AmazonFresh signs deal with German DHL

SA: Pick n Pay to cut prices of fresh produce
Pick n Pay said on Wednesday it was celebrating its 50th anniversary by returning to its roots of keeping prices low by investing more than half a billion rand on reducing the cost of essential goods. The grocer said it was cutting the “everyday prices” of more than 1300 essential items. It said it had lowered the prices of fruit, vegetables and meat, and had put more than 1000 items on special. (citizen.co.za)

UK: Weather boosts Waitrose fruit sales
Warmer temperatures towards the start of the week appeared to influence Waitrose's sales. Food to go and salad sales were both up by 8%, while fresh dip sales increased by 14%. Fresh fruit saw a really strong performance, too. Raspberry sales were up by 24%, melon sales were up 22% and soft fruit sales increased by 31%.

Deutsche Post will deliver AmazonFresh goods in Germany
Deutsche Post's package service DHL will deliver goods for Amazon's AmazonFresh service in Germany, several people close to the matter said on Wednesday. The two companies have signed an exclusive deal, and a trial will start in Berlin, they said. Amazon and Deutsche Post, which already delivers some products for Amazon, both declined to comment. Amazon launched a fresh food delivery service in Seattle in 2007 and has since expanded to a handful of other U.S. cities. Last year it started the service in London. (Reuters)

Amazon acquires largest online platform in Middle East
American online giant Amazon continues its worldwide expansion, this time through the acquisition of Souq.com. The online platform from the United Arab Emirates is the region’s largest eCommerce site. Please, click here to read more at retaildetail.eu.

Lidl is one of the best German employers of 2017
For the first time ever, Lidl finished as one of the best employers in Germany this year, in the category of companies with more than 5,000 employees. Additionally, Lidl also won a distinction in state competition Baden-Württemberg as one of the best employers of 2017. The survey was performed by independent institute ‘Great Place to Work.’

US: Amazon joins Martha & Marley Spoon for meal kit delivery
The brand Martha & Marley Spoon is now available by delivery through AmazonFresh in the larger New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia metro areas. Marley Spoon was founded in Berlin in 2014 and operates in six markets. Each Martha & Marley Spoon kit offers a recipe card, seasonal ingredients and the option to combine other items from AmazonFresh with a meal kit purchase. (marketwatch.com)

US: Walmart DC permits OK'd
A Walmart distribution center, expected to add more than 500 jobs in coastal Alabama, is set to be under construction soon after county officials approved building and land disturbance permits to move the project forward. The distribution center is expected to be an import hub that, when fully operational, will draw more than 600 truckloads of goods a day from the Port of Mobile. (al.com)

Moody’s: US supermarkets’ profits to rise in 2017
Moody's Investors Service has some good news for the US supermarket industry. Grocery stores’ operating profits will grow at a fairly healthy rate again this year after a disappointing 2016, according to Moody’s new report, "Companies Will Perform Better in 2017 as Deflationary Pressure Wanes. Profitability last year was crimped by an unprecedented level of deflation for an economy not in recession, the report noted, but as downward pressure on prices wanes, things will pick up in the latter half of this year. "We expect the US supermarket sector's operating profits to grow about 8% in 2017, compared with an approximate 5% drop last year," said Moody's analyst Mickey Chadha. (chainstoreage.com)

Dutch retailer Jumbo launches healthy breakfast campaign
Dutch retailer Jumbo has launched a new spring campaign aimed at encouraging consumers to eat a healthy breakfast. The 'Eerste Hulp bij Ontbijt' (First Aid for Breakfast) campaign provides 24 hints and tips to help consumers start the day off healthily. Among the products being highlighted in the campaign are grapes, tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. (esmmagazine.com)

Vietnam grocer Saigon Co.op plans nearly 600 new stores
Vietnam grocer Saigon Co.op has revealed an ambitious store rollout program for 2017, adding nearly 600 stores by the year’s end. The company will open 500 convenience stores, most of them in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces of Vietnam. It will also open 10 Co.op supermarkets, one Co.op Xtra hypermarket, one Sense City mall and 65 Co.op Food stores. (insideretail.asia)

Aldi’s Albrechts are Germany’s richest again
The surviving children of Karl Albrecht Sr. were named on the world’s wealthiest Germans on Forbes’ annual billionaires list. Children, Beate Heister and Karl Albrecht Jr. are heirs to the business their father and uncle turned from a single corner grocery store in Essen into global supermarket chain, Aldi. The family are now in charge of an estimated $27.2bn fortune, ranking at 24th in Forbes’ worldwide ‘Riches List’. (global.handelsblatt.com)

Aldi launches Tmall store in China, appoints Ogilvy & Mather
Aldi has launched a flagship digital store in China, marking the brand’s entrance into the market. Aldi China will sell the brand’s private-label goods. The launch aims to take advantage of the growing interest by Chinese customers for products that are made in Germany. Aldi has appointed Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai to manage its entry into the China market. (thedrum.com)

US: Amazon aims to be a top 5 grocer by 2025
Amazon.com has the goal of becoming a top five grocery retailer by 2025, a source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The online giant reportedly recognizes that brick-and-mortar stores play a key role in a renewed push toward grocery after years of experimentation with Amazon Fresh, its grocery delivery business. (csnews.com)

Peapod's quiet quest to win the on-demand food fight
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