Dansk Supermarked to open 60 new Netto outlets
Aldi discloses expansion details Australia
Spanish retailer Mercadona has started registering some its trademarks for products and services in Portugal, ahead of the launch that is set for next year, reports Publico. In May and June, the Portuguese Industrial Property Bulletin reported that three trademark applications had been made by the Spanish group. One of them, according to an official company source, is the acronym SPB, which stands for 'Sempre Preços Baixos' ('Everyday Low Prices'). (esmmagazine.com)
Dansk Supermarked to open 60 new Netto outlets
Danish retailer Dansk Supermarked has announced that it is planning to open over 60 new Netto outlets in the next few months, and is looking to hire up to 900 new employees. Earlier this month, it was announced that Dansk Supermarked was set to acquire 81 former Kiwi stores from Dagrofa. The retailer said that it planned to convert approximately half of them to Netto outlets. (esmmagazine.com)
AU: Aldi reveals nationwide store expansion details
Aldi Australia is planning to expand its store network with new openings coming in locations across the Eastern seaboard, South Australia and Western Australia. The German retailer has told TheShout that it will be expanding on its current network of 473 stores across the country and that it is “eager to bring the Aldi difference to more Australians”. “In addition to ALDI stores already opened this year, we can confirm plans to open in the following locations across the Eastern seaboard, South Australia and Western Australia,” a spokesperson for Aldi Australia told TheShout. (theshout.com.au)
Singapore: Southeastern Grocers chief to become CEO of Dairy Farm
Dairy Farm International Holdings Limited, which operates Cold Storage, 7-Eleven and Giant stores here, said its CEO Graham Allan will step down in August after five years of service. He will be replaced by Ian McLeod in September. Mr McLeod recently said he was leaving his post at US supermarket chain Southeastern Grocers. (businesstimes.com.sg)
AU: Aldi amasses $2bn property portfolio as it introduces stores across Australia
German discount supermarket Aldi has amassed a property portfolio worth close to $2bn in Australia, providing it with security of tenure and significant capital gains. Since opening its first store in Australia in 2001, land titles searches show it has amassed 365 titles, and the company is using mixed-use development to secure sites in the inner suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney. (smh.com.au)
Spanish Eroski extends campaign to promote sustainability, healthier diets
Spanish retailer Eroski has announced it will extend its 'Contigo' (which translates as 'with you'), business model, which aims to provide its customers with a more healthy and sustainable diet. (esmmagazine.com)
Konzum to close 100 stores in Croatia
Croatian supermarket chain Konzum will close between 80 and 100 stores in the country, with an as-yet undetermined number of employees set to be made redundant, reports Dnevnik. The news was announced by the chairman of the board, Slavko Ledić, after a meeting with Antom Ramljak, the extraordinary commissioner for Konzum's parent company Agrokor. (esmmagazine.com)
Dutch Jumbo starts delivery service with healthcare provider
Dutch retailer Jumbo has announced that it is entering into a strategic partnership with healthcare provider Intrakoop to deliver groceries to institutions around the Netherlands. The agreement allows the 600 health organisations working under the Intrakoop banner to go through Jumbo’s online store and purchase food for their clients. Once ordered, the food will then be delivered to the institution, directly into the kitchen. (esmmagazine.com)
Italy: Conad reports 1.6% sales increase in 2016
Italian cooperative and retailer Conad has reported a 1.6% increase in sales to €12.4bn in 2016, which is €230m more than in 2015, reports Aska News. The company gained a market share of 11.95% among grocery retailers in Italy. Commenting on the results, Conad CEO Francesco Pugliese said that the company has a solid investment plan for growing at above-market rates and is focusing on an even stronger relationship with customers. (esmmagazine.com)
Qatar: Hypermarkets ‘well-stocked’ for Eid
Shoppers can look forward to find “well-stocked” shelves in major hypermarkets across Qatar as the country prepares to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr on Sunday, store officials have said. The officials said they have sourced a wide variety of food items and other types of goods from “alternative” suppliers locally and abroad, assuring shoppers that there will be “no shortage” of consumer products. Only recently, LuLu had brought in a chartered flight loaded with 65 tonnes of fruit and vegetables from Kochi, LuLu Group International regional manager (Qatar and Egypt) Shanavas PM told Gulf Times. (gulf-times.com)
German Metro lawyer "quite certain" split of company can proceed
A lawyer for Metro said he was "quite certain" that the German retailer's plan to split into two companies would progress on schedule, even as a court handed down an ambiguous assessment of shareholder challenges to the move. (Reuters)
Analyst: Kroger should make a counter offer for Whole Foods
Kroger should make a counter offer for Whole Foods, Loop Capital’s Andrew Wolf wrote in a note to investors this week, according to CNBC. The deal is financially feasible, he noted, and would make the Cincinnati-based retailer the largest natural and organic retailer in the industry by far. (fooddive.com)
Big Apple e-grocer FreshDirect is a big target for acquisition
FreshDirect, the online grocer that serves New York City as well as Washington D.C., Philadelphia and parts of Delaware, has become a hot target for acquisition, according to the New York Post. The company’s popular home delivery service has been coveted by numerous retailers who have approached FreshDirect about selling. But the online grocer has always preferred to focus on growing its business rather than cashing out. FreshDirect’s attitude could change, however, following Amazon’s offer to buy Whole Foods. (fooddive.com)
Walmart? Amazon may find rival bidders for Whole Foods
Walmart could step in as a rival bidder for Whole Foods Market, JPMorgan analysts said, as shares of the grocery chain rose above the $42 price offered by Amazon earlier this month. JPMorgan research analysts said in a note Thursday that Walmart could be drawn to Whole Foods for its relatively wealthier customers and strong brand, not to mention the chance to thwart Amazon's ambitions. It is in a better position than other retailers such as Kroger, Costco or Target coming in over the top, the analysts said. (usatoday.com)
US: Marsh sales OK'd; remaining stores to close
Judge Brendan Shannon of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware this week approved Fresh Encounter’s bid for 15 locations of Marsh Supermarkets. The sale, which will provide the Findlay, Ohio-based operator with store leases and their respective inventory, went for $7.8m. A $16m offer from an affiliate of Kroger Co. for 11 Marsh stores, excluding their inventory, was approved last week. Marsh in the meantime said 18 stores that were not sold at auction would close July 20. (supermarketnews.com)