German court halts big supermarket merger | Roundy's CEO retires
MPs: 'Supermarkets make consumers throw away food'
Casino-owned Cnova has reported second quarter net sales of €665.3m, which shows a 19.2% contraction on the same period in 2015 in reported terms and by 13.8% in constant terms. The retailer’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) contracted by 3.4% at constant currencies, to €1bn. The positive evolution of the offer and performance in France was more than offset by its Brazil-based division, where GMV fell by 19.3% on a constant currency basis, to €396m, and net sales contracted by 26.8% in the same terms. (igd.com)
UK families ‘throw out £700 food a year because of supermarket special offers’
Supermarket multi-packs and tempting bargains are causing families to waste £700 a year each on household food bills, MPs have claimed. Members of the environment, food and rural affairs committee criticised big chains for convincing shoppers to buy in bulk when they didn’t need to. The Government has launched an inquiry into how Britons waste £16bn a year on food, which could lead to changes in how items are priced. (standard.co.uk)
German court halts supermarket merger
A German court on Tuesday blocked a government decision to allow the country's biggest supermarket group Edeka to buy grocery chain Kaiser's, owned by retail group Tengelmann, and said the Economy Minister had been biased. Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel granted special permission for the merger in March provided that no jobs were lost. The higher regional court in Duesseldorf nullified his decision, saying that protecting workers was not equivalent to safeguarding the public interest. (Reuters)
US: Bob Mariano to retire as Roundy's CEO
Bob Mariano, the Roundy's CEO who launched the fast-growing Mariano's grocery chain in the Chicago area before negotiating the sale of Roundy's to Kroger late last year, will retire from his post Sept. 1. No immediate replacement as Roundy's CEO was announced. Mariano will remain a strategic adviser to Kroger and Roundy's for two years following his retirement. (chicagotribune.com)
NZ: Countdown to speed up shopping
Supermarket chain Countdown is creating 600 new jobs to allow customers to ask more questions and speed up their shopping. But a retail consultant says Countdown is possibly just bringing its staffing levels up to similar levels as its rival, Foodstuffs. The company says the new roles are aimed at boosting a personalised service, allowing it to put more people on the tills during peak time and more staff to offer product advice and stock shelves. (stuff.co.nz)
Swiss online supermarket LeShop sees sales increase by 4.6%
LeShop, the online supermarket of Swiss retailer Migros, has announced its sales increased by 4.6% during the first half of this year. The online supermarket saw its sales increase to 93.6million Swiss francs, which is worth about €85.9m. (ecommercenews.eu)
French Casino beats expectations in Q2
French supermarket group Casino reported an improving performance in the second quarter, beating expectations even though sales in its domestic market lagged when compared to the first quarter. Sales rose 1.8% year-on-year in the three months to June to €9.97bn on a like-for-like basis, more than the €9.83bn analysts were expecting. Overall sales slipped 7%. (next.ft.com)
UK retailer Iceland foods expands Irish operations
UK retailer Iceland Foods has opened a new store in Coolock, north Dublin, its 12th store in the Republic of Ireland, as it continues its expansion in the country. This follows on from the launch of a store in Tiperary three weeks ago. (esmmagazine.com)
Steinhoff agrees to buy UK’s Poundland
Steinhoff International Holdings NV agreed to buy U.K. discount chain Poundland Group Plc for 597m pounds ($794m) as the South African company looks beyond Britain’s Brexit vote to further expand its European retail interests. (Bloomberg)
Couche-Tard profits top $1bn USD
The Quebec-based company that runs Couche-Tard, Mac’s and Circle K convenience stores increased its annual profit by 28.4% last year to nearly US$1.2bn. The profit included US$206.2m or 36 cents per share earned in the fourth quarter ended April 24, up 80% from US$126m or 22 cents per share in the comparable period last year. (lifeinquebec.com)
Metro Group announces initiative with UN World Food Programme
Germany's Metro Group has announced the commencement of a global partnership with the UN World Food Programme, with a view to combating hunger around the world. The partnership is built on three pillars, Metro said in a release: 'empowering customers to donate, engaging employees in fundraising, and sharing expertise between the two organizations'. (esmmagazine.com)