US: Tops transitions to in-house shoppers for pickup orders
Tops Markets said it will begin using its own store employees to shop for pickup orders at all 58 stores where the “click-and-collect” service is offered, replacing Instacart workers in that role. “Instacart will no longer be staffing our stores with their own in-store labor, starting in late April”, Kathy Sautter, director of corporate communications and public relations at Tops, told SN.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Uber Freight laying off 150, about 3% of workforce
Uber Freight said it will lay off roughly 150 employees, or about 3% of its workforce, as economic uncertainty hammers demand for shipping services. The division of rideshare company Uber Technologies said the layoffs will be limited to its digital brokerage operations that match shippers with truckers seeking to haul cargo.
Source: reuters.com
US: Kroger announces Food Trend predictions for 2023
The Kroger Co., America's grocer, announced its 2023 Food Trends Report, which predicts emerging food trends, consumer behaviors and popular items for the year ahead. Making it easy on the host - Products to try: Simple Truth Organic Black Bean Dip; Private Selection Hass Avocado Ranch Dip; Private Selection Seedless Baby Cucumbers; Simple Truth Organic Snap Peas; Private Selection Gold Nugget Seedless Mandarins; Simple Truth Plant-based Mini Cookies.
Source: prnewswire.com
Grondahl: Third-generation Albany produce wholesaler perseveres
Joe Aiello’s workday begins long before the sparrows sing on Dongan Avenue in the city’s South End. Each morning before sunrise, Aiello unloads pallets of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, bananas, pears, oranges, apples and herbs from trucks arriving from New York City’s sprawling produce markets.
Source: timesunion.com
Bankrupt Brazilian retailer Americanas owes about $8bln, court finds
Brazilian retailer Americanas SA owes a variety of creditors around $8bln, a Rio de Janeiro court said, providing the most detailed picture yet of the exposure of banks and other groups to the company's bankruptcy.
Source: reuters.com
US: Vegan? Keto? ShopRite adds new digital shopping feature to boost health-and-wellness sales
ShopRite will feature a new dietary lifestyle filter on its website to help shoppers looking for food and drink to fit a variety of specialized diets, the Wakefern Food Corp. banner announced. New filters on the grocery retailer’s website include options to search for dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, diabetes-friendly, keto-friendly, low-sodium, low-sugar products and more. The digital expansion of the personalized items and recipes are part of ShopRite’s Well Everyday health and wellness program.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
Thierry Cotillard elected president of France's Société Les Mousquetaires
Associated members of France's Groupement Les Mousquetaires have announced that Thierry Cotillard has been appointed president of Société les Mousquetaires, the Group's governing body. The announcement was made at the general assembly of Groupement Les Mousquetaires.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Vegetable box firm Riverford doubles payout to founder despite profits plunge
The organic vegetable box company Riverford doubled its dividend to its founder, Guy Singh-Watson, to £850,000 last year and tripled its workers’ bonus pool to £2.4mln despite a dive in profits. Sales rose 1% to £110.8mln in the year to 30 April 2022, managing to top the pandemic boom. However, the company said that trading conditions and cost pressures this year and next could be some of the worst in its 36-year history after profits dived 56% to £5.2mln. Riverford, which delivers organic vegetable boxes to 200,000 homes, said profits had been hit by increased marketing costs and pay rises so that it became an accredited real living wage employer, as well as the shift to fully home-compostable packaging. The company said the new packaging had added £700,000 to costs.
Source: theguardian.com
Spanish ecommerce to grow 20% in 2023
Gross sales in Spanish ecommerce are expected to increase 20% by the end of this year. The country is expected to generate 65.3bln euros in sales, of which 17% will be generated by online sales. Now, the Spanish National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has reported that ecommerce in the country generated 15.6bln euros during the first quarter of 2022. This is a growth of 25.3% when compared to 2021.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
UK: Working 5 - 9, not a way for healthy eating!
The new research from Sainsbury’s revealed almost a quarter (23%) of night shift workers are likely to skip a meal and more than one in 10 (16%) admit there are some weeks they don’t consume any fruits and vegetables. That’s why the supermarket has launched the ‘Flourish Fuelling Station’, providing hot and healthy meals from its new Flourish range for free during unsociable hours. The complete range features over 65 products, each packed with health benefits, with prices ranging from £1 to £4.
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
Accel, Tiger Global mull exiting India's Flipkart in $1.5bln stake sale - ET
Private equity firms Accel and Tiger Global, two early backers of Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart, are in talks to sell their remaining stake in the company to parent Walmart Inc for about $1.5bln, the Economic Times reported.
Source: reuters.com
Holland: Amsterdam supermarket offers free groceries, life coach to struggling families
A new, extra-special supermarket opened in Wildemanbuurt in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. The Fris Supermarket offers free groceries for vulnerable families, with the only condition that they also accept the help of a life coach from Studiezalen, the foundation behind Fris, Parool reports. Fris, which translates to “fresh” in English, stands for the fresh produce and the fresh start the supermarket hopes to help families with.
Source: nltimes.nl
CJ Lang selects Relex to automate and optimise supply chain processes
CJ Lang & Son, the wholesaler for Spar in Scotland, has selected Relex Solutions, provider of unified supply chain and retail planning solutions, to automate and optimise its supply chain processes.
Source: talkingretail.com
Lidl speaks our language: retailer announces Welsh language certification 
Lidl has become the first supermarket to achieve the prestigious Cynnig Cymraeg certification from the Welsh Language Commissioner. With 55 stores across Wales, Lidl has been working hard to support the roll-out and inclusion of the Welsh language in stores. This certification recognises Lidl’s ongoing commitment to the cause.
Source: corporate.lidl.co.uk
Ireland's The Happy Pear twins: "Eating a plant-based diet is the biggest way to address your carbon footprint"
Happy Pear twins David and Stephen Flynn on how to be happier, healthier and more environmentally-friendly. Thirty A Week - David: “The American Gut Project, a crowdfunded citizen science effort, found that the single biggest thing you can do to improve your gut health is bulk up on fruit, vegetables, beans, legumes, seeds and whole grains. Try to eat at least thirty different types every week. In our latest book, The Veg Box, we took the ten most common vegetables in Ireland and cooked them ten ways, using ten ingredients or less”.
Source: hotpress.com