Blue Apron, a meal-kit-delivery service dedicated to making “incredible home cooking accessible to everyone,” has filed preliminary documents for an IPO. The largest company in the meal-kit-delivery sector, Blue Apron has not been profitable, and it intends to change this by raising up to $100 million in the IPO. (progressivegrocer.com) UK online grocer Ocado finally lands overseas deal
British online supermarket Ocado has struck an overseas deal with an unnamed regional European retailer, a year and a half after missing a self-imposed deadline to secure one. Partnerships with retailers overseas are seen by analysts as the key influence on Ocado's stock market valuation. However, the firm missed its target of securing a deal by the end of 2015 and has been testing investors' patience. It said orders would initially be fulfilled from the partner's manually operated centralised warehouse. The deal does give the partner the right to request in the future the installation of automated mechanical handling equipment in centralised warehouses, using Ocado technology, but the terms of that would have to be separately agreed. (Reuters)UK: Amazon Fresh expands postcodes for food delivery
Amazon Fresh is expanding its reach in online food delivery, adding another 42 postcodes to its service. Amazon will now start delivering in various postcodes across Herfordshire and Bedfordshire, in addition to the 302 postcodes it currently serves across London and the south East. (cityam.com)Spain: Eroski permanently lowers price on thousands of products
Customers of Eroski will see lower prices on up to 7,000 products in its hypermarkets and 1,000 products in its supermarkets. Eroski marketing director Eva Ugarte said, “We have lowered prices for the improvements achieved in our supply chain and our customers will be able to find their preferred products from manufacturers and own brands, now with lower prices.” (esmmagazine.com) Aldi Nord sustainability report wins corporate responsibility award
Aldi Nord has announced that its sustainability report won in the 'Best First Time Report' category at the international Corporate Responsibility Report Awards (CRRA) 2017. According to the voting verdict, the German retailer submitted an ”excellent first sustainability report. With a detailed description of its stakeholder commitment and a clear focus on the essentials, Aldi Nord has managed to bundle all the important elements of a successful report.” (esmmagazine.com) UK: Marks & Spencer wants to become zero-waste business
UK retailer Marks & Spencer has launched a new sustainability plan to tackle the main issues facing retailers and society. Plan A 2025 is described as a customer focused 'eco and ethical' programme, that will convert Marks & Spencer into a zero-waste business within the next eight years. (esmmagazine.com) 
7-Eleven Vietnam to debut in JuneConvenience store giant 7-Eleven will open its first Vietnam stores in June. In an announcement on its official Facebook page, 7-Eleven Vietnam says it expects to open stores in Districts 1, 2, 3 and Binh Thanh of Ho Chi Minh City. (insideretail.asia)
Farm Boy to open first Toronto location
Farm Boy is continuing its expansion into Southern Ontario with the opening of its first Toronto store this fall. The 20,000 sq. ft. location in the city’s Etobicoke district will employ 150 and offer a wide variety of farm fresh produce. (canadiangrocer.com) Probe of PwC over Tesco scandal dropped by accounting regulator
A regulatory probe into PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP related to Tesco Plc’s accounting scandal was dropped as the Financial Reporting Council said there was little chance of an adverse finding in the case. The FRC said in a statement Monday, however, that it would continue investigating other Tesco auditors. The decision is the latest twist in a nearly three-year-old saga at Tesco that has already spawned sweeping management changes, fines and criminal charges. (esmmagazine.com) Construction starts on new Carrefour distribution hub in Dubai
Majid Al Futtaim has held a ground-breaking ceremony at the site of its new regional Carrefour distribution centre at the National Industries Park in Dubai. With a total storage capacity of over 400 million units to support Carrefour’s brick and mortar stores in addition to the omni-channel business of Carrefour, the company said in a statement. (arabianbusiness.com) 
