The executive management of Save-A-Lot is adding a second veteran of Lidl, SN has learned. Kevin Proctor, who was among the leaders of Lidl’s Ireland team sent to the U.S. in 2013 to begin establishing a stateside presence for the German retailer, is joining the Earth City, Mo.-based discounter, sources said. (supermarketnews.com)US: H-E-B turns to vertical farming
The specialty food division of H-E-B will grow about half a dozen varieties of salad greens at a Dallas store for customers to purchase, according to Dallas Morning News. The greens will be raised behind the store in a four-level, vertical farm inside a retrofitted 53-foot long shipping container. They will be grown under magenta and other color lights, and will not need pesticides or sunlight. The cost of the produce will be similar to other greens being sold at H-E-B. (fooddive.com) US: Kroger targets sustainable and fair trade groceries
As part of its new 'Sustainability Lives Here' campaign, Kroger is offering customers digital coupons targeted towards sustainable products. They are targeted towards certified products such as Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Forest Stewardship Council, along with organic and natural products across its departments. (igd.com)US: Strack & Van Til being sold
The parent company of Region institution Strack & Van Til, Northwest, Indiana's largest locally owned grocery store chain, plans to sell off 22 of its stores and close nine Ultra Foods discount supermarkets, company officials said Tuesday. (nwitimes.com)US: Supervalu plans to retain Unified private labels: CEO
Supervalu plans to continue offering Unified Grocers’ private brands to Unified’s customers upon completion of their planned merger, Supervalu President and CEO Mark Gross said. “Our goal, every step of the way, will be to provide products and services that work best for all our customers and their stores,” he said in an email exchange. “This includes continuing to distribute high-quality Topco and Unified private label brands such as Springfield, Western Family and Natural Directions.” (supermarketnews.com) Lidl's rapid N.J. expansion reportedly gets another approval
Lidl won approval Monday to build a store on the site of a former school in Atlantic County as part of its rapid expansion plan for New Jersey, The Press of Atlantic City reported. (nj.com) Walmart India weighing food retail possibilities
Walmart India is “evaluating” new foreign direct investment (FDI) guidelines for the food retail space. This follows the government permitting 100% FDI in the sector. Walmart India president/CEO Krish Iyer describes the government’s decision as a good step. “It’s a very noble objective in terms of being able to double farmers’ income and reduce food waste.” (insideretail.asia) India: BigBasket and Grofers start merger talks
Online grocer BigBasket, run by Supermarket Grocery Services Pvt. Ltd, and smaller rival Grofers India Pvt. Ltd have initiated talks for a merger that, if consummated, will also see SoftBank Group, an existing investor in the latter, participate in a $60-100 million funding round in the merged entity, said three people aware of the development. (livemint.com) SA: Pick n Pay profit rises as grocer adds fresh produce
Pick n Pay Stores Ltd. reported a 17% increase in full-year profit as the South African supermarket chain extended its fresh-produce range, opened stores and focused on keeping prices low amid weak consumer spending. Sales rose 7% to 77.5bn rand ($5.8bn). (Bloomberg)US: Why grocers are launching branded meal kits
A recent Harris Poll found that one in four adults have purchased a meal kit in 2016 (25%) and 70% of meal kit purchasers are still doing so. Meal kits are hitting a mark with consumers and delivering on key convenience and health trends in the marketplace today. Among meal kit purchasers, the top reasons for buying include saving time on meal planning (46%) and the short prep and cook time (45%). (ownbrandsnow.com) Google launches Aero app to deliver food in India
A new hyperlocal shopping app, Aero, will deliver food and other handy man services to Mumbai and Bangalore. Google is working with restaurants and home service businesses as partners. Currently, it has Freshmenu, Box8 and Fassos for food partners, and UrbanClap and Zimmber for home services. Users can pay via card, netbanking or cash-on-delivery within the app. (igd.com)Denmark’s Netto appoints Michael Loeve as new international director
Dansk Supermarket, which operates the Netto banner, has appointed former CEO of B&Q UK & Ireland, Michael Loeve, as the new director of Netto International. In his new role, he will be responsible for the chain’s operations in Denmark, Germany, Poland and Sweden, encompassing some 1,300 stores. (esmmagazine.com) Vietnam leads convenience store charge
Asia's grocery market is the largest in the world, with a predicted 6.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) up to 2021, according to the worldwide food and grocery research specialists at IGD. The size of the Asian market is forecast to reach US$4.8 trillion by 2021: equivalent to that of Europe and North America combined. In the convenience store channel alone, IGD is forecasting a high double-digit CAGR over the next four years in Vietnam (37.4%), the Philippines (24.2%) and Indonesia (15.8%), based on the performance of the leading convenience store operators in each market. (bangkokpost.com) UK's The Co-operative launches food redistribution scheme
UK retailer The Co-operative has launched a food redistribution initiative, which aims to benefit the 2,500 towns and villages across the country where stores are located. The scheme, which has been trialled at 60 stores so far, will see the Co-op donating enough food for up to 20 million meals per year to local causes. (esmmagazine.com) Russia: Lenta’s conservative approach for a sustainable growth strategy
Lenta reported a respectable growth of 21.2% in sales revenue and 3.9% in like-for like performance. Lenta’s pillar of profitable growth is its emphasis on cost-optimisation via joint-procurement agreements, an integrated supply chain, and optimised store design. The retailer expects profitable growth with a 20% rate of return on capital expenditure in 2017. (igd.com)Bulgaria: Turnover at T-Market increases by over 20% in 2016
In 2016 the turnover of the T-Market stores increased by more than one fifth up to €88.4m (172.9m leva), which is a 22.1% increase compared to 2015. This transpired from a report of MaximaGrupe, of which T-Market’s owner, Maxima Bulgaria, is a part. The Bulgarian company is reporting the highest growth within the group, which operates in another four countries. (agroberichtenbuitenland.nl) 
