Shell and 7-Eleven chain end partnership
Walmart India starts cash and carry in Mumbai
Belgian retailer Delhaize has extended its range of vegetarian products in order to meet the increasing consumer demand. Indeed, the retailer says that it has seen a 10% increase in category sales in 2017, and so has launched eleven new products since the beginning of the year. (esmmagzine.com)
Shell to end partnership with 7-Eleven chain
Oil giant Shell will end its 11-year-old partnership with convenience store chain 7-Eleven this year, as it looks to rebrand its petrol stations to be in line with its "long-term business strategy". (straitstimes.com)
Lidl Switzerland introduces 'Menu Box' service
Lidl Switzerland has introduced a new service, Menu Box, that delivers ready-to-prepare meal boxes to customers' homes. Every week customers receive different recipes and fresh ingredients. (esmmagazine.com)
Walmart to launch its cash and carry business in Mumbai
Walmart India on Friday announced its plan to launch its cash and carry business in Mumbai to enable small businesses. The US-based retail chain giant plans to open a fulfilment center (FC) to cater to the business needs of resellers, kirana stores, office and institutions of Mumbai and neighbouring areas. (livemint.com)
UK: Costcutter reports sales down in 2016
Costcutter, one of the UK's leading retail symbol groups has reported sales of £622m for the full year 2016, down 9.8%. The decline was driven by both business in the UK, with sales down 6.2% to £616m, but also in Europe where sales fell by 79.3% to just £7m. At the end of the period Costcutter store numbers were down to 2,200 across its combined fascias (Costcutter, Mace, Simply Fresh, Kwiksave and Supershop). (igd.com)
UK: Former Tesco CEO's were warned of profits hole, court told
Three former Tesco directors were repeatedly warned by their juniors that the UK chain was facing a multimillion-pound hole in their profits and yet they carried on “conniving and manipulating figures” rather than admitting to the problem, a court has heard. (theguardian.com)
UK: Asda and Co-op to share supplier data
Asda and the Co-op are collaborating by enabling mutual suppliers to submit aggregated data on waste, water and energy to both retailers at the same time. The supermarket retailers are working with 2degrees to collect the sustainability data via its platform Manufacture 2030. (logisticsmanager.com)
US: New Hannaford loyalty program will reward private-brand purchases
Hannaford, the Ahold Delhaize-owned supermarket chain which for decades resisted offering a customer loyalty program, is finally reversing course. The company on Monday announced the launch of a new app-based loyalty platform built around rewarding shoppers for buying private label items while preserving the brand’s everyday low pricing and low-cost heritage. (supermarketnews.com)
Whole Foods CEO: Amazon saved us from the 'whole paycheck' trap
Before Amazon bought Whole Foods for $13.7bln, the upscale grocery chain had a nickname: "Whole paycheck." The name referred to the company's tendency to sell more high-end, niche items than traditional grocers — Whole Foods has carried things like kale-infused guacamole, $80 jars of honey, and tofu-ginger-rice muffins. But Whole Foods CEO John Mackey told Food Business News that reputation has started to disappear since the merger. Please, click here to read the article at businessinsider.com.
CA: Metro's $4.5-billion takeover of Jean Coutu creates mega-firm
Two of Quebec’s largest retailers confirmed their long-anticipated merger on Monday, with Metro Inc.’s $4.5-billion offer to buy the Jean Coutu pharmacy chain. The deal will create a combined company with 1,300 retail stores, 87,000 employees and $16bln in annual revenue. (business.financialpost.com)