India's Paytm E-Commerce Pvt Ltd has raised $200m from China's Alibaba Group Holding and venture capital fund SAIF Partners to expand its online retail business in a market dominated by homegrown Flipkart and U.S. tech giant Amazon. Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce Pvt Ltd picked up a 36.31% stake in Paytm E-Commerce for investing $177m, according to a regulatory filing by the Indian company that runs an online marketplace. (Reuters)US: Weis Markets receives award
The Academy of Food Marketing at Saint Joseph’s University honoured Weis Markets at its 49th Annual Citation Award Dinner. This is the third time the company has received the citation award. Previously honored in 2004 and 2012, the Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based food retailer is being recognized for its continued commitment to SJU’s Food Marketing program. (groceryheadquarters.com) Fresh Direct goes to Washington
Home delivery giant FreshDirect is planning to enter the D.C. market sometime in the near future, according to the Washington Business Journal. Last fall, the company received $189m in funding to help its expansion efforts. (foodive.com) 'We're the most British supermarket' says Aldi boss
Aldi UK is the most British supermarket on the high street, Aldi's boss claims. ‘Our British credentials speak for themselves,’ he declares boldly. 'Seventy-seven per cent of sales through our tills are British products – up from a quarter a decade ago. I’m very confident that’s up there with the highest, if not the highest, in the sector.’ (thisismoney.co.uk) UK: Sainsbury's to cut up to 400 jobs
Sainsbury's is to cut up to 400 jobs in a restructuring of its store operations, it said on Friday. A spokesman for the grocer said it was removing 400 price controllers from its operation. Their role will in future be carried out by other staff. Sainsbury's is also cutting night shifts in 140 stores, requiring 4,000 employees to move to either early morning or late evening shifts. (Reuters)Carrefour Belgium opens two more in-hospital ‘Express’ stores
Carrefour Belgium has taken the number of convenience outlets it operates in hospitals to four, with two new openings this month. Almost a decade ago it opened its first hospital Express shop in the Hôpital Public de Liège, while a second began trading in 2016 within the Brugmann University Hospital in Brussels. The new convenience shops offer pre-cooked meals, meat, fish, poultry, as well as fresh produce (including organic SKUs). (esmmagazine.com) Recovery in emerging markets will lift European grocery performance: Moody's
A new report by Moody's has found that improving conditions in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe and Latin America will likely be credit positive for groups with a large presence in these regions, such as Carrefour and Metro. The report, Emerging Markets Will Support The Credit Quality Of European Food Retailers, says that, as those markets pull out of recession, retail sales will grow, leading to increased margins and revenue for key players. (esmmagazine.com) US: Stater Bros. Markets expands Instacart home delivery service
Stater Bros. Markets has expanded its Instacart online grocery ordering and home delivery service in Orange County. The service has gone from operating out of one location in Orange County to 26 Stater Bros. Orange County supermarket locations, providing service to residents in 74 zip codes throughout the area. (groceryheadquarters.com) UK: Morrisons to reveal an increase in annual profit growth
Supermarket Morrisons is expected to reveal its first profit growth in six years when it publishes results this week. Investors are expecting the group to report pre-tax profit ahead of expectations between £330m and £340m. The chain should also report a fall in debt of £500m to £1.2bn. (thisismoney.co.uk)US: KeyBank provides $25M to fast-growing Asian grocery chain
KeyBank announced that it recently closed on a $25m credit facility with NYM Holding, Inc., a fast-growing Asian/Chinese grocery supermarket chain in the northeastern U.S. known for fresh, farm to table foods. (KeyBank)Woman who slipped on grapes in Tesco has award cut to €1.2m
A woman left permanently disabled with severe back and other injuries after slipping on grapes while shopping in a Tesco store has had her €1.43m damages award reduced to some €1.25m. (irishtimes.com) Idea has best price and quality ratio in Serbia
Serbian company Idea has been recognised as the retailer with the best price to quality ratio, according to the Swiss organisation for market research, Icertias. Idea's owner, Croatian food-to-retail consortium Agrokor, has also received the Best Buy Award 2017/2018 for its supermarket chain Konzum in Croatia. (esmmagazine.com) Dutch Jumbo creates tasting 'Bingo' to promote winter vegetables
Dutch retailer Jumbo has created and launched a ‘veggie bingo’ game, to make tasting winter vegetables fun for families with young children. To complete a bingo card, the children will have to taste eight different winter vegetables. For each vegetable they taste, they can add a sticker with a picture of that vegetable to the card. A full card entitles them to a reward, agreed on at the start of the game. (esmmagazine.com) UK: Ocado trials grocery delivery by electric vehicle
Ocado has been testing grocery delivery by electric vehicles as part of a bid to cut its carbon footprint, reduce congestion and keep noise levels to a minimum, especially in residential areas, according to Ocado. (independent.co.uk)
Greengrocer faces £3,000 bill after selling rotten fruit and vegetables
A FRESH produce retailer has been ordered to pay more than £3,000 for displaying, offering for sale and selling rotten fruit and vegetables that failed to meet minimum quality standards. Raja Mohammed Farooq Khan, owner of the Medina Food Store, Nuns Moor Road, Fenham, Newcastle, was charged by Newcastle Magistrates Court on February 27, following a six-month investigation by the Rural Payments Agency’s Horticultural Marketing Inspectors (HMI). (thenorthernecho.co.uk) India: Flipkart decreases charges to sellers
Leading ecommerce retailer Flipkart lowers commission fee and shipping charges to sellers. In a move to stay competitive with Amazon, Flipkart has passed on cost efficiencies from the supply chain to its sellers. According to Anil Goteti, head of marketplace for Flipkart, the company has fixed some leakages in operations. Sellers will enjoy about 10% reduction in costs from fixed commission and cash-on-delivery administration. (igd.com)
US: Publix plans to take a bite out of the Richmond grocery scene with its own style of retailingPlease, click here to read the article.
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AU: Woolworths, Coles told - it's not just the prices, stupidPlease, click here to read the article.