Aldi supermarkets and other Australian oregano suppliers misrepresented their sales of the herb and have committed to turning over a new leaf to Australia’s consumer watchdog. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Wednesday announced it had accepted enforceable undertakings from Aldi Foods and Menora Foods over their oregano supplies. (theguardian.com)US: Weis Markets completes 44 store conversions
Weis Markets, today announced it has successfully completed the conversion of 44 supermarket locations resulting from three acquisitions beginning August 1, 2016. Weis Markets recently acquired five Mars Super Market locations in Baltimore County, Md., 38 Food Lion stores throughout Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, and a Nell's Family Market in East Berlin, Pa. The completion of these individual acquisitions has expanded the company's footprint into Virginia and Delaware, and has increased its operating stores by 25%. (prnewswire.com)UFU encouraged by Lidl plans for fresh produce
Lidl is now a firm part of the local retail scene, and after meeting fresh produce buyers, UFU deputy president, Ivor Ferguson, said he was cautiously optimistic about prospects for local growers. “We were encouraged that they appear to share our view that there is a real opportunity to develop the market for fresh produce from Northern Ireland farmers, packers, and processors,” said Mr Ferguson. Growers have faced challenges in the recent past, because of poor returns, and Mr Ferguson said this had been made worse because of difficulties securing land for crops. He said Lidl appeared positive about fresh produce, recognising that local growers supply top quality vegetables and potatoes. (farminglife.com)AU: Dick Smith launches blistering attack on 'greedy' Aldi
Aldi discount supermarket has been accused of funneling 'hundreds of millions of dollars' out of Australia by forcing its competitors to cut costs or face financial ruin. Dick Smith on Wednesday responded to reports Woolworths would cancel its deal with local fruit supplier SPC Ardmona, News.com.au reported. The billionaire defended Woolworths in a letter, claiming they had been forced to move to home brand products and reduce selection 'while sacking most of their Aussie employees'. He said Aldi was one of the world's most 'ruthless' retailers and said that 'their greed is unlimited'. (news.com.au /dailymail.co.uk)Colruyt Group once again supports Belgian fruit growers
For the third year in a row, Colruyt Group is taking the initiative to support Belgian apple and pear growers. Under the house brand Boni Selection, Colruyt and OKay are now offering 250,000 bottles of purely squeezed apple juice and an equal amount of bottled apple-pear juice. The juice is made from Jonagold apples and Conference pears from several long-term fruit suppliers. Colruyt Group wants to support them because the sector is dealing with overproduction and low prices, among other things due to the export ban to Russia (eprretailnews.com)UK: Sainsbury's profits fall 10%
Sainsbury's has posted a 10.1% fall in first-half profits to £277m, as sales continued to decline. The supermarket giant said like-for-like sales sales fell 1% in the 28 weeks to 24 September. It said that while the market remains strong, "pricing pressures continue to impact margins". Sainsbury's added that the effect of the slump in sterling on retailers was "uncertain" as it braces for an increase in costs over the second half. (bbc.com) Marks & Spencer pulls out of China, Belgium and Netherlands
Britain's Marks & Spencer plans to shut more than 80 stores at home and abroad, at a cost of up to 550m pounds, as its new boss tries to revive the retailer by switching space towards food and away from fashion. The British store chain was already looking for ways to deal with its onerous international branch, leading to its decision to pull out of ten markets (again): Belgium, The Netherlands, China, Estonia, France, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Belgian and Dutch customers however can still order M&S products via the company's own webshop and through Zalando, the company has confirmed. (retaildetail.eu)Sweden's ICA sees sales decrease 1.3% in October
Swedish retailer ICA has posted a 1.3% decline in sales in October compared with the same period last year. Sales for October 2016 stood at SEK 8.9bn. This is a 1.7% decrease in like-for-like stores. Overall, sales in the period January-October 2016 amounted to SEK 91,567m, an increase of 2.4% compared with the previous year. (esmmagazine.com)Food price deflation in France accelerates, study finds
Food price deflation at French hypermarkets and supermarkets rose to 1.45% in October, compared to 1.33% the previous month, according to data from IRI, reported by Barclays European Food Retail Equity Research. Across both hypermarkets (-1.49%) and supermarkets (-1.50%) there were also signs of accelerating deflation in the French market. Overall, food deflation in October was at its highest level since March 2015. (esmmagazine.com) Tesco says $3m stolen in cyber theft, resumes service
Retailer Tesco Plc's banking arm said on Tuesday that 2.5 million pounds ($3m) had been stolen from 9,000 customers over the weekend in what cyber experts said was the first mass hacking of accounts at a western bank. Tesco Bank said it had resumed full service after the theft, which forced the suspension of online transactions on Monday. (Reuters)