Morrisons supermarket is searching for the best local food and drink suppliers from around Wales. Throughout 2017 Morrisons buyers will tour the nation in search of the best local suppliers to supply their stores. The successful applicants will be invited to meet Morrison’s buyers, local store colleagues and customers at regional events, where a final decision will be made. (businesswales.gov.wales) Morocco: Label’Vie enjoys robust growth in 2016
Label’Vie saw total revenues rise 12.3% to MAD7.557 bn (US$749.5m). The company said that the additional sales were driven by a mixture of like-for-like growth and the addition of new stores in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 the retailer said it was aiming to open 15 new stores as it looked to build out its national coverage. (igd.com)Albertsons said to consider merger with Sprouts
Albertsons Cos., the grocery-chain operator backed by Cerberus Capital Management, has held preliminary talks to merge with Sprouts Farmers Market Inc., people with knowledge of the matter said. The discussions, which took place in recent weeks, are at an early stage and may not lead to a deal, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing private details. The talks have involved a plan to take organic grocer Sprouts private and add it to Albertsons’ portfolio, which includes eponymous grocery stores and the Safeway store brand. (Bloomberg) 
The chief executive of Comeos, the Belgian trade and services federation has welcomed a study that looks into the possibility of creating a unified retail market for the Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg economies. The study, Benelux Retail 2025, was praised by Dominique Michel, the chief executive of Comeos, who said, "we welcome the idea of a unified retail market for the Benelux." (esmmagazine.com) Qatar: Al Meera sees sales rise 6.3% in 2016
Al Meera said sales rose 6.3% to QAR2.6 bn (US$714.6m) in 2016, aided by the addition of new stores. At the end of 2016 it said it had 47 stores, 42 in Qatar and five in Oman, with 68,000 sq.m of selling space. The retailer is aiming to open 14 stores in Qatar as part of an expansion programme announced in 2015. Al Meera has identified 11 sites, with a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016 for six sites. (igd.com)Biggest supermarket substitution fails revealed in Which? survey
New research by Which? has revealed the amount of alternative products people have received when ordering online. According to the survey of shoppers, Asda substitutes groceries the most, with around half (48%) of its customers saying they had received something unexpected in their online shopping in the space of six months. Amazon Fresh came in second place for the number of substitutions it dished out, while Waitrose Deliver and Tesco Online followed closely behind. Iceland, meanwhile, had the least number of substitutions over the past six months. (huffingtonpost.co.uk)AU: Online retailers escape watchdog’s unit pricing rules
Consumer advocates are calling for unit pricing rules to be enforced for online shopping sites to make it easier for people to find bargains. Please, click here to read more at couriermail.com.au. Publix tops list in Customer Experience rankings
The 2017 Temkin Ratings have been released for Customer Experience. Publix was ranked No. 1 among all companies , and their percentage went up from 81% last year to 84% this year. This is the third consecutive year Publix has held the number one position among all companies. Rounding out the top three positions are Texas-based supermarket chain H-E-B and fast-food chain Chick-fil-A. Trader Joe’s was tied for #8. Winn-Dixie and Sam’s Club were tied for #14. (theapopkavoice.com) Aldi confirms it plans to keep controversial "self-tipping" measures
New information acquired exclusively by the Retail Gazette reveals that Aldi has made no plans to scrap the controversial “self-tipping” measures exposed earlier this week by the BBC. Drivers were revealed to be made to unload their own deliveries, without being paid any extra money and in some cases receiving only minimal training. Please, click here to read more at retailgazette.co.uk. US: Mi Pueblo Latin Market posts $100,000 cash surety bond to obtain PACA license
Mi Pueblo Latin Market Inc., operating out of Colorado, has posted a $100,000 cash surety bond with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the regulations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), the company was required to post a bond following the company’s involvement in bankruptcy. The company posted the bond to obtain a license to operate in the produce industry. (ams.usda.gov) 
Spinneys has opened a new 1,600 sq. m store in Upper Egypt, in the Cityscape Mall in Menya. The retailer’s chief executive, Mohanad Adly, said the store represented its ‘ongoing commitment to the Egyptian market’, which has seen it triple its store base in recent years. The store in Menya marks Spinneys’ expansion into its fifth city in the country, adding to its presence in Cairo, Alexandria Giza and Hurghada. At the opening Spinneys said it was planning to open a further four stores in 2017, adding to the four it added in 2016. (igd.com)
RedMart opens official store on Lazada SingaporeRedMart, the leading online grocer in Singapore has opened an official store on Lazada. Currently, the online grocer does not deliver fresh produce. (igd.com)
Denmark: Netto looks to halve food waste by 2030
Discounter Netto has been working on reducing food waste and has cut this by 10% since 2014. However, Netto still wasted around 17,000 tons of food in 2016 and hopes to halve this by 2030, in line with the UN’s Global Goals. (igd.com) 
