Lidl also announces opening of 100 stores in US next year
Lidl CEO says prices up to 50% lower than US rivals; announces date of debut
Booker, the British wholesaler that has agreed a $4.8 billion (3.7 billion pounds) takeover by Tesco, said it still expected the deal to complete by early 2018 at the latest as it reported a 15 percent rise in annual profit. Total sales for the year, announced in March, were 5.3 billion pounds, up 6.7 percent. (Reuters)
Germany's Lidl to price groceries up to 50 percent below US rivals
German discount grocery chain Lidl announced that it is opening its first US store on June 15. The retailer said its products would be up to 50 percent cheaper than competitors, which are already caught up in a price war. "This is the right time for us to enter the United States," Brendan Proctor, chief executive officer for Lidl U.S., told Reuters at a media event in New York late on Tuesday. "We are confident in our model. We adapt quickly, so it's not about whether a market works for us but really about what we will do to make it work." By next summer, the company plans to open up to 100 stores across the East Coast. (Reuters)
Australian fruit store stays open 24 hours
A fruit and vegetable shop in Brisbane is finding that staying open 24 hours a day is helping it compete against the major supermarkets. Johnny Tabet from Charlie's Fruit Market at Everton Park said his store decided to stay open all day and night to attract new customers. "I am not the only one in the [grocery] industry; there are big and small supermarkets and everyone wants a piece of the market," he said. (abc.net.au)
US: Ahold’s Martin’s chain to close remaining stores
Ahold’s Martin’s Food Markets chain said Wednesday that it has informed employees that it would close its remaining nine stores in the Richmond and Williamsburg, Va., communities this summer. Martin’s, which is run by Ahold’s Giant-Carlisle chain, has been attempting to sell those stores for nearly a year. About half the chain was sold last year to Publix Super Markets when Ahold sold off stores in order to meet federal antitrust concerns of its merger with Delhaize. (supermarketnews.com)
US: Target sales slip even as earnings gain
Target on Wednesday blew past first quarter Wall Street expectations and its own guidance despite sales declines, sending shares up almost 6%. Q1 sales fell 1.1% to $16.0 billion from $16.2 billion last year, reflecting a same-store sales decline of 1.3% percent, (reflecting a 0.8% decrease in transactions and a 0.6% decrease in average price per transaction that were partially offset by the contribution from new stores), according to a company press release. That beat a forecast from Thomson Reuters cited by MarketWatch for sales of $15.62 billion. Comparable digital channel sales rose 22% percent. fooddive.com)
Organic fruit & veg retail sales in Italy up 28%
Organic fruit and vegetable sales in the Italian grocery retail channel during March 2017 reached €147 million, up 28% year-on-year. This compares to a 9% growth in overall fruit and vegetable sales in the same period, according to Nielsen data revealed at the Macfruit trade show last week. Fresh organic fruit accounts for 11% of total organic product sales in the retail channel, with further potential for market growth (organic sales account for 4.4% of total fruit & veg sales), given the increasing interest of consumers. (esmmagazine.com)
US: CobornsDelivers expands meal kit program
CobornsDelivers, an online grocery delivery service serving Twin Cities residents, has expanded its fresh meal kit offerings for the summer, following last year’s successful rollout. The service will bring back eight favorite To the Table fresh meal kits and roll out 14 more options for busy families to add to their online grocery orders. (progressivegrocer.com)