Wal-Mart Reveals New Opportunities

New chain of supermarkets promises low prices, building of communities, and closing the gap between periphery and center. Israel’s first-ever discount supermarket co-op chain,“Tzarchaniyat Ha’Ir (“CityMart”), will open its doors at 15 Brit Am Street in Sderot. The city mart project, which will see 41 supermarket stores opened in cities that are considered "the periphery" in Israel, was originally inspired by the ‘cottage cheese’ social protests of 2011. The store in Sderot will be approximately 2,100-square-feet large, and like all of the other CityMart stores, it will include a community space that will be earmarked for community events, in addition to the store. The goal is to open all 40 stores within a few years. CityMart has committed to surveying local prices and ensuring that every item of theirs beats the competition. The chain will be able to discount goods because it will source its stock from small and medium-sized producers, supplied through area distribution centers, and rely on local goods as much as possible. CityMart will also offer a buyer’s club, with members receiving an additional 15% price break. The supermarket chain will operate as a non-profit social venture, with all its earnings going toward opening additional branches, lowering prices even further, and fostering communal activities and social change. Young social entrepreneurs and change activists will be recruited to lead local activities. Read more

Wal-Mart scraped through 2015 with better numbers than 2014, but that's not saying much considering the dismal prior fiscal. Segment-wise performance is a mixed bag, but Wal-Mart U.S. came in with a surprising growth number. Going urban is the best thing Wal-Mart has done in recent times; along with going online, that will usher in a new era of growth. Wal-Mart's top brass must surely be on a high this Christmas after 2015 gave them some respite after the 2014 numbers. Comparable store sales are up across the board, gross and operating margins are holding steady, and some lines of business have shown a marked improvement over the previous year, although stock prices didn't share that same enthusiasm at any time during the past 12 months. Wal-Mart U.S. brought in 59% of overall revenue as its biggest earner, followed by 28% from its overseas outlets, which make up 54% of its global presence. That's not a very impressive figure considering that Costco gets 27% of its revenue from its international operations, which makes up 30% of its store count. Read more

News reports that low-cost food and grocery retailer Costco saw its Australian sales revenues jump 50% in 2015 to $1,323 billion as same-store sales grew are another ominous sign for investors in Woolworths Limited and IGA wholesaler and operator Metcash Limited. Costco is a US-owned discount wholesale supermarket retailer that sells popular brands at large discounts to the prices charged by supermarkets like Woolworths or Coles on individual goods. Costco now has eight operating stores in Australia all strategically situated in the suburban heartlands and likely has plans to keep expanding, with plenty of cash to fund that expansion given it just posted a net income of US$480 million for the quarter ending November 22 2015. Read more

Sainsbury’s shares have outperformed Morrisons, rising 8.6% over the past year Sir Ken Morrison, the former chairman of the fourth largest UK supermarket chain, Morrisons, and his son William, together have acquired stake in their company's peer Sainsbury's, over time. The 4.7 million shares that they hold together translate to a combined value of £11.9m (€16.3m, $17.7m). While the former chairman holds 2.6 million shares worth £6m and has given Mike Coupe, the chief executive at Sainsbury's his public backing, William Morrison Junior owns the remaining, according to The Times. Read more 

Lulu to open 15 outlets in Indonesia as part of $300m expansion. LuLu Group acquires Great Scotland Yard for £110m as UAE company moves into hotel development. LuLu to open five-star hotel in Dubai’s Business Bay. Lulu launches into luxury sector with investment in UK’s East India Company. LuLu Group plans to invest about US$300 million over the next two years to set up 10 hypermarkets in Egypt as it eyes expansion in North Africa’s biggest economy. LuLu, which opened its first hypermarket in Egypt in 2010, considers the country to be “a strong economy with high market potential”, the Abu Dhabi-based company said. Owned by the Indian businessman MA Yusuffali, who was ranked first on the Forbes magazine list of the richest 100 Indians in the Arab world last year, the LuLu chain is expanding rapidly across the Arabian Gulf, Asia and now Egypt. In September, LuLu announced plans to open 15 hypermarkets in Indonesia over the next two years as the Abu Dhabi-based retailer rolls out a $300m expansion in the South East Asian country. The group’s overall investment over the coming five years in Indonesia will reach $500m. LuLu, which with its first Egyptian outlet has 119 stores, plans to open its first hypermarkets in Malaysia and Indonesia in March next year. Read more

Imtiaz Super Market (ISM) - the largest chain of retail stores based in Karachi – is gearing up to enter Punjab by mid of 2016, says its chief Imtiaz Hussain, who is also planning international expansion through an initial public offering (IPO) in three to four years. The local retail giant, which exclusively targets the ‘middle class’, is busy preparing for a grand opening of a new store in Gulshan-e-Iqbal; its sixth in the city. Likely to be operational by the end of January, the new store is part of the larger expansion plan. In 2016 alone, the company is planning to open three more stores in Karachi – most likely in North Nazimabad and Clifton – and one each in Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot, Hyderabad and Lahore. “All these stores will either be operational or enter the final stages of completion by the end of next year,” Hussain added. Read more 

Germany-based Tengelmann Group, which also operates the OBI DIY chain in the market, has halted its plans to develop a new discount supermarket chain in Russia called 'Plus', with work on the first branch in Pushkino, near Moscow, abandoned despite nearing completion... Read more 

Bfmbusiness reports that according to Le Figaro, Monoprix is planning to open 70 supermarkets in 2016, like they already did in 2015. One of the supermarkets to open will cover 4,000m2 in les Halles, central Paris. It will be the largest food supermarket in the centre of the French capital. Monoprix currently has 315 traditional Monoprix stores and 300 smaller Monoprix stores. Read more

SPAR Hungary Kft has renovated another four stores, bringing the total number this year to thirteen. The company has spent more than HUF 3 billion (9.5 million Euro) to improve customer satisfaction, widening the product range and ensuring a more cost-effective operation. The renovated stores, located in Pest county and in the capital, have been equipped with new furnishings for their fruit and vegetable and bakery departments, as well as a delicacy counter and modern interior panelling. The entire lighting has been replaced, making the switch from light bulbs to LED. Source: trademagazin.hu

Rayon-boisssons.com reports that according to Kantar Worldpanel, the Leclerc group has seen a significant 20.5% increase in performance in November 2015, with market share increasing by +0.6 points. Meanwhile, the Casino group saw a +0.2 point increase thanks to their two discount chain stores, Géant Casino and Leader Price, which both increased by +0.1 points. Lidl saw their market share increase by 5.3%, gaining 0.1 points, a good performance according to Kantar Worldpanel as “November 2014 had already been a record”. Read more

 

Billa Czech Republic has announced the launch of new brand to cover a range of high quality food at reasonable prices. "The new private brand, Billa Premium, is aimed at all customers who like to indulge in true delights. The products under the label will be of unquestionably high quality and sold to consumers at the most convenient prices. Thanks to Billa Premium, we can offer superior quality for everyone," stated the BILLA CEO Jaroslaw Szczypka. The packaging is designed so that the product is always suitable for a festive table. The range of products sold under the Billa Premium brand will include high quality fruits and vegetables, such as beautiful Red Chief red apples, ripe avocados, mangoes and kiwis and juicy Abate pears. Source: marketingovenoviny.cz