French Amazon making progress in grocery -
In an interview with trade magazine LSA, Mr Migotto said Amazon.fr now has 100,000 lines in grocery, compared to 30,000 at launch, and 4,000 in alcohol. Proclaiming satisfaction with progress so far, he said the site was in a phase of acceleration.
AU: Q3 sales Coles grow
Supermarket giant Coles delivered $7.5bn in sales in its third quarter. Coles' food and liquor sales grew 5.9% compared to the previous corresponding period, according to parent company Wesfarmers' third quarter report. This is a stark contrast to results posted by Coles' major rival Woolworths, which reported in February its food and liquor sales dropped by 0.8% in the six months leading up to January. (dailymail.co.uk)
US: BJ's launches 'pick up and pay' program for all locations
BJ’s Wholesale Club said Wednesday it is launching a “pick up and pay” online shopping option at all of its 231 locations. “We are offering our members total freedom of choice regarding how they shop at BJ’s,” Bari Harlam, EVP, marketing and membership, for the Westborough, Mass.-based company, said. “This new service combines the at-home convenience of online shopping, including guaranteed product availability and our affordable pricing, without the wait for shipping and delivery.”(supermarketnews.com)
UK: Waitrose sales boosted by Jersey royal potatoes and asparagus
Total sales excluding fuel at Waitrose last week (to April 16) were 3.4% higher than last year. Popular ranges included Jersey royal potatoes, asparagus and strawberries. (housewareslive.net)
In an interview with trade magazine LSA, Mr Migotto said Amazon.fr now has 100,000 lines in grocery, compared to 30,000 at launch, and 4,000 in alcohol. Proclaiming satisfaction with progress so far, he said the site was in a phase of acceleration.AU: Q3 sales Coles grow
Supermarket giant Coles delivered $7.5bn in sales in its third quarter. Coles' food and liquor sales grew 5.9% compared to the previous corresponding period, according to parent company Wesfarmers' third quarter report. This is a stark contrast to results posted by Coles' major rival Woolworths, which reported in February its food and liquor sales dropped by 0.8% in the six months leading up to January. (dailymail.co.uk)US: BJ's launches 'pick up and pay' program for all locations
BJ’s Wholesale Club said Wednesday it is launching a “pick up and pay” online shopping option at all of its 231 locations. “We are offering our members total freedom of choice regarding how they shop at BJ’s,” Bari Harlam, EVP, marketing and membership, for the Westborough, Mass.-based company, said. “This new service combines the at-home convenience of online shopping, including guaranteed product availability and our affordable pricing, without the wait for shipping and delivery.”(supermarketnews.com) UK: Waitrose sales boosted by Jersey royal potatoes and asparagus
Total sales excluding fuel at Waitrose last week (to April 16) were 3.4% higher than last year. Popular ranges included Jersey royal potatoes, asparagus and strawberries. (housewareslive.net)CA: Metro expects food inflation pressures to ease in future
Grocery store chain Metro said food price hikes in its second quarter were driven by a jump in fruit and vegetable costs, but it anticipates that to ease moving forward. Metro Inc. said its aggregate food basket inflation was 3%, up from 2.8% over the previous quarter. "Inflation pressure -- it makes it a challenge to offer customers great value," said president and CEO Eric La Fleche in a conference call with analysts after Metro reported its latest results. (torontosun.com)
CA: Metro grocery chain reports Q2 profit increase from last year
Metro said it earned $124.9m or 51 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended March 12 compared with $111.6m or 43 cents per diluted share a year ago. The increase came as sales grew to $2.88bn, up from $2.71bn in the same quarter last year. (toronto.ctvnews.ca)
Walmart to cut board to 12 directors as four members retire
Walmart Stores Inc. plans to cut the size of its board to 12 directors as four of its current members – including former CEO Mike Duke and founding family member Jim Walton – decided not to stand for re-election. The board will maintain an independent majority at 67% of its members after the changes, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said Wednesday in a statement. Aida Alvarez and Roger Corbett also are retiring from the board, and Steuart Walton has been nominated for election. (esmmagazine.com)
