Whole Foods forecast an explosive change in food consumption

Ahold US’s COO: retailers need to provide choice -
Speaking on a panel at a FMI Midwinter Executive Conference Ahold US’s COO James McCann said that food retailers need to focus on what their shoppers are demanding from them as the pace of transparency accelerates. McCann noted that retailers need to ‘enable informed choices’ as what is important differs between shoppers. However, he went on to say that this issue was complicated by shoppers’ desire for affordability, which was asking questions of retailers’ buying processes and how retailers provide solutions that meet the needs of shoppers at both ends of the income spectrum. (igd.com)

Carrefour Poland awarded the Big Box retailer of the year
At the 8th CEE Retail Awards Gala, Carrefour Poland was awarded the prestigious Big Box Retailer of the Year prize. This is awarded to the best company in the commercial sector in the “Hypermarket” category. The prize was presented to Ronan Martin, who is in charge of expansion and Carrefour Poland’s shopping centres. (eprretailnews.com)

Whole Foods CEO predicts an explosive change in how people eat
Whole Foods appears to be preparing for a future where fewer people cook their own meals. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb said the chain expects an "explosion" in prepared foods targeting non-cooks. (uk.businessinsider.com)

Whole Foods comps remain negative in 1Q
Whole Foods Market said Wednesday comparable store sales continued to drop during the first quarter ended Jan. 17, with comps for the fiscal year likely to rise no higher than zero. Comps were down 1.8% for the 16-week quarter — with transaction size down 1.6% and basket size down 0.2% — and dropped 2.8% during the first three weeks of the second quarter, the company said. Sales for the quarter rose 3% to a record $4.8bn, and net income fell 6% to $157m, supermarketnews.com reports. Please, click here to read more about Whole Foods' recent developments. (supermarketnews.com)

Japanese Aeon reveals impressive Q3
Following the impressive growth in H1, Japanese retailer Aeon has enjoyed another quarter of strong performance, with operating revenues soaring by 18.9%, to $US51.7bn. The group’s supermarket and discount store business registered Q3 revenue up 26.9% while its convenience store business grew 16.7%. (igd.com)

Metro Group sales dip amid 'Macroeconomic Challenges'
German retailer Metro Group reported worse-than-expected Q1 results, which it attributed to negative currency effects and poor performance in Russia. Pre-tax profits were down 7% from €891m to €828m, a figure that was hit by currency fluctuations. Overall sales were down slightly from €17.3bn to €17.1bn. Sales in Germany alone were up, aided by a successful Christmas period, but international sales dropped, which Olaf Koch, chairman of the management board, said was due to factors beyond its control. (esmmagazine.com)

Swedish ICA Gruppen Q4 profits below estimates
Swedish market leader ICA has revealed that it achieved consolidated net sales of €10.7bn in 2015, an increase of 5.6% excluding acquisition and divestment effects. Profit for the year was €518.1m. During the year, private label share of sales, increased by 1.0% to 23.3%. In the last quarter, the growth in sales was attributed to higher wholesale sales, newly opened stores and the sale of organic products. (igd.com)

Dutch Albert Heijn continues to expand on organic
Albert Heijn has continued to expand the offer, putting a focus on it in-store and opening a store that only sells organic products. At its launch, the organic private label range was made up of 270 products, but this has expanded to nearly 1,500 at the beginning of 2016. Albert Heijn believes that shoppers’ interest in organic choices will continue in the short term and will lead to them seeking organic alternatives across a range of fresh categories. (igd.com)

Shoppers hurting UK supermarkets: Nielsen
The volume of items purchased from the UK's top supermarkets has decreased year-on-year for the fifth straight month by 0.8% compared to the same month in 2015. Nielsen has blamed consumer shopping habits on the slump. According to research by the global information and insights company, sales volume in the four weeks ending January 30 decreased by 0.8% compared to the same month in 2015. Asda was the worst hit of the 'Big 4', with sales dropping by 4.4%, followed by Morrisons and Tesco. Sainsbury's sales grew 0.2%. (esmmagazine.com)

Walmart India to open 10 cash-and-carry stores
Walmart India President & CEO Krish Iyer said the company will be opening 10 cash-and-carry stores in Karnataka, business-standard.com reports.

US: Haggen auction rescheduled again
The auction by Haggen to sell its remaining West Coast properties has been rescheduled for Feb. 22, according to industry sources. The auction was originally set for Feb. 5 and then delayed till Feb. 11 prior to the latest postponement. Company officials were not available to comment on the reasons for the delay. (supermarketnews.com)

Tesco doubles down on Artisan Coffee with Harris + Hoole Buyout
The UK’s biggest grocer bought out its partner in the unprofitable Harris + Hoole coffee-shop chain, giving it full control of a business it jointly founded in 2012. Tesco took up an option to buy the 51% stake it didn’t already own from London coffee-shop owner Taylor St Baristas, it said in an e- mailed statement. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. (esmmagazine.com)

Jerónimo Martins to set up a production facility in Poland
Jerónimo Martins has established a joint venture in Poland for the production and import of Asian food. According to Polish media Jerónimo Martins plans to build a factory for ready meals to benefit from the popularity of ready meals and Asian food in Eastern Europe. (igd.com)

Lawson to open in central China
Lawson has announced a new plan to open 10 Lawson stores in Wuhan city, in Hubei province, in 2016. This marks Lawson as the first Japanese convenience store chain to enter the central China region. Lawson has signed an area license agreement with local retailer Zhongbai Supermarket, a subsidiary of Zhongbai Holdings Group. (igd.com)

AU: Woolies launches radical new express aisle
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