Aldi accused of using plastic for its fresh produce

Supermarket promotions at lowest level in 11 years - Nielsen
The proportion of consumer spend at UK supermarkets that goes on items on promotion has hit its lowest level in 11 years, according to Nielsen retail data released today. In the four weeks ending 25 March 2017, just over a quarter (26%) of spend at UK supermarkets went on products with temporary price cuts or multi-buy offers, the lowest level since 2006 (also 26%). The reduction in promotional spend is happening across all categories but is much faster in supermarket’s own or private label spend (just 18% of sales in the last year went on promotional spend) than among sales of branded goods (41%). (Nielsen)

AU: Aldi accused of using plastic for its fresh produce
Supermarket giant ALDI has been slammed for wrapping everything from vegetables to fruit in plastic packaging, despite its environmental ban on plastic bags. According to Jeff Angel, director of the Total Environment Centre, the overuse of plastic is 'marketing gone mad'. 'It's socially irresponsible. This level of convenience is not [necessary],' Mr Angel told the Sydney Morning Herald. (dailymail.co.uk)

Carrefour sets up agricultural co-op in Romania
Carrefour has founded an agricultural co-operative in a Romanian village to bring local fresh produce to its shelves. The co-op includes 80 families of producers who own 60 hectares of agricultural land. The retailer will source 5,000 tones of fruit and veg from the local co-op in the village of Vărăşti. The initiative comes after the Romanian parliament passed a law that requires large retailers with a turnover of €2m to allocate a minimum of 51% of existing space for fresh produce to products sourced locally, from a short supply chain.

Former Lidl CEO to lead Save-A-Lot
Leading US hard discount retailer, Save-A-Lot, has appointed Kenneth McGrath as its new CEO, effective April 21. McGrath joins Save-A-Lot from telecommunications firm Digicel. Prior to this he had spent 13 years with Lidl in executive roles, including CEO of Lidl Ireland from 2009 to 2013, where he oversaw a period of significant customer and revenue growth. Between 2013 and 2015 he held the role of CEO at Lidl USA, spearheading the retailer’s entry into the US. (igd.com)

Morrisons the only ‘Big Four’ retailer to rise
The latest UK market share data from Kantar Worldpanel, for the 12 weeks to 26 March, has found that Morrisons is the only one of the ‘big four’ retailers to post an increase, rising 0.3% year-on-year to stand on 10.4% share. Tesco still retains market leadership, on 27.6% share (down 0.4%), followed by Sainsbury’s on 16.1% (down 0.7%). Asda’s problems continue, according to the data, with the retailer seeing a 1.8% decline to stand on 15.7% share. (esmmagazine.com)

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Amazon targets UK businesses with launch of new online marketplace
Amazon on Tuesday said that it is launching a service in the UK aimed at doing for businesses what it already does for individual customers, by offering a marketplace where companies can buy everything from industrial machinery to paper clips and janitorial equipment - even in bulk. Amazon Business will aim to cater to the procurement needs of businesses of all sizes, as well as institutional buyers including universities, hospitals and non-profits. (independent.co.uk)

Aldi opens new DC in Wales
Supermarket chain Aldi has opened its new warehouse on the outskirts of Cardiff, creating 422 jobs. The new £59.5m distribution centre and regional offices are based at Capital Business Park in Wentloog. Economy Secretary Ken Skates said the opening of the centre was a mark of confidence in the Welsh economy. (BBC)

Interspar Austria's online service expands
Interspar Austria has announced the expansion of the delivery area of its online service to Salzburg and surrounding areas. The company launched Austria's largest online food shopping service in Vienna in September 2016 with an offering of around 20,000 products. The expansion will give the retail giant access to around three million Austrians. (esmmagazine.com)

Continente named 'Favourite Grocery Retailer' in Portugal
Hypermarket chain Continente is the favourite grocery retailer of Portuguese consumers, according to the ICERTIAS Best Buy Award, Portugal 2017/2018. The study, conducted by the international certification association, ICERTIAS, polled 1,200 Portuguese internet users during February 2017 and analysed their preferences across 50 categories. (esmmagazine.com) https://www.esmmagazine.com/continente-wins-icertius-award/41055

EBRD invests €25m in Romania's profi
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a €25 million equity investment to Romania’s leading supermarket chain, Profi Rom Food. It will support a further expansion of the network, particularly into smaller towns in Romania. Profi operates 523 stores in more than 272 localities throughout the Balkan country. (esmmagazine.com)

Ahold Delhaize garners design award
Ahold Delhaize has received a design award for visual identity, encompassing its logo, colors, typeface and tone of voice. Along with its partner FutureBrand, the Amsterdam-based retail conglomerate came in second in the Best Corporate Rebrand Following a Merger or an Acquisition category at the eighth annual Transform Awards Europe. (progressivegrocer.com)

SPAR Slovenia expands range of organic and vegan products
Consumers expect to find an increasing range of organic and vegan products on the shelves of their local supermarket instead of having to go to a specialist store. SPAR Slovenia meets this expectation, regularly introducing new products and ranges, with the latest being two new vegan product lines ‘Veganz’ and ‘Nussyy’. As well as launching these products with a great campaign, they also highlighted their organic food range under the theme ‘IZBERI BIO’. (eprretailnews.com)

India: BigBasket eyes over $100 mn in next fundraise
The country’s top online grocer BigBasket has started preliminary discussions for its next fundraising exercise, targeting an investment ticket size of over $100m, Hari Menon, CEO of BigBasket told VCCircle over a telephonic interaction. Though the talks for the new fundraise will start from June, the company has already initiated the documentation process, he added. (vccircle.com)

US: McLane company and Walmart extend 25-year relationship
McLane Company, Inc., a leading supply chain services company providing grocery and foodservice supply chain solutions, today announced a renewal of its service agreement with long-time client Walmart. (businesswire.com)

World Online Grocery Market to grow at 20.47% CAGR to 2021
ReportsnReports.com adds Global Online Grocery Market 2017-2021 latest research report; The analysts forecast global online grocery market to grow at a CAGR of 20.47% during the period 2017-2021. (marketersmedia.com)

CA: Dollarama aiming for 1,700 stores
Canadian Dollarama’s fourth quarter sales increased by 11.5% to $854.5m, with comparable store sales up 5.8%. Operating income increased by 19.1% to $210.7m. For the full year, sales were up 11.8% to $2.96bn, with operating income up 17.5% to $645.5m. Having previously outlined a target of operating 1,400 stores in Canada, Dollarama now believes that it can open approximately 600 more stores over the next eight to ten years. This will take its store count to 1,700, up from 1,096 currently. (igd.com)

Korea's consumer prices growth hits almost 5-yr high in March
South Korea's consumer prices shot up at the fastest clip in nearly five years in March on a sharp rise in gas prices, government data showed Tuesday. Also, prices of fresh fruit and vegetables jumped 7.5% in March from a year earlier following the winter season. In particular, prices of tangerines surged 106.2% on-year last month, with those of cabbage and carrots soaring 91.5% and 71.8%, respectively. (koreaherald.com)