Carrefour shares fell sharply on Thursday after the French government said it was suing Europe's largest retailer for unfairly squeezing its suppliers to lower prices, following an investigation. Carrefour, which is the world's second-biggest retailer, said it had no comment. (Reuters)Discounter Kaufland to launch in Australia
Aldi's position as one of Australia's top discount supermarket chains could be usurped by German rival Kaufland. European competitor Schwarz Group is reported to be entering the local food industry with its chain of Kaufland 'hypermarkets', offering shoppers everything from groceries to car maintenance supplies. The retail group made an application to trademark the word 'Kaufland' in Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. (dailymail.co.uk) Florida Citrus Mutual sells property to Publix
Florida Citrus Mutual has sold its downtown Lakeland headquarters to Publix Super Markets Inc. for an undisclosed price and will move out, by August, from the building it has occupied for 78 years. “There were a lot of heavy hearts making that decision,” said John Barben, Citrus Mutual president and an Avon Park grower, of the board of director’s decision to sell. “We did not need to sell it. They (Publix officials) came to us with a very good offer.” (theledger.com) Aldi plans four more US locations
More details about Aldi's planned growth have been revealed, with the company seemingly choosing South New Jersey as a hub for four new planned locations. As the German discounter seeks to take the U.S. by storm with 2,000 proposed locations, Aldi is proposing a bit of a takeover into the increasingly competitive Jersey market. (andnowuknow.com)Chinese Alibaba off to blistering start on Singles Day
Chinese shoppers were so eager to participate in Singles Day that they purchased more in the first hour than the entire 24-hour event in 2013. More than $7bn of gross merchandise volume (GMV) was settled through Alipay on Alibaba’s China and international retail marketplaces within the first two hours, on what has become the world’s biggest online shopping event, which kicked off at 12 a.m. in China, on Nov. 10. (chainstoreage.com)Belgian: Ahold Delhaize to rebrand Red Market stores
Calling an end to the Red Market banner, Ahold Delhaize has said the 13 stores under the brand will be converted to into independent AD and Proxy Delhaize store formats by the beginning of December 2016. Launched in 2009, Red Market has grown to operate from 13 stores, three in Flanders and 10 in Wallonia. (igd.com)Konzum market share down in Croatia
With a market share of 20 to 30%, Konzum is the most important retailer in Croatia, followed by Lidl and Plodine with a share of between 10 to 20%, while a share of 5 to 10% was achieved by Kaufland, Tommy and Spar, according to the results of retail market research for Croatia in 2015, conducted by the Croatian Competition Agency, reports Večernji List on November 10, 2016. (total-croatia-news.com) Brazil: GPA to accelerate Assaí´s expansion
GPA in Brazil is assessing how it can accelerate the 2017 expansion of its phenomenally successful Assaí atacarejo banner next year by converting hypermarkets to the format. GPA is considering the conversion of over 20 existing Extra hypermarkets into Assaí. (igd.com)South Korea: Lotte reports steady growth in Q3
Lotte Shopping has reported a 2% increase in revenue to KRW7.9tn (US$6.9bn), while its operating profit has dropped to KRW175.56bn won (US$153.3 m), down 10.1% from a year ago, in the three months ended September. By business, Lotte’s hypermarkets operation has registered the biggest loss, with sales dropping 3%. It has reversed to a deficit of KRW27bn(US$23.4m), in the Q3 from a net income of KRW3bn(US$2.6m) from a year ago. The group’s convenience store business, on the other hand, has reported strong performance. Its sales have grown by 5.5% with operating profit uplifting by 48.5%. (igd.com)Walmart Brazil to emphasize showcasing fresh credentials in fruit/veg section
Walmart has announced it will relaunch its hypermarket operation in Brazil, following successful trials in three stores. The move follows the remodelling of Walmart Tamboré (Greater Sao Paulo) and the remodelling and rebranding of the BIG Novo Hamburgo (Rio Grande do Sul) and BIG Santa Felicidade (Parana) stores to this new Walmart concept. The news stores will have a greater emphasis on showcasing fresh credentials in the fruit and vegetables section, to entice shoppers and create customer loyalty. (igd.com)Thai cash and carry chain Makro in $86m acquisitions, expands in SE Asia
Thai listed wholesaler Siam Makro, through its subsidiary Siam Food Services, has entered agreements to acquire four food service businesses in Asia and the United Arab Emirates, for over 3bn baht ($86m). The Thai cash and carry operator said, in a regulatory filing, it will be buying 80% each in these targeted companies. (dealstreetasia.com)ACCC court case against Woolworths puts supermarkets on notice not to treat suppliers like children
Woolworths' defence for demanding extra payments from suppliers is on shaky ground, according to an independent legal expert. Please, click here to read the article at abc.net.au. US: Regional grocer offers the latest in mobile self-scanning technology
Shoppers can skip the line and checkout on their phones at a new supermarket in San Luis Obispo. At California Fresh Market, shoppers can download an app that lets them scan an item's barcode to add to their purchase. Shoppers can keep track of their running total while they browse and see specials and other information. (chainstoreage.com)East Africa: Supermarket chain yet to pay suppliers Sh6.1bn
The struggling Uchumi supermarket chain is yet to pay the debt it owes its suppliers in Tanzania, The Citizen has established. The heavily indebted Kenyan retailer ceased its operations in Tanzania late last year but it left behind debts that have not yet been paid, according to the suppliers' chairman, Mr Joseph Mlay. He told The Citizen last week that the supermarket still owed them a total of Sh6.1bn. "It is a year down the line but we have not been paid even a single cent out of the Sh6.1bn debt that the supermarket owes us," noted Mr Mlay. (allafrica.com) Portugal’s Sonae posts turnover of €1.45bn in Q3
Portuguese retail and telecommunications group Sonae has posted turnover of €1.45bn in its third quarter of the year, a 10.7% increase on the previous year. The group said that its positive performance ‘reflects Sonae’s continued growth strategy, which resulted in reinforced competitive positions in most business areas, a rising internationalisation, diversified investment styles and the capitalisation of its competencies and assets’. (esmmagazine.com)