Share of Slovak fruit and veg in supermarkets is low
Lidl CEO leaves | Walmart slows down plans for Africa
Irish convenience retailer Centra has posted record sales of €1.59bn in 2016, a 3% jump from 2015. The company attributed this growth to its 'Live Every Day' programme, which capitalises on the increasingly-popular 'wellness' trend among consumers by offering healthier convenient food lines, as well as innovative in-store experiences. The trend has encouraged an 80% increase of salad box sales, nearly double the sales of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, and a 22% jump in water sales, driven by increased shelf space. (esmmagazine.com)
Walmart continues to get thrashed in the UK
Walmart continues to lose ground in the U.K. as low-cost competitors gain steam and inflation takes hold, industry figures from Kantar Worldpanel, released Tuesday, show. Sales at Walmart's U.K. unit, Asda, fell 1.9% to £4.3bn ($5.3bn) for the 12 weeks to Jan. 29, making it the only grocery store to experience a decline. Asda, which has 630 locations across the U.K., saw its market share drop 0.6 percentage points to 15.6%. (thestreet.com)
Lidl CEO leaves discounter
The CEO of Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG, Sven Seidel, has announced his departure from the discounter, after three years at the helm. Lebensmittel Zeitung reported that Seidel's departure is 'with immediate effect', with the retailer saying that it was by "mutual consent". Jesper Hojer, 38, who formerly headed up the group's international purchasing operations has been installed as CEO, Lebensmittel Zeitung reported. (esmmagazine.com)
Market share of Slovak fruit and veg in supermarkets is low
Slovak foodstuffs accounted for 39.9% of the grocery items on the shelves of retail chains in Slovakia late last year, according to a survey carried out by the Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber (SPPK) in November. Slovak fresh fruit and vegetables made up only a third of the items sold in shops. (spectator.sme.sk)
Walmart slows down plans for Africa
Walmart has decided to slow down its plans to expand into Africa, deciding to take a slow and deliberate approach due to some costly mistakes in other developing markets. Guy Hayward, who took over as Massmart’s CEO in June 2014, told The Wall Street Journal that the slower pace is part of “a very deliberate strategy” and not a sign of disinterest. (pymnts.com)
US: Smart & Final shifts to end-to-end supply chain systems
To continue serving its increasingly demanding shoppers — and fuel its continued expansion — Smart & Final is replacing its homegrown solutions with an integrated end-to-end merchandising, planning and execution solution from JDA Software Group. The new architecture will enable the chain to meet future demands of retail, adopt practices that will improve inventory performance, and enable a customer-centric approach to respond to shopper expectations. (chainstoreage.com)
Mexico's Walmex same store sales rise 5.3% in January
Mexico's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart de Mexico, said on Tuesday that sales at its Mexican stores, open at least a year, rose 5.3% in January compared to the same month last year. Total sales increased 6.2% in the same period, Walmex said. (Reuters)
Sweden’s Axfood posts 5.1% increase in consolidated net sales in 2016
Swedish retailer Axfood has said that 2016 was its ‘best year’ to date, as the retailer posted a consolidated net sales increase of 5.1% to SEK 43,355m ( about €4.5 billion). Like-for-like sales at group-owned stores increased 2.0% for the full year, with operating profit up to SEK 1,902m (compared to SEK 1,760m the previous year). Net profit at the group was SEK 1,473m. (esmmagazine.com)
Union representing Tesco Ireland workers announces strike action
The trade union representing Tesco Ireland employees has announced a strike on Valentine's Day (14 February), after 78% of union members voted for strike action following a disagreement with the retailer over changes to employee contracts. (esmmagazine.com)
Sales of leafy vegetables drop by half in European supermarkets
Vegetable scarcity is hitting hard at the European supermarket industry with a sales fall of approximately £8million, market experts say. The sales of leafy vegetables have fallen by almost half since the first week of January. Courgette sales fell 58%. (internationalsupermarketnews.com)
Co-op Group announces Steve Murrells as Group CEO
The Co-op Group today announces that Richard Pennycook is to step down as Group CEO and will be succeeded by Steve Murrells, currently CEO of the Co-op’s food business. This announcement is part of transition arrangements for the Group as it prepares to move from the successful Rebuild phase of its turnaround to the Renewal phase. (internationalsupermarketnews.com)
South Africa's Spar Group sees Q4 sales up 17%
South African Spar Group posted a near 17% rise in sales. Group sales rose 16.9% to 25.6bn rand ($2bn) for the 13-week trading quarter ended 31 December 2016. Spar's group retail sales gained 6.1%. Its South African sales increased 5.8. Sales fell 2.6% for the Group's Irish business following sterling weakness and the strengthening rand, Spar said. Trading was difficult in its Swiss business, SPAR Holding AG, that was acquired in April last year but the company said it remains optimistic that results will improve. (Reuters)
Bulgarian court declares Carrefour chain operator bankrupt
The Sofia Regional Court has declared KMB Bulgaria, the local operator of the Carrefour supermarket chain, bankrupt as of October 31, 2016, according to the country’s commercial registry. The court took its decision on January 23 based on a bankruptcy request filed by Sofia-based ENKO 2013. (seenews.com)
Sweden’s ICA posts 1.6% increase in sales in Q4
Swedish retail group ICA Gruppen has posted a 1.6% increase in consolidated net sales in the fourth quarter of the year, of SEK 26.9bn (around €2.84bn). Operating profit for the quarter stood at SEK 1.2bn, and included the costs of SEK 76m associated with the acquisition and integration of pharmacy chain Apotek Hjärtat. Profit from continuing operations (ICA Gruppen excl. ICA Norway) was SEK 784m. (esmmagazine.com)
Dutch AH to give away fruit in 400 stores
Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn will be giving free fruit to children this week in 400 stores. The event is part of the Rock Frogs campaign which aims at stimulating consumers to make healthy choices. (distrifood.nl)
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