Grocery store chain Metro said food price hikes in its second quarter were driven by a jump in fruit and vegetable costs, but it anticipates that to ease moving forward. Metro Inc. said its aggregate food basket inflation was 3%, up from 2.8% over the previous quarter. "Inflation pressure -- it makes it a challenge to offer customers great value," said president and CEO Eric La Fleche in a conference call with analysts after Metro reported its latest results. (torontosun.com)CA: Metro grocery chain reports Q2 profit increase from last year
Metro said it earned $124.9m or 51 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended March 12 compared with $111.6m or 43 cents per diluted share a year ago. The increase came as sales grew to $2.88bn, up from $2.71bn in the same quarter last year. (toronto.ctvnews.ca)Walmart to cut board to 12 directors as four members retire
Walmart Stores Inc. plans to cut the size of its board to 12 directors as four of its current members – including former CEO Mike Duke and founding family member Jim Walton – decided not to stand for re-election. The board will maintain an independent majority at 67% of its members after the changes, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said Wednesday in a statement. Aida Alvarez and Roger Corbett also are retiring from the board, and Steuart Walton has been nominated for election. (esmmagazine.com)
Swedish retailer Axfood has recorded an operating profit of SEK 408m (€44.5m) in Q1 2016, a 0.5% increase from the same period last year. Consolidated sales amounted to SEK 10,395m, an increase of 8.7% compared to the first three months of 2015. Like-for-like sales increased by 5.2%. (esmmagazine.com)Denmark: Dagrofa reports promising 2015 results
Denmark’s Dagrofa has reported its 2015 results, revealing that it achieved a turnover in 2015 of DKK 19.6bn (€2.63), which is in line with its 2014 performance. EBITDA was DKK 250m (€33.6m), an increase of 114% versus last year. In other news, all SPAR stores will be refurbished in line with a new concept, while private label share of sales grew by 10% in 2015. As part of the retailer’s strategic plan, Dagrofa will now be solely focusing on the Danish retail market. (igd.com)Serbian Gomex reports 2015 turnover of €75.5m
Serbian retailer Gomex has revealed its 2015 results, reporting total turnover of €75.5m and a profit of €1.6m, through its 121 stores. In 2016, the retailer plans to expand, opening 25 new stores with a focus on Belgrade and Srem, a district in the north west of the country. Gomex will also renovate a number of older stores. (igd.com)Japan: Seven & I appoints new CEO
Ryuichi Isaka, the current President of 7-Eleven Japan, will take charge of the conglomerate in May. The appointment of Isaka is a logical decision, given his role in overseeing the convenience operations of Seven & I in Japan in recent years. (igd.com)Four retail companies reign over the Romanian market
Kaufland Romania (23%), Carrefour Romania(13%), Metro (13%) and Auchan Romania(11%) control over half of Romania’s retail market, together making up 60% of it, according to an analysis from ICAP Romania. (business-review.eu)India: Metro Cash and Carry opens first wholesale centre in Surat, Gujarat
Germany's Metro Cash & Carry on Wednesday announced the opening up of a new wholesale distribution centre in Surat, the first in Gujarat. The wholesaler has assured the lowest possible price across branded grocery and non-food products in the city. (economictimes.indiatimes.com)Thai cash-and-carry chain Siam Makro to open more stores in SE Asia
Thai cash-and-carry chain Siam Makro Pcl plans to invest up to 9bn baht ($258m) this year to open stores at home and overseas, CFO Saowaluck Thitaphant said on Wednesday. Its parent CP All Pcl, Thailand's largest convenience store chain, plans to reduce its 97% stake in Siam Makro. (Reuters) Lotte pulls out of Big C Vietnam race
South Korean retail heavyweight Lotte has reportedly withdrawn from the bidding battle for Big C Vietnam. Reuters, quoting unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said the company was not keen to bid aggressively for the supermarket network. Lotte already has its own network of hypermarkets in Vietnam and will no doubt have costed a bid for Big C based on the value of the market share and assets it would acquire versus the cost of continuing its own organic store network growth. (insideretail.asia)
Enormous differences in St. Maarten supermarket pricesPlease, click here to read the article.