Spain: Alcampo boosts fight against food waste with 'Happy Box'
Grocery retailer Alcampo's 'Happy Box' initiative reported 55% growth in 2025, both in terms of units sold and tonnes of food saved. In its past fiscal year, Alcampo sold nearly 200,000 Happy Boxes, preventing over 620 tonnes of perfectly edible fruit and vegetables from being wasted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
SPAR Australia bringing retailing to the edge of the Australian Outback
SPAR Australia reported: "Fresh produce is a standout. Deliveries arrive twice weekly from Brisbane after travelling 1,434 kilometres - nearly 16 hours by truck. Despite the distance, quality remains consistently strong, with more than 200 fruit and vegetable lines stocked across the seasons, often compared favourably with city supermarkets".
Source: spar-international.com
50-year-old Aldi continues expansion in Belgium
Fifty years ago, Aldi opened its first Belgian store in Geel. It now has 445 outlets and its product range has grown from 450 to 1,750 products, with strong private labels as the common thread. This year, the discounter is opening five new stores.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Belgium: Colruyt reintroduces paper bags for fruit and vegetables
Het Nieuwsblad has noticed that disposable paper bags have recently reappeared in the fruit and vegetable section at Colruyt. "They are there to support our customers who have forgotten their reusable bags", spokesperson Maria Clara Geurs told the newspaper. The retailer has noticed that customers are buying pre-packaged fruit and vegetables more often. "Ultimately, paper bags generate less waste. However, we will continue to offer our reusable bags for sale in our stores and will continue to encourage their use".
Source: retaildetail.eu
REWE Group renews partnership with Transgourmet Germany
REWE Group and Transgourmet Germany have agreed to extend their purchasing cooperation contract ahead of schedule. The partnership, which has been in place since 2011, covers the joint procurement of goods by Transgourmet in collaboration with REWE Group.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Holland: Albert Heijn
Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn is selling bunched carrots with reduced foliage, similar to its crownless pineapples. The move will reduce plastic packaging by 30% annually and cut CO₂ emissions by approximately 39,029 kilograms, as it will eliminate more than 60 truck trips per year.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Retail sales bounced back in January
Official data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows retail sales volumes rose by 1.8% in January 2026, the largest monthly rise since May 2024. The increase, which followed a rise of just 0.4% in December, far exceeded forecasts of a 0.2% gain, with a good start to the year for most non-food stores partly offset by subdued trading in supermarkets (+1.2%).
Source: kamcity.com
Free Woolworths item that differs completely between Australian and New Zealand supermarkets
Woolworths says it would switch to paper produce bags in Australia, similar to what it offers in New Zealand, if state governments required it to. Asked if it would follow the regulations if Australian states made the same bold change, the company's response was simple and to the point. "Were state governments to mandate the use of paper produce bags, we would, of course, comply with any requirements", a spokesperson said.
Source: au.news.yahoo.com
China: Hema NB opened 400 stores in 80 days
NB stands for Neighbourhood Business. As the third division of the Hema business group, it is regarded as an important move for Hema to enter the community e-commerce. Up to now, there are more than 400 self-pickup stores operating in 10 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Wuhan.
Source: discountretailconsulting.com
US: Retail industry says Trump tariff reversal is a win, even as uncertainty remains
"The Supreme Court's announcement today regarding tariffs provides much-needed certainty for U.S. businesses and manufacturers, enabling global supply chains to operate without ambiguity", the National Retail Federation said in a statement following the ruling. "Clear and consistent trade policy is essential for economic growth, creating jobs and opportunities for American families".
Source: cnbc.com
HelloFresh Canada taps new vice-president and chief product officer
Lynne Strickler has taken on the role of vice-president and chief product officer at HelloFresh Canada. In her new role, Strickler will "oversee the full customer experience, including recipe and menu development, product execution, analytics and customer care", she told Canadian Grocer.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Sprouts Farmers Market: 2026 will be challenging
Sprouts Farmers Market reported a disappointing end to 2025, saying it predicts those challenges will remain through the first half of this year. For the fourth quarter ended December 28, Sprouts reported same-store sales growth of 1.6%, with net sales of $2.1bln. That's an 8% increase from the year-ago period. For the full year, Sprouts said comparable-store sales increased 7.3% with net sales of $8.8bln, up 14% from the same period in 2024.
Source: supermarketnews.com
