HelloFresh now available at supermarkets

Korean egrocer to sell fruit straight from farms -
Gmarket launched a service on Monday called Gtable that provides seasonal fresh food from farms around Korea. The online retailer will oversee the entire process, including selection of fruits and vegetables, washing and packing them, and delivery. “We noticed that more consumers were purchasing fresh food online,” said Park Young-geun, head of the fresh food team at Gmarket. “The service aim is not just delivery but to suggest a more healthy lifestyle to our users.” (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com)

Amazon says to deliver groceries in Australia in 2018
Online goods distribution giant Amazon has laid out its plan to establish itself in the Australian consumer and business market, saying it expects to be fully operational by the end of 2018. With the promise of fast shipping on products ranging from clothing to electronics and groceries, Amazon executives said the company's Amazon Prime, Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh services will all be on offer to Australians. (huffingtonpost.com.au)

AU: Woolworths seeks cheaper organics
Woolworths CEP Brad Banducci has told The Australian’s Global Food Forum the supermarket giant is eager to secure long-term contracts with food suppliers, giving producers confidence to increase their investment in innovation, especially in the fresh food category. Mr Banducci said, calling on suppliers to innovate to bring prices down. Please, click here to read more at theaustralian.com.au.

AmazonFresh Pickup grocery stores officially open in Seattle
Amazon on Tuesday announced the launch of its AmazonFresh Pickup service, which enables consumers to order thousands of grocery items (including meats, fresh produce, bread, dairy and household essentials) through the e-commerce kingpin's website or mobile app for local pickup within 15 minutes. Amazon reportedly has plans to open 20 grocery stores in major U.S. cities over the next couple of years. (fooddive.com)

HelloFresh now also available in supermarkets
HelloFresh meal boxes were only available online, with several pop-up store exceptions, but now the company entered an agreement with supermarket chain Sainsbury’s. Soon, its meal boxes will be sold in Sainsbury’s’ entire store network. Waitrose and Tesco already experimented with their own meal box service, but the former halted the experiment after customers indicated it did not suffice. (retaildetail.eu)

Lotte Mart suppliers requesting payment as chain closes most outlets: report
Lotte Mart, retail business arm of South Korea's Lotte Group, has reportedly been pressed for payment by suppliers at a gathering in its Beijing headquarters, amid a widespread closure of its retail chain stores in China. Many shelves at Lotte Mart are nearly empty, domestic newspaper Securities Daily reported on Wednesday. It said that there are almost no prepared items in the store's deli areas. Globel Times also reports that consumers have been complaining about the undesirable quality of its fresh products. (globaltimes.cn)

Lidl:"Discounters will always be discounters"
“We are a Discounter and we will remain a Discounter.” These were the words of former Lidl CEO, Sven Seidel, when discussing impressive 2015 financial results. Fast forward to today and Sven Seidel has left the business and Lidl has announced it will put brakes on growing costs and rein back on expensive projects. The message from Lidl is clear; Mr Seidel’s strategy has added too much complexity, too much cost, too quickly and without enough return to justify it. Please, click here to read more at linkedin.com)

Online supermarket Picnic gets €100m capital injection
Online supermarket company Picnic has received a €100m capital injection from four large investment funds, the Financieele Dagblad said on Tuesday. Picnic offers free delivery and has ambitious expansion plans which will require a total of €300m in new investment. (dutchnews.nl)

US: Instacart agrees to $4.6M settlement with employees
E-commerce grocery provider Instacart has agreed to pay $4.6m to former workers who brought a class action lawsuit against the company for improper handling of tips, neglecting to pay business expenses and 16 other charges, according to Recode. (fooddive.com)

Piccadilly declared insolvent in Bulgaria
Bulgarian supermarket chain Piccadilly has been declared insolvent and a court has appointed a temporary receiver to the business. The company owes around BGN 86m (€42.9m) of debt towards the State, banks and suppliers, reports local weekly Capital. A general meeting of creditors has been convened for April. (fooddive.com)

Best-selling item in Australian supermarkets revealed
Berries At the Global Food Forum being held in Melbourne, the boss of the supermarket giant explained that as a part of the wellness wave sweeping Australia in particular, there has been a shift in the top three food items being sold. “The biggest sales category is berries by far, with the group selling 25% more in sales than second place. Which is bananas, by the way,” says Banducci. Trailing not far behind bananas in the top three is that breakfast favourite, the avocado. (delicious.com.au)

Amazon reaches deal to acquire Souq.com
The global e-retailing giant Amazon has acquired Souq.com, the regional ecommerce leader, in one of the most anticipated corporate deals in the region so far this year. The value of the deal has not been formally announced. The acquisition proceedings are expected to be completed this year itself. “Amazon and Souq.com share the same DNA – we’re both driven by customers, invention, and long-term thinking,” said Russ Grandinetti, Amazon Senior Vice-President, International Consumer. “Souq.com pioneered e-commerce in the Middle East, creating a great shopping experience for their customers.” (gulfnews.com)

US: Shipt launches grocery delivery in Wilmington
Shipt, the fastest growing online grocery marketplace, today announced it will deliver groceries to Wilmington residents beginning on April 4, 2017. With the launch of Shipt in Wilmington, the company's North Carolina coverage extends to nearly 1.6m households. (yahoo.com)

Ahold Delhaize is combining strengths to focus on personalization
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