Finland's Kesko Group has reported sales of €856.3mln in July, which represents an increase of 2.7% compared to the same period last year. Sales in the company's grocery trade increased by 1.5% in comparable terms to €423.1mln, with growth in all chains. (esmmagazine.com) AU: Coles full year profit down 13.5%
Australia’s largest supermarket, Coles, has been challenged by the stiff competition posed by Woolworths and German grocery retailer, Aldi. Coles reported a 13.5% fall in full-year profit to $1.61bn, with comparable food and liquor sales growth slowing by one percent, and revenue largely flat. “In a very competitive environment, sales and margin pressures in Coles are expected to persist,” said Wesfarmers in its full-year results. “Within this environment, Coles will focus on plans to further enhance the quality of its fresh offer, and improve merchandising and availability, while continuing to drive operational efficiencies to support investments in value and service,” said Wesfarmers CEO, Richard Goyder, in a statement. (powerretail.com.au) Bulgaria’s T-Market targets 28% annual growth
Bulgarian supermarket chain T-Market is expecting sales to grow by 26-28% this year, according to CEO Edvinas Volkas. He added that Bulgarian consumers shop more often - an average of about 2.7 times a week – compared to other European countries. Bulgarians also consume more fresh products (fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy) compared to Baltic countries, for example. (esmmagazine.com) Estonia: Omniva to conclude grocery delivery services
Estonian state-owned logistics company Eesti Post AS, operating under the Omniva brand, is to conclude a more than year-long pilot project involving grocery delivery in the Tallinn metro area, as rendering the service has proven economically unviable. Supermarket chains are now weighing their own alternatives. (news.err.ee) Coop Sweden appoints Magnus Johansson as new CEO
The board of Coop Sweden has appointed Magnus Johansson as the new CEO of the retail company, succeeding Sonat Burman-Olsson, who has been president and CEO since May 2014. "We are very pleased with the recruitment of Magnus, who comes with long and solid experience from all aspects of retailing," said Tommy Ohlström, group chairman. (esmmagazine.com) Turkey: Sales at BIM grow more than 20%
BIM sales revenue reported a growth of 22%, year-on-year, to reach TRY 11bn (EUR 3.3bn) in the first half of 2017. Same as Migros Ticaret, inflation explains away almost half the growth rate, along with a 2% growth in traffic, a single-digit growth in real basket spend, and 9% growth in store openings. As a result, like-for-like sales were reported at a growth rate of 12.7% for that period. BIM is investing in expansion of its supermarket chain File from its current 33 stores to 46 by end of 2017. (igd.com)Turkey: Migros Ticaret reported better than expected H1 2017 sales
Migros Ticaret reported on the first half of 2017 to grow by 23% growth in sales revenue to reach TRY 6.2bn (EUR 1.9bn) - without Kipa sales - and 38.5% growth to reach TRY 7bn (EUR 2.1bn) with Kipa. The non-Kipa figures highlights an improvement from the 18.6% reported in 2016. Migros Ticaret new store openings in 2017 are expected to be less than the previous year, but with inflation expected to be higher so far into the year. So, growth improvement is partially attributed to the robust performance of existing stores in Turkey, especially in Q2 2017 when sales growth was near 25%. The retailer is in collaboration with Petrol Ofisi to expand its presence in the convenience channel via forecourts. Migros Ticaret is also looking to develop an online grocery channel with Tazedirekt.com. (igd.com)Trump, in tweet, hits Amazon over taxes, jobs
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Amazon.com on Twitter over taxes and jobs and accused the global retailer, without offering evidence, of hurting U.S. localities and causing job losses. Shares of the company fell 0.3% to $980.00 in premarket trade after Trump's comments. Representatives for the company could not be immediately reached for comment. (Reuters)Aldi may face 'uphill battle' in US, despite Instacart partnership
With Aldi set to kick off online deliveries in Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles later this month, following its partnership with Instacart, market research provider Euromonitor International has warned that the retailer may face an 'uphill battle' when it comes to convincing grocery shoppers to move online. “Online grocery, especially the purchase of food and beverage products, faces an uphill battle in the US," said Michelle Grant, head of retailing, Euromonitor International. "Consumers tend to prefer the store experience, especially to inspect the fresh products." Please, click here to read more at esmmagazine.com. US: Sales mixed for SpartanNash in Q2
Food distribution continues to be a bright spot for SpartanNash Co. while the grocery operator reported sales dips in its retail and military segments for its fiscal 2017 second quarter. Overall, Q2 consolidated net sales increased from $67.1mln to $1.89bn from $1.83bn in the prior year quarter, driven by contributions from the Caito Foods Service acquisition and organic growth in the food distribution segment. But net sales for SpartanNash’s retail segment dropped to $482mln in Q2, compared to $501.8mln a year ago. (progressivegrocer.com) US: Publix promotion signals online push
Reflecting the supermarket industry buzz about the growth potential of online grocery shopping, Publix Super Markets Inc. has promoted Erik Katenkamp to the new post of vice president of omnichannel and application development. Katenkamp was instrumental in the company’s move to online shopping, said Todd Jones, Publix CEO and president, in a company statement. (theledger.com)US: Target's fresh produce sales improve
Target’s second quarter sales increased by 1.6% to $16.4bn, with comparable store sales rising 1.3%. Almost all the increase in comparable store sales (1.1%) was attributed to the 32% increase in digital channel sales. Food and beverage comp sales were flat in the quarter, but given the current deflationary environment, the retailer was pleased with the performance. In fresh produce and adult beverages, it saw a marked improvement, reflecting the enhanced focus it has placed on these categories. (igd.com) 
