Coles to buy fresher fruit | Loblaw and Uber team up on click-and-collect
Lidl 40% increase of fruit sales Eastern Europe
The range of fresh food products is said to have become three times larger. "At this point, for example, we offer customers up to 6-7 types of tomatoes, from superb delicious traditional Bulgarian pink tomatoes to the more popular cherry tomatoes and varieties like Kuma," stated Miss Milena Dragiyska-Dencheva, manager of Lidl Bulgaria. "Bulgarian customers seek diversity, but always with a focus on excellence, and this applies to both traditional Bulgarian products as well as exotic fruits. Lidl is committed to supplying excellent quality at a very good price," she added. (frognews.bg)
Lidl aims at Polish consumers to buy fruit and veg
According to a study commissioned by the European Commission, only 7% of Poles consume fruits and vegetables with every meal, although it also shows that they are the EU's biggest supporters of shopping in street markets. Almost 50% of Polish consumers buy their fruits and vegetables in such markets, with the EU average standing at 33%. At the markets, they state to be looking mostly for the highest quality products, portalspozywczy.pl reports.
Some Poles also claim that they buy in street markets because they are sure that the products purchased there are fresh and locally-produced. This trend is the cornerstone of Lidl's central square concept; a place for all those looking for fresh fruits and vegetables. Lidl central square offers more than 90 different products delivered to stores every day, even on Sunday. Lidl also supports Polish growers. Through its involvement in the campaign "I eat it because it's Polish", organised by the Polish Trade and Distribution Organisation, Lidl has been contributing to the popularisation of Polish apples among its clients, which led to an improvement of prices at origin for Polish apples. By 2014, sales of these fruits at Lidl have achieved double-digit growth compared to the same period in 2013.
Coles eyes farm buys for fresher fruit
Supermarket Coles is flagging investments in farms to extend the selling seasons of popular produce, afr.com reports. Coles managing director John Durkan says it wants to make more investments to reduce the amount of time popular fruit and vegetables are out of season in Australia. Investments in shade cloth covers for two strawberry growers in Victoria and WA had extended the season, delivered better yields for the farmers, and ensured more Australian strawberries for Coles, Mr Durkan said. "We want to see more of that," he told a food forum hosted by The Australian newspaper. "They're basically small investments but they do wonders in terms of the growing seasons for products. "So I see plenty of opportunity for both the supply side and also for the consumer because strawberries and mangoes are impulse purchases, and actually the more products we have at the right prices the more we sell."
Canada: Loblaw and Uber team up on click-and-collect offer
In a bid to increase online sales, Loblaw and the commercial ride-sharing service Uber are currently teaming up to give shoppers free rides to the three Toronto-area stores that offer the grocer’s click-and-collect service, canadiangrocer.com reports. Although relatively under-developed, an increasing number of retailers are investing in grocery e-commerce in Canada.
Brazil: Casino-owned GPA announced Q1 results
Brazil-based Casino-owned GPA has announced first quarter results saying that consolidated sales rose 14.8% to US$5.6bn despite a challenging macro-economic environment, retailanalysis.igd.com reports. The retailer’s food businesses saw consolidated sales rise 8.0% to US$2.9bn.
Denmark: Dagrofa losses deepen
Danish retailer Dagrofa has revealed its 2014 results, reporting revenue of €2.6bn alongside a loss of €42.6m, versus a 2013 loss of €36.4m, retailanalysis.igd.com reports. In 2014, the Dagrofa opened 8 new KIWI discount stores, having closed 13 unprofitable stores, bringing the KIWI store count to 95 stores. In Greenland, Dagrofa’s supermarket chain Pisiffik reported turnover of €128.2m, a decrease of 1.5% versus 2013. Dagrofa expects 2015 revenue to be in line with that of 2014 and has developed a strategic plan for 2015-17.
Vietnam: Vingroup plans aggressive expansion
Vingroup plans aggressive expansion in the market where it hopes to knock Saigon Co.op from the number one spot. In the mid-term, it targets a network of 100 supermarkets and 1,000 convenience stores by 2017, retailanalysis.igd.com reports. Vingroup entered the Vietnamese grocery market last year, through the acquisition of a 70% share in Ocean Group, a Hanoi-based grocer.
NZ: Countdown leads online grocery shopping pack
Countdown is the leader in the burgeoning online groceries market, but others could catch up by a few tricks of the trade, a new industry report suggest, stuff.co.nz reports. The results showed that the New Zealand online groceries industry was dominated by Countdown, New World and Pak'n Save, which have all invested in paid search methods.
Billa and Penny have expansion plans in Bulgaria
Both subsidiaries of the German REWE Group in Bulgaria, BILLA and PENNY, announced in separate press releases that they have development plans in the country, dnevnik.bg reports. "BILLA Bulgaria" reported plans to invest nearly €10.226m in new stores in the coming years. The press release of "BILLA Bulgaria" says that the company's turnover in 2014 was of €31.394m; 4.8% more than in 2013, and that "the financial result was significantly better than expected."
India: Tata launching online grocery
Tata Group is entering the online grocery business, trak.in reports. A Tata Enterprise has launched My247market.com, that offers buyers items in multiple categories including fruits and vegetables.
UK: First independent supermarket to offer online shopping
Dike and Son is first independent supermarket to offer complete weekly online shopping service, blackmorevale.co.uk reports. Dike & Son is a member of the UK's largest buying group, Nisa, which allows the store to compete with the multiples on pricing, offering good deals on everyday branded groceries.
Brazil’s retail sales declined unexpectedly
Brazil’s retail sales in February unexpectedly declined, as consumer confidence plummets in the world’s second-biggest emerging market, Bloomberg reports. Sales of food, beverages and tobacco at hypermarkets and supermarkets dropped 0.2% after a revised 0.4% increase in January.
US: Giant Food Stores/Martin’s Food Markets to set starting wage
Giant Food Stores and Martin’s Food Markets is setting its starting associate wage at $9 per hour beginning in June as part of the company’s commitment to providing competitive wages, fox43.com reports. The hourly wage for current associates will also increase to a minimum of $9 an hour in June. “Our associates are the foundation of our success, and we have always believed in paying competitive wages to attract the best talent,” said Tom Lenkevich, Giant/Martin’s president.
Singapore's retail sales up
Singapore's retail sales increased 15.8% in February compared to a year ago, businesstimes.com reports. Retail sales of food and beverages, department stores and supermarkets grew by 29% to almost 67%, arising from higher sales during the Chinese New Year period in February 2015.
Czech and Slovak Consumers Expect Growth
Romania's Government unveiled plans to cut VAT from 24 to nine% for all food products and non-alcoholic beverages. The measure will come into force from 1 June, esmmagazine.com reports. Romanians spend almost a third of their income on food, compared to an EU average of about 18%. The government estimates that the VAT cut should lead to a drop of about 12% in food prices.
US: Giant-Carlisle to increase hourly pay
Ahold’s Giant-Carlisle division said Tuesday that it would increase its starting associate wage to $9 per hour beginning in June, supermarketnews.com reports. The company will also increase the hourly wage for current associates to a minimum of $9 an hour.