'Continual focus on fresh' says Ahold Delhaize CEO

Morrisons adds five new varieties to wonky fruit and veg range -
British retailer Morrisons has added five new varieties to its wonky fruit and vegetable range. The new lineup will include swede, apples, pears, sprouts, and peppers. (thegrocer.co.uk)

Ahold Delhaize CEO: We continue to focus on fresh
In a video interview with Bloomberg, Dick Boer, chief executive officer at Ahold Delhaize, said that the retailer wants to continue to focus on fresh and to cut the prices of fresh food in order to fight Walmart and other competitors. He says that Donald Trump's policy could positively impact the retailer's sales. Click below to watch the interview. (Bloomberg)

Scandinavia's Axfood and Norgesgruppen acquire Eurocash
Swedish and Norwegian retailers Axfood and Norgesgruppen have acquired Eurocash AB, the second-largest food retailer on the Swedish-Norwegian border. Axfood is the main supplier for Eurocash via Dagab, its supply chain organisation. Operating eight outlets, with a turnover of SEK 1.2 billion, the group employs roughly 280 employees. This deal represents a deepening of relations between the two companies; previously, they only collaborated on purchases of private label products. (esmmagazine.com)

Eataly celebrates 10 years with 33 stores worldwide
Italian grocery market Eataly is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month and consumers can benefit from up to 50% off on over 1,000 iconic Italian products in stores and online. Founder Oscar Farinetti opened the first Eataly in Turin (Italy) on 27 January 2007, with the idea of developing a food school and market, plus a communal area to gather and learn about food. Ten years later, there are 33 stores from New York City to Milano to Dubai - 21 in Italy and 12 abroad. (esmmagazine.com)

Many pensioners rely on trips to supermarkets to beat loneliness - Research
These estimates, produced by Age UK, come at a time when stores are coming under growing pressure to do more to help elderly customers. The report said that around 600,000 people aged over 60 would have no-one to talk to if they did not visit a supermarket. The figure dependent on shops for human contact is similar to estimates of numbers who routinely spend all day alone. (dailymail.co.uk)

MPs criticise grocers for fresh food deals
Many of the UK’s leading supermarkets have been criticised by MPs for continuing to promote deals which encourage food wastage. MPs from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee grilled executives from Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Tesco on why many still offered buy-one-get-one-free offers on perishable items on their websites. These deals have been found to significantly contribute to food waste, as retailers place items close to their sell-by date within the deal. (retailgazette.co.uk)

S Group: Finnish vegetables sold out in some grocery shops
The S Group has revealed that domestically produced cabbages, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes were sold out in some of its grocery shops in the second week of January. The S Group has reported that the sales of domestically produced vegetables have grown at a higher-than-expected rate following the price reductions introduced by the retail co-operative at the beginning of January. (helsinkitimes.fi)

UK: Coop welcomes May's Brexit speech
Co-op Group CEO, Richard Pennycook welcomed Birtish Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit speech saying it was the right and fair thing to do. (internationalsupermarketnews.com)

Aldi rated best brand in Australia, Coles in Top5
German supermarket chain Aldi and hardware giant Bunnings are among the top brands operating in Australia, according to the YouGov BrandIndex Best Brands rankings for 2016. Aldi and Bunnings took out the top two places in the retail category of the rankings, as well as third and fourth place, respectively, in the overall best brands list, reports B&T. Coles, K-mart and JB Hi-Fi rounded out the top five retailers on the list, with Coles and K-mart also landing in the top 10 brands overall. (smartcompany.com.au)

Fresh produce shoppers more likely to impulse buy fresh fruit than alcohol
Research, commissioned by the iTradeNetwork and conducted by IGD in Europe, collected responses from customers across supermarkets, convenience, and discount stores, and explored shopper attitudes and opinions with regards to shopping for fresh produce. It found that one-third of shoppers would potentially consider switching stores if they hadn’t been able to find the fruit and vegetables they were looking for and that shoppers consider the likelihood of a product being stocked or available prior to deciding where to shop. Customers purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables were more likely to impulse buy fresh fruit (16%) than alcohol (11%) Customers are shopping more often than ever (26 times a month) and one of the top reasons for this is to get the freshest products (35%). Please, click here to read more at internationalsupermarketnews.com.