Lidl backs British farms | Costco to work with Shipt

Italian discounter, Tuodì, is up for sale, as a result of financial difficulties that the retailer has reportedly been facing since 2013. According to daily Milano Finanza, Germany’s Aldi Süd has set its eyes on Tuodì as part of its plans to launch in the Italian market. The Rome-based company (also trading as Dico) has been operating in Italy for 20 years and has over 400 stores. (esmmagazine.com) 

Target Corp. has unveiled its next-generation store format, which will make its debut in Richmond, Texas, a Houston suburb, in October. In addition to the new 124,000-sq.-ft. Richmond store, 40 additional Target locations will receive elements of the redesign when they are updated, also in October. The new stores will have more fresh produce and grab-and-go options and meal solutions. (chainstoreage.com) 

Lidl has joined Aldi, the Cooperative, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons and Waitrose in signing the pledge. The charter, launched in 2013, stated retailers must stock more British food and ‘work in partnership with British farmers to develop committed, fair and beneficial relationships’. NFU President Meurig Raymond said 86% of shoppers wanted to buy more British produce and the pledge showed a commitment to sourcing high quality British products. (fginsight.com) 

Online grocery marketplace Shipt, today announced the addition of Costco Wholesale, to its delivery service. Costco products will be available beginning on March 21, 2017 in the Tampa metro area. This addition is one of many growth initiatives that Shipt has planned for 2017. By forging new alliances with national and regional retailers, launching new metros and expanding service areas in existing markets, Shipt has plans to offer its services to 50 markets and over 30 million households by the end of the year. (finance.yahoo.com)

In an interview with trade publication LSA, Auchan Retail’s managing director, Wilhelm Hubner, has said that franchising would play a bigger role in the company’s future as it looks to build out its one Auchan branding strategy. Hubner said that franchising would centre on the retailer’s supermarkets and proximity formats. He also said that franchising would be important as Auchan looks to expand globally. Hubner was quoted as saying that franchising would enable Auchan to open in one new country annually. (igd.com)

Independent retailers' organisation, the Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association (RGDATA) has put the block on further expansion by German discount retailers - for now. RGDATA appealed to An Bord Pleanála after local authorities granted permission for an Aldi store at Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny and a new Lidl at Drogheda, Co Louth. (independent.ie) 

Lidl appears to have ample opportunity to gain market share in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic markets when it makes its U.S. debut this year, according to a report from Barclays. “We think these markets are ripe for competitive intrusion, given their combination of ample spending power, good population density, and generally weak or vulnerable retailers,” Barclays said in the report, which was compiled by analyst Karen Short in the U.S. and analysts James Anstead and Nicolas Champ in Europe. (supermarketnews.com)

Singapore: FairPrice to add more stores
Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice said on Wednesday it plans to open six more supermarkets catering to budget-conscious shoppers. Called FairPrice Shop, the supermarkets stock a more affordable range of products. About half of their space is dedicated to FairPrice’s house-brand products, Every Day Low Price and Yellow Dot items. The Value Fresh range, which includes vegetables priced 5 to 10% lower than the current house-brand produce Pasar, is also stocked exclusively at FairPrice Shop. (channelnewsasia.com)

Hard discounters Aldi and Lidl between them will steal a significant share of U.S. food retail sales in coming years, but their influence will exceed their reach, experts said Tuesday at the 52nd annual Western Michigan University Food Marketing Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. Please, click here to read more at supermarketnews.com.

Bulgaria: Piccadilly seeks options to pay delayed wages
Select Trade, which operates as a franchisee of cash-strapped local supermarket chain Piccadilly, said it is seeking options to fully pay the wages of its employees for the month of February. "Insolvency proceedings against Piccadilly have had a negative impact on the operations of Select Trade. The decision of a significant part of the company's employees to terminate their contracts due to delayed wage payments over the past few months further impedes the normal operations of the company," Select Trade said in a statement. (seenews.com)