Village Super Market on Thursday reported a slim increase in same-store sales for its fiscal fourth quarter, while expense reductions drove a 13% increase in adjusted earnings. The Springfield, N.J.-based operator of 29 ShopRite stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, said sales totalled $437.3m in the quarter, an increase of 7.8%, or 7.2% when adjusted for an extra week in the current period. Same-store sales, adjusted for the extra week, increased by 0.6%. The quarter and fiscal year ended July 30. (supermarketnews.com)Walmart lessons focus on physical stores
Wal-Mart said it plans to focus heavily on its e-commerce operations on Thursday and warned investors that the cost of the long-term plan would weigh on earnings over the next two years. The strategy, which includes slowing the pace of new store openings, is centered on cracking the dominance of Amazon.com Inc in online retailing and face off against other rivals like Target. (Reuters) Portuguese food retailers invest in out of season fruit & veg
Portuguese food retailers are increasingly betting on technological developments and seed studies to boost out of season fruit and vegetable production, with the aim of reducing imports. More and more fruit and vegetables have extended their stay on store shelves, regardless of the season, particularly at major retail chains, such as Pingo Doce and Continente. The Continente Producers Club has, since 2010, undertaken a project to encourage farmers to supply the stores for a longer period of time, even outside the time window that traditionally fits their products. (esmmagazine.com) German retailers to drop legal challenge to Tengelmann takeover
A group of German retailers have agreed to drop a legal challenge to Edeka's takeover of loss-making Kaiser's Tengelmann, possibly securing jobs at the chain, trade union, Verdi, said on Thursday. Unlisted supermarket chain Edeka's takeover was initially blocked by Germany's antitrust regulator, but the decision was overridden by economy minister Sigmar Gabriel, who cleared it on condition that no jobs were lost in the merger. The minister's special permission was, however, nullified by a German court after a legal challenge by rival retailers. (Reuters)US: Save-A-Lot revamps as rivals vie for market share
As it faces a possible sale or spinoff, the Save-A-Lot grocery store chain is boosting the number of national brands on its shelves, remodeling to highlight fresh foods and adding stores. The changes underway at some of the discount chain’s 1,368 stores nationwide, come as the Earth City-based grocer is poised to change ownership and as its discount chain rivals Wal-Mart and Ruler Foods are adding stores and services in the St. Louis region, vying for market share. (stltoday.com)AU: Aldi again slashes spring prices
Aldi has kicked off another bout in the price war with permanent cuts of up to 25% to popular spring products. “We concentrate on selling our select range of exclusive brands rather than spending money on customer loyalty programs or expensive point of sale displays,” an Aldi spokeswoman said. “All of this means we can deliver permanently lower prices to consumers.” It is not mentioned though whether fresh produce is included. (news.com.au)Closing stores shaves Ahold Delhaize sales by $1.6B
Ahold Delhaize revealed Thursday that the 86 U.S. stores, divested earlier this year to meet antitrust approval of their merger, accounted for $1.4bn in sales and $88m in underlying operating income in fiscal 2015. In addition, the 10 Martin's stores in the Richmond area that were not sold but slated for closure or subsequent sale totaled $240m in sales during 2015. (supermarketnews.com) US: AmazonFresh lowers price per month for Prime members
Amazon has just announced a price reduction for its online grocery shopping service, AmazonFresh, that will bring the subscription service down to $14.99 per month for Prime members. There is no limit to the amount of product that can be ordered. (techcrunch.com)Portuguese hypermarkets owe €15m in food security tax
Portugal’s Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry, Capoulas Santos, has said that the country's hypermarkets owe about €15m to the government relating to the food safety tax. The amount corresponds to a €9.7m debt accrued between 2012 and 2015, plus €6.3m relating to 2016. (esmmagazine.com)UK: Amazon to open new warehouse in Daventry
Amazon is hiring 300 staff, as it sets to open a new fulfilment centre next year, in Daventry, Northamptonshire. Daventry is the third new Amazon fulfilment centre set to open in the UK next year, alongside Doncaster and Tilbury. (igd.com)UK: Natoora opens fruit & veg 'shop within a shop' in Selfridges food hall
Natoora has opened a fruit & veg 'shop within a shop' in Selfridges food hall. The ‘shop within a shop’ builds on the brand’s ambition “to make better-tasting fruit & vegetables available to everyone” Please, click here to read more at thegrocer.co.uk. SA: Pick n Pay gains as "pressure on consumers alleviated"
Pick n Pay Stores Ltd. shares rose the most in two weeks after the South African supermarket chain said first-half earnings gained as much as 25% and that pressures facing consumers in the country may “begin to alleviate” in the coming months. The retailer will release full half-year earnings on Oct. 18. (Bloomberg) Sweden: Coop Sverige unveils new convenience concept
As Coop Sverige continues to streamline formats under three new distinct banners, the retailer has moved onto the final format of focus, convenience. The retailer’s convenience banner, Lilla Coop, is to be revealed at two sites in Malmö and Smygehamn, following the store redesign. This concept will be rolled out in Stockholm and the rest of Sweden in spring 2017. (igd.com)Wal-Mart weighs in on food safetyPlease, click here to read the article.