Lidl has just opened its 11th regional distribution centre (RDC) in the West Midlands, providing 400 jobs for the local area. It’s the German discount grocer’s second distribution centre to open since the Southampton one six months ago, and forms part of its three-year £1.5bn expansion investment in the UK. (retailgazette.co.uk) Russia: O'Key committed to improving in-store experience
The O'Key Group has said that it is "fully committed to improving the overall in-store shopping experience for our customers" in the coming year, following the publication of its audited financial results for 2016. The results indicate that O'Key Group's total revenue rose 8.0% year-on-year to RUB 175.4bn, with its hypermarket and supermarket segment rising 4.9% to RUB 169.7bn. Its discounter department posted revenues of RUB 5.8bn. The retailer said that it aims at improving efficiency in its hypermarket and supermarket business segment as well as further expanding its discounter stores. (esmmagazine.com)US: Kroger trims new-store plans by 35%
Kroger Co. plans a 35% reduction in new-store development, store expansions and relocations in 2017, with 55 projects planned, versus 85 in 2016, according to its annual 10-K report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week. The filing confirmed the Cincinnati-based company’s previous projections that it would trim capital expenditures by up to about 13%, to a range of $3.2bn to $3.5bn, compared with $3.7bn in 2016. The company previously had said it would slow new-store development in 2017, but had not disclosed more specific plans. The company said in the 10-K filing that it expects square footage to increase by 1.8% in 2017, compared with 3.4% in 2016. (supermarketnews.com) UK: Ocado launches search for Britain’s next top supplier
Ocado has again launched its annual competition to find the next big thing in British food and drink. The online supermarket is calling on small producers from across the country to battle it out to be crowned Britain’s Next Top Supplier. The winner of the competition will be stocked at Ocado and will also receive a £20,000 marketing package to promote their product. (kamcity.com) Swiss supermarket Migros lets consumers compare products in-store
Swiss supermarket chain Migros lets customers check and compare products on their mobile phone while they are in-store. With the new Discover function in the Migros app, consumers can scan products and see what other customers have to say about the articles. (ecommercenews.eu) India: Big Basket raises Rs 45 cr of venture debt as online
Big Basket has picked up Rs 45 crore in venture debt from Trifecta Capital for setting up a new cold chain and warehousing facility. This comes at a time when the Bengaluru-based online food and grocery portal has been in the market scouting for fresh funds and had explored acquiring its smaller rival Grofers, as reported by TOI earlier. The grocery e-tailer had mandated investment bank Morgan Stanley for a $150m fund-raise, which was expected to close by April but people familiar with the ongoing discussions said the financing round may take longer to materialise. (indiatimes.com) Highly prized English asparagus to go on sale at Tesco
English asparagus, will go on sale more than three weeks earlier than usual at Tesco stores across the UK today. The recent sunshine has brought the harvest forward this year, meaning that, remarkably, customers will be able to enjoy British asparagus in March, the retailer says in a press release. Publix still tops list of Florida's most valuable brands
Publix again ranked as Florida's most valuable brand, according to a study released this week. Each year, Brand Finance, a valuation and strategy consulting firm, analyzes the value of the world's largest companies' brands. The Sunshine State is home to 15 of the 500 most valuable brands in the country, and those companies are valued at $39.5bn, according to the study. (heraldtribune.com) Men and young adults most likely to grocery shop online
Although online grocery shoppers can be found across all demographic groups, they are more likely to be younger men, ages 18-44, according to a recent report on online grocery shopping by The NPD Group, a leading global information company. Amazon Prime members and young adults are other groups more likely to grocery shop online, finds The NPD Group report, The Virtual Grocery Store. (groceryheadquarters.com) US: Blue Apron hires bankers for IPO in 2017
Blue Apron, the biggest U.S. meal kit company, has hired investment bankers to lead its 2017 initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter. Blue Apron's IPO is coming as competition heats up in the meal kit industry, where companies deliver fresh ingredients and recipes to subscribers. At least one of its rivals is preparing its own IPO this year. New York City-based Blue Apron has selected Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup to lead the offering that could come as soon as this fall, the sources said. (cnbc.com) Walmart to invest $135M in Alabama import DC
Walmart on Wednesday announced plans to build a $135m distribution center in Mobile, a move projected to create 550 full-time jobs. The new storage and cross-dock facility will be the retail giant's fourth distribution center in-state and will likely provide a significant boost to the Port of Mobile. Construction on the 2.5m-square-foot distribution facility is expected to take 14 months. Once finished, the facility will support roughly 800 Walmart locations. (bizjournals.com) AU: Supermarkets to prosper from softening economy
Coles and Woolworths' sales will grow by as much as 5% in the next five years as Australian households buy more supermarket food to cut household costs and offset rising utility bills and childcare costs. Please, click here to read the article at smh.com.au. US: Supervalu combines 2 ailing retail chains
Supervalu is combining the operations and merchandising staffs of two of its ailing retail chains, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy and Farm Fresh, reports said Thursday. As part of the change, 21 of 44 merchandising and operations positions at Farm Fresh were eliminated, and those duties will be taken over by Shoppers in Bowie, Md., the Virginian-Pilot newspaper reported. Mickey Nye, who had been Farm Fresh’s president, will stay with Supervalu as a regional VP, overseeing Farm Fresh, Shoppers and Shop n’ Save, the report added. (supermarketnews.com) 
UK: Waitrose increases banana prices by 4.1%Recent floods, which wiped out plantations in the Caribbean, have sent the prices of bananas in the UK shooting up. Today supmarket chain Waitrose became the first to increase prices 4.1% from 72p a kilo to 75p. (mirror.co.uk)
Amazon wants big brands to bypass Wal-Mart & Costco
Amazon.com has invited some of the world’s biggest brands to its Seattle headquarters in an audacious bid to persuade them that it’s time to start shipping products directly to online shoppers and bypass chains like Wal-Mart, Target and Costco. Executives from General Mills, Mondelez and other packaged-goods makers will attend the three-day gathering in May, Bloomberg has learned. Attendees will tour an Amazon fulfillment center and hear a presentation from Worldwide Consumer chief Jeff Wilke, who reports directly to Jeff Bezos. (seattletimes.com) 
How retailers can connect with their communities by going ‘hyperlocalPlease, click here to read the article.
Research: Food retailers should target Amazon Prime membersPlease, click here to read the article.
