that is inspired by traditional markets. The new concept includes spaces dedicated to spices and exotic fruits.