Malaysians are generally still slow in embracing digital economy for their needs, particularly when it comes to groceries, but online sales are set to improve this year, in line with Malaysia’s online shopping growth. Tesco Malaysia CEO Paul Ritchie said on Saturday that the online shopping trend is growing much more slowly as Malaysians still liked to visit traditional markets or grocery stores. Ritchie said he expects Tesco’s online sales to improve this year, in line with Malaysia’s online shopping growth of 18% a year. (thestar.com.my) Deutsche Post to deliver groceries for AmazonFresh
Deutsche Post DHL won a contract to deliver groceries for Amazon's AmazonFresh service in Germany, which could help ease concerns that the U.S. retailer's own delivery services are an increasing threat to the German logistics group. "We want to be the service provider for online grocery sales," Deutsche Post CEO Frank Appel told shareholders at the group's annual general meeting on Friday. Amazon declined to comment. (Reuters)UK: M&S and Ocado explores tie-up
Marks and Spencer is exploring a tie-up with delivery company Ocado in what would be a long-delayed move into online grocery shopping, according to reports. Talks between the two firms will start in the next few weeks, according to anonymous sources spoken to by the Sunday Telegraph. M&S's chief executive Steve Rowe said last week a team from the supermarket was looking into options for a soft trial of food delivery to be started in the autumn. (cityam.com) Russia: X5 sees revenue op 26.5%
Russia's X5 Retail Group has posted a 26.5% increase in year-on-year revenue in the first quarter of the year, 'on the back of strong like-for-like sales and solid selling space expansion', the retailer said. The group added a total of 630 new stores in the period, compared to 377 new stores opening during the same period last year. (esmmagazine.com)Singapore: Sheng Siong Q1 profit up 4.3% on revenue from new stores
Sheng Siong Group on Friday posted a 4.3% increase in net profit to S$17.1m from S$16.4m a year ago, on the back of revenue growth for the first quarter of 2017. Revenue increased by 4.1%, fuelled mainly by income from four new stores opened in 2016. (businesstimes.com.sg) Danish discounter to close all stores
Dagrofa has decided to close its KIWI discount chain of 103 stores, which currently accounts for 9% of consolidated revenue. As a result, the discount banner, which was established in 2008 will see around 30 stores converted to either the SPAR or MENY banners, while the remaining stores will be closed. Dagrofa cited that despite ‘massive investment’ in KIWI, it ‘no longer believes it can be turned into a profitable business'. Instead, Dagrofa will focus on delivering local, high quality food. (igd.com) Argentinian Cencosud tests convenience in other Latin American markets
Cencosud has recently opened its first convenience stores in Argentina, which could be a precursor to wider convenience development, including in Chile. However, for now, for Cencosud the expansion focus has been on opening more medium sized formats to reach new catchments in Chile, seeking to meet smaller missions this way. (igd.com)Metro China to launch first store in Jinan
Metro will open its first store in Jinan, Shandong province in August this year. The new supermarket will be situated in Jinan's Huaiyin district and have an area of 7,900 square meters. Metro already has stores in Shandong province in several other cities like Weifang, and the first store in Jinan will add to their strong network of stores. (igd.com)Russia's Dixy group sees decline in revenue in first quarter
Russia's Dixy Group has seen a 6% decline in revenue in its first quarter of the year, to RUB 70bn, due to lower 'consumer traffic and basket weakness'. Like-for-like sales at the group were down 9.8%, with gross profit amounting to RUB 17.6bn. It increased its selling space by 2% compared to the same period the previous year. (esmmagazine.com)US: Weis sees more growth ahead
After growing its store base through an acquisition last year, Weis Markets is investing $90m in its growth in 2017. The budget includes new stores and remodels of existing locations. It also calls for supply chain improvements and continued information technology upgrades. “Our budget includes 14 remodels, a new unit in Brunswick, Maryland, two fuel centers and the continued expansion of our distribution center in Milton, Pennsylvania. We also have seven new stores in the active planning stages and expect most of them to open in 2018," Weis Markets' chairman and CEO said. (chainstoreage.com) Canadian discount grocers have ample room to grow: report
Discount grocers had a small impact in most markets around the world a decade ago, but now the players, spurred by powerhouse businesses such as German discount chains Aldi and Lidl, are stealing more and more market share from conventional grocery companies, says a new report from Boston Consulting Group. Please, click here to read more at business.financialpost.com. 
