Serbian supermarket chain Univerexport has introduced a new organic food concept to its stores. The 'PriroDa' store-in-store format offers about 500 organic food products as well as 500 non-food bio products. All of them must be grown on healthy soil and/or produced in environmentally friendly conditions. As well as providing support to local organic producers in Serbia, 'PriroDa' also offers organic and natural products from Italian organic supermarket NaturaSì. (esmmagazine.com) AU: Aldi grocery share tops 10%: ACCC
Aldi has grabbed about 10% of the Australian grocery market, leaving the big two chains Woolworths and Coles with a smaller combined stake of 70%, the competition tsar says. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims said the "biggest change" in Australian grocery in recent years was the growth of Aldi. (smh.com.au) US: 7-Eleven delivers by drone
Drone delivery continues to move toward becoming a reality for retailers and consumers in the U.S. The first-ever store-to-consumer drone delivery was just achieved by the largest convenience retailer in the world. Retail chain 7-Eleven, in collaboration with drone delivery company Flirtey and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, delivered two packages from a store in Reno, NV to a local customer. (mediapost.com)Ahold Delhaize unveils new logo as deal is completed
Ahold Delhaize, which was granted competition approval at the weekend, has unveiled its new logo, which encompasses both the 'crown' emblem used historically by Ahold and the 'lion' insignia formerly part of Delhaize's logo. In a statement, Ahold Delhaize said that the new company 'is a leader in supermarkets and e-commerce – 22 market-leading local brands with 6,500 stores in 11 countries'. (esmmagazine.com)Woolworths to close six Countdown supermarkets
Six Countdown supermarkets will be closed before the end of their lease terms. Australian parent company Woolworths announced to the ASX a A$1bn plan to boost its bottom line that includes cutting 500 jobs in Australia. Countdown spokesman James Walker said the six supermarkets to close in New Zealand includes Rangiora Central, which will close on October 2. It did not include Countdown Waihi, which has already been shut. He wouldn't name the other five supermarkets for commercial reasons. "We have already informed our [Rangiora Central] team and are working with them to redeploy team to other Countdown stores nearby," he said. (nzherald.co.nz) Woolworths supermarkets' radical reform may not resurrect company's fortunes
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AU: Supermarkets face national baby leaf salad supply shortage
Major supermarkets are set to face several weeks of baby leaf shortages as some of Australia's largest vegetable growers recover from storm and flood damage. Close to half of Australia's baby leaf salad crops are grown in Gippsland in eastern Victoria, which has been plagued by cold conditions, storms and flooding this winter. (abc.net.au) Canadian food prices are seeing a turnaround
Due to a tumbling loonie, Canadians are now seeing stable and even falling prices at the checkout line. Fruit and vegetable prices have now stabilized. Fruit prices fell 0.1% in the month, though prices are still 3.9% higher than a year ago. As recently as February, fruit prices were growing at a more than 10-per-cent annual pace. Vegetable prices are up 2.9% in the past year, a considerably slower rate of growth than the 14-per-cent rate at the start of the year. (huffingtonpost.ca) SPAR Austria starts selling its organic Frutura Thermal vegetables
SPAR Austria has started selling its juicy, organic Frutura Thermal vegetables in stores around the country. About 50,000 kg of organic tomatoes have been harvested and the organic Ramiro pepper mix will soon be ripe and ready to pack into SPAR Natur*pur bags to be sold in all SPAR, EUROSPAR and INTERSPAR stores in Austria. The vegetables, grown in an environmentally friendly way in Bad Blumau in Styria, help reduce imports – saving unnecessary transport costs and contributing to reduced CO2 emissions. (eprretailnews.com) "Belgian supermarkets have to offer more local products''
The Belgian trade association Comeos wants supermarkets and local producers to cooperate more. Belgium is already fairly unique in this area - approximately three-quarters of the offered fruit and vegetables is produced in the country. There is a plan of action ready, which will be presented at the agricultural fair of Libramont today. (shoppermarketingupdate.nl)European retailers criticise Polish retail tax
European retailers have expressed regret and surprise at the decision of the Polish Parliament to adopt a new retail tax, aimed mainly at foreign retailers operating in the country. In a statement, EuroCommerce warned that the latest law will simply deter foreign competitors from investing, with Polish consumers footing the bill. According to EuroCommerce, the tax is clearly discriminatory, and the European Commission should investigate whether the tax is consistent with EU law. (esmmagazine.com)Carrefour Spain creates food waste prevention award
Carrefour Spain has created an award that acknowledges Spanish businesses' efforts to tackle food waste. As reported by efeempresas.com, the initiative forms part of Carrefour's objective to fight against any form of wastefulness, it said in a statement. Carrefour Spain has named the five finalists for this award: Agronostrum, with a project related to citrus fruit; Ibérica de Patatas Selectas, a plan to make the most out of potato leftovers; Reyes Gutiérrez, which aims for zero waste in the avocados and mango industries and two others. (esmmagazine.com)NZ supermarket partners with Samsung
New Zealand supermarket chain, Countdown has marked 20 years since introducing online shopping by partnering with Samsung to launch a new initiative. The partnership with Samsung involves the launch of the ‘Family Hub Refrigerator’. Customers can place their order straight from a fridge via a Wi-Fi enabled touchscreen, or receive a photo each time the fridge door is closed, to be aware of the goods in short supply. (applianceretailer.com.au)