Supermarkets must help those in England’s ‘food deserts’, says Which?
The big supermarkets need to step up support for low-income customers marooned in England’s “food deserts” to enable them to readily access healthy groceries during the cost of living crisis, according to the consumer group Which? With the poorest households hit hardest by rising energy and food bills, Which? called on national supermarket chains to help low-income customers in so-called “priority” areas by expanding budget food brands, targeting them with fruit and vegetables promotions, and making it easier to access online deliveries.
Source: theguardian.com
France: Carrefour plans investments and savings to tackle inflation
Carrefour will step up its expansion in e-commerce, open more discount stores and cut costs as part of boss Alexandre Bompard's new strategy to accelerate the turnaround at Europe's largest food retailer amid soaring inflation. The French group, which also announced a media joint venture with ad giant Publicis, said it was aiming for 4bln euros ($4bln) in cost savings and for net free cash flow of over 1.7bln euros ($1.7bln) in 2026.
Source: reuters.com
Indonesia's Blibli rises 4.9% in debut, bucking tech sell-off
The operator of Indonesian e-commerce platform Blibli saw its stock rise as much as 4.9% in its trading debut, after raising 7.99tln rupiah ($509mln) in the nation’s second-biggest initial public offering (IPO) this year.
Source: reuters.com
Australia’s beloved BIG Things get a magical Christmas makeover
Festive fanatics around the country are set to rejoice as BIG W has officially supersized Christmas. The retailer is bringing the magic to Christmas by transforming some of Australia’s most iconic BIG Things - the Big Hills Hoist, the Big Pineapple and the Big Golden Guitar - into show-stopping Christmas spectacles to herald the beginning of the festive season.
Source: woolworthsgroup.com.au
UK: Waitrose responds to empty shelf claims
Waitrose has insisted its stores are better stocked than some of its rivals despite claims that a bungled IT integration has left many of its stores with empty shelves. The John Lewis Partnership-owned supermarket said independent data showed product availability at its branches was higher than at competitors.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
UK: Fruit and Veg on Prescription pilot launched to tackle ill health and food poverty
An innovative pilot, thought to be the UK’s first large-scale “Fruit & Veg on Prescription” project, has been launched to help tackle health inequality and food poverty. Alexandra Rose Charity, in partnership with public health teams in the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Lambeth, has launched Fruit & Veg on Prescription as part of a £250,000 pilot funded by local authorities and a charitable foundation.
Source: alexandrarose.org.uk
Shimizu, founder of Japanese supermarket chain Life, dies at 96
Nobutsugu Shimizu, founder and honorary chairman of Japanese supermarket chain operator Life Corp., died of old age on October 25. He was 96. He established the Japan Supermarkets Association in 1999 and became its first chairman.
Source: jen.jiji.com
Australia: Dineamic rolls out five plant-based meals in Future Farm collab
Prepared meals company Dineamic has teamed up with food-tech company Future Farm to create five new plant-based meals. Karen Inge, a dietitian and founder of Dineamic, said the partnership sprouted from a noticeable increase in consumer demand for plant-based meal options.
Source: insidefmcg.com.au
UK: Asda to miss 'On The Move' store target by over 130 sites
Asda is on course to miss its ‘On The Move’ store target by over 130 sites as it focuses on launching its own standalone convenience brand under the new Asda Express brand.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
Sensei designs cashierless supermarket for Grupo Muffato
Portuguese autonomous store technology provider Sensei has designed a cashierless supermarket in Latin America for Grupo Muffato. Located in Curitiba, in Paraná (Brazil), the Muffato Go shop allows a shopping experience without cashiers, self-scanning or checkout.
Source: esmmagazine.com
US: Sprouts Farmers Market announces new Rancho Cordova location opening November 11
Sprouts Farmers Market is excited to announce it will open its newest store located at 10846 Bear Hollow Drive in Rancho Cordova on November 11. A ribbon cutting will take place Friday morning at 6:45 a.m. The doors to the store will open at 7 a.m. “We are thrilled to welcome Sprouts to Rancho Cordova’s new Stone Creek Village shopping center”, said City of Rancho Cordova Mayor Donald Terry. “Sprouts’ well-known reputation for being both a grocery store that specializes in fresh, local produce and that has a passion for being involved in their communities makes them a great new business and community partner in our city”.
Source: about.sprouts.com
Study: Positive online grocery experience brings more customers
Customers who had a positive online grocery customer experience were 2.2 times more likely to use that service more often than those who had a negative experience, according to Omnichannel Shopper Behavior Report 2022 Vol 3, from Mercatus, fielded October 6 - 10, 2022. The findings also identify the top factors in a positive experience, key differences between Pickup and Delivery usage and retention, and which types of financial offers motivate trial.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Wakefern enables SNAP EBT payment for Instacart orders
Wakefern Food Corp. - the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative - announced that Electronic Benefits Transfer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) is now an accepted payment method for orders placed via Instacart from its ShopRite, Fairway Market, Gourmet Garage and The Fresh Grocer locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. The cooperative’s online shopping service, available directly on the banner brands’ websites, also accepts EBT SNAP payments.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Kroger officially enters 36th state with Ocado 'spoke' launches
The formal opening of an Ocado-automated “spoke” facility in Oklahoma City has extended The Kroger Co.’s reach to 36 states, now including Oklahoma. Cincinnati-based Kroger said that the 50,000-square-foot spoke site, at 8801 North I-35 Service Rd. in Oklahoma City, recently hosted an associate celebration and ribbon-cutting event. Announced in February, the new facility supports a 350,000-square-foot, Ocado-driven customer fulfillment center (CFC) in Dallas at the corner of 4200 Cleveland Rd. and 4241 Telephone Rd., that opened this past summer.
Source: supermarketnews.com