US: February eGrocery sales up from year ago to $8.8bln
The U.S. online grocery market finished last month with $8.8bln in total sales, up 1.5% compared to last year, according to data from the Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey fielded February 26-27.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Meijer first retailer nationwide to support SNAP benefits on Flashfood
In an ongoing effort to make fresh food more accessible, Meijer announced an expansion of its Flashfood program, making it the first retailer nationwide to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through the app that allows customers to purchase surplus close-dated food at a deep discount.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: FTC asking competitors about Albertsons/Kroger deal as part of probe, WSJ reports
The Federal Trade Commission is talking to companies that sell groceries across the country about their views on the potential acquisition of Albertsons by Kroger, the Wall Street Journal reported. In other news, Supermarketnews.com reported: "A coalition of 100 organizations representing diverse interests from around the country have joined forces in the “Stop the Merger” campaign, a national and state-level effort to oppose the proposed $25bln merger of grocery store chain giants Kroger and Albertsons."
Source: boisedev.com
Canada: Metro, Too Good To Go ink province-wide partnership
Metro has expanded its partnership with Too Good To Go - an app that connects consumers to restaurants and stores that have surplus unsold food - across Ontario.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: DoorDash partners with PCC Community Markets for on-demand grocery delivery
DoorDash reported: "We are excited to announce a partnership with PCC Community Markets (PCC or “the co-op”) - the largest community-owned food market in the U.S. and one of Seattle’s original grocers - to offer on-demand grocery delivery from 15 locations in and around Seattle. PCC is the first community-owned grocer available on the DoorDash marketplace, providing consumers with a reliable and convenient way to stock up on their favorite organic grocery needs and home essentials".
Source: doordash.news
UK regulator tells Asda to fix competition concerns over Co-op fuel deal
Britain's competition regulator has found that supermarket group Asda's 611mln pound ($742mln) purchase of the Co-op's 132 petrol stations and attached stores could lead to higher prices or less choice in some parts of the country. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Asda must address its concerns to avoid an in-depth "Phase 2" investigation of the deal.
Source: reuters.com
Portugal's finance minister says cutting VAT on food not a priority
Portugal has no intention of lowering the 6% value-added tax (VAT) levied on basic food products, but will continue to grant direct subsidies to help the most vulnerable families cope with rising prices, finance minister Fernando Medina has said. Putting pressure on core inflation is the rise in prices of unprocessed food products, such as fruit and vegetables, which surged 20.11% year-on-year in February, while energy products rose only 1.96%. In mainland Portugal, basic food items such as rice, pasta, bread, milk, dairy products, meat, fish, and fruits and vegetables carry a minimum VAT rate of 6%.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Supermarkets cut back plans to switch to loose fruit and veg
Supermarkets are cutting back their plans to switch to loose fruit and vegetables, as initial targets were said to be too ambitious by experts. This comes as a report by Wrap last year found fears of removing packaging from fresh fruit and veg entirely could cause a rise in food waste, according to reporting by The Grocer.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
Egypt: Startup launches ‘Khodar Supply’ platform for farmers to market their products online
Egyptian startup Khodar.com, specialized in the field of agricultural technology services, has launched its new platform “Khodar Supply” to be the first integrated marketing platform for Egyptian farmers, which allows restaurants, cafes, hospitals, hotels, and catering companies to purchase more than 200 varieties of fresh vegetables and fruits with various specifications and high quality.
Source: zawya.com
Delhaize: strikes “will last a long time”
After a meeting with the management that lasted barely fifteen minutes, unions at Delhaize announced further actions. The retailer sticks with its plan to offload 128 supermarkets to franchisers.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Morrisons is partnering with Jempson's to launch six new 'Together with Morrisons' stores
Morrisons is partnering with independent retailer Jempsons to launch six new stores under its ‘Together with Morrisons’ brand. The first 35,000sq ft store will open in Peasmarsh, East Sussex later this Spring and five more will follow in due course.
Source: morrisons-corporate.com
Carrefour Polska expands e-commerce activities with Glovo
Carrefour Polska has announced that it has expanded further into the e-commerce market by rolling out the Glovo service in more hypermarkets and supermarkets in Poland.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Tesco removes all buying limits on fruit and veg following Asda, Aldi, and Lidl
Tesco has become the latest retailer to lift buying restrictions across certain fruits and vegetables. The big four supermarket confirmed that it had removed its buying limit on tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
Source: mirror.co.uk
UK: Woods & Ivbijaro brings high-quality fresh fruits, vegetables, and essential groceries
Woods & Ivbijaro strives to make their wholesalers easy by providing fresh fruits and vegetables to restaurants, grocery stores, and other vendors. The company offers high-quality fruits and vegetables to customers with a good source, packs, and delivers local and international produce on time and at a competitive cost. The company picked fresh fruits and vegetables from the heart of London’s famous market. Customers can order online via email or call to discuss their fruity requirements.
Source: abnewswire.com
Indian regulator clears Reliance's over $300mln buy of Metro's local business
India's competition regulator said that it has cleared Reliance Industries Ltd's 28.50bln rupees ($346.16mln) acquisition of the Indian business of German retailer Metro AG.
Source: reuters.com
Belgium: Organic food specialised shops as cost-effective as in supermarkets
The average price of a basket of organic products has been found not to cost more in a specialised shop than in a large or medium-sized store. The finding was the result of analysis by organisations Biowallonie and ConsomAction who looked into the products on offer in Wallonia and Brussels. Differences were found for some products: pears, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, leeks and white cabbage are cheaper in specialised shops. For carrots and onions, you can get them cheaper in supermarkets.
Source: brusselstimes.com
Portugal: Portugal sales of Spanish food retailer Mercadona jump 78% in 2022
Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona last year had sales of €737mln in Portugal, up 77.6% on 2021, narrowing its loss for the year to €50mln, from a loss of €64mln the previous year, the company announced. During the presentation of the results in Valencia, Juan Roig, the CEO of the chain, which is Spain’s market leader, said that it plans to invest €280mln in Portugal this year.
Source: macaubusiness.com
France: The Carrefour Group and Rakuten join forces to bolster their presence on the e-commerce market
This April, Carrefour is set to open a new virtual store on the Rakuten marketplace site. Under this partnership, both players will get to capitalise on their respective expertise, bolstering their omnichannel strategies and developing customer loyalty.
Source: carrefour.com