Lidl expands operations in Portugal, Croatia
Lidl Portugal has opened its sixteenth supermarket, which is also its first within a revamped sports complex. The new store is the result of a partnership between the German retail chain and Os Belenenses, a historic football club in Lisbon. Elsewhere, Lidl has opened its third logistics and distribution centre in Croatia, investing €120mln.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Spaniards spend almost half of their shopping expenses on fresh products
Almost half of the annual expenditure that Spaniards make on purchases is dedicated to fresh products (fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and seafood, eggs, bread, and deli products). Specifically, four out of every ten euros were invested in these categories in 2023, accounting for 43% of the total bill, according to the data from the sixth edition of the Fresh Products Observatory, conducted by Aldi in Spain. In 2023, fruits and vegetables remain the fresh foods with the highest presence (63%) and the highest expenditure (35%) in the shopping basket. Thus, Spanish households spent an average of 726 euros per year on the purchase of fruits, vegetables, and greens.
Source: lavanguardia.com
Morrisons to acquire 38 convenience stores in the Channel Islands
Morrisons has acquired 38 stores in the Channel Islands from long term partner SandpiperCI. All of the stores are currently supplied by Morrisons in some capacity and 19 operate under the Morrisons Daily fascia. The transaction includes six fuel forecourts. The stores are located on the islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney and in the last 12 months the stores being acquired had a turnover of £124.5mln, or £118.9mln excluding fuel.
Source: morrisons-corporate.com
France: Carrefour teams up with Marché Frais on supply, licensing partnership
Carrefour has announced it is entering into a supply and brand licensing partnership with Marché Frais, a retailer known for its fresh produce selection. Marché Frais, which operates 12 hypermarkets and supermarkets in the Ile-de-France region of France, will be rebranded as Marché Frais by Carrefour once the partnership, set to commence on 1 July, begins.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Belgium: 36th Bio-Planet opens its doors in Zottegem
The new Bio-planet store, opening at the same location as what used to be Louise Delhaize in Zottegem, is the perfect destination for those looking for organic and ecological products. It is the first Bio-Planet to open its doors after the acquisition of the Match, Smatch and Louis Delhaize stores by Colruyt Group. Customers can now enjoy a wide selection of organic fruits and vegetables, fresh bread, meat, cheese and cold cuts, among other products.
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
Germany: METRO continues positive growth trend in Q2 2023/24
METRO reported: "Implementation of sCore growth strategy leads to continued positive sales development in Q2 2023/24: Sales growth adjusted for currency and portfolio effects of 7.2%; sales growth in local currency 3.9%; reported sales on previous year level at €6.9bln. Adjusted EBITDA reaches €73mln (Q2 2022/23: €111mln)".
Source: newsroom.metroag.de
UK: iSqueeze launches new multifruit juice machine
iSqueeze is introducing the Citrocasa XPro which, unlike previous models, can extract juice from a diverse range of fruits (up to a diameter of 100mm) including oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes.
Source: talkingretail.com
Australia: Major supermarket fruit and veg supplier Southern Cross Produce calls in administrators
High debt levels and insufficient working capital have pushed one of Australia's leading fresh produce suppliers to Australian supermarkets, Southern Cross Produce, into administration. Sydney Markets-based Southern Cross has appointed Jirsch Sutherland partners Andrew Spring and Melissa Lau as voluntary administrators with the first creditors' meeting expected to be held on 16 May.
Source: businessnewsaustralia.com
Holland: Ahold Delhaize reports solid first quarter and reiterates 2024 outlook
Ahold Delhaize, one of the world's largest food retail groups and a leader in both supermarkets and e-commerce, reports first quarter results. Group net sales were €21.7bln, an increase of 1.3% at constant exchange rates, and up 0.4% at actual exchange rates. U.S. net sales were €13.3bln, a decrease of 0.6% at constant exchange rates and down 1.8% at actual exchange rates. European net sales were €8.5bln, an increase of 4.6% at constant exchange rates and 4.1% at actual exchange rates.
Source: aholddelhaize.com
US: Publix still dominates grocery in Miami
Publix is again the most popular grocery store in Miami, beating its competitors with nearly 47% of the market in 2023, according to Chain Store Guide, which tracks the retail and food service industries. There are 245 Publix locations in the Miami metro area, and the chain reported more than $9.9bln in sales last year, per the report.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Grocery Outlet hits a bump in Q1
While Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. increased net sales in its first quarter of fiscal 2024 by 7.4% to $1.04bln, the company's adjusted EBITDA dropped 37.5% to $39.4mln, or 3.8% of net sales. Gross margin decreased by 180 basis points to 29.3% in Q1, which ended March 30.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Planted Ventures LLC announces US launch of Tattooed Chef™ brand and private label frozen entrees, smoothie bowls, and vegetables
Planted Ventures LLC, a vertically-integrated manufacturer of innovative, "better for you" frozen entrees, bowls, vegetables, and more, sold under the Tattooed Chef™ brand and via private label, announced the US launch of four new Italian grown, LA-made frozen food categories: Entrée Bowls, Smoothie Bowls, Veggie Blends, and Veggie Commodities. These products are being introduced in connection with the re-launch of the Tattooed Chef brand under the ownership of Planted Ventures LLC.
Source: businesswire.com
Brazil's Carrefour swings to profit in first quarter
Carrefour Brasil, which is controlled by France's Carrefour, reported a net profit of 39mln reais ($7.7mln) for the first quarter, reversing losses in the same period last year, as higher food inflation expanded its profits.
Source: reuters.com
Canada: Save-On-Foods expands footprint in Alberta
Buy-Low Foods in Langdon and Didsbury, Alberta will be converting to Save-On-Foods locations on Thursday (May 9). Pattison Food Group has recently transitioned a number of its food retail stores to the Save-On banner, including an Urban Fare in Calgary and other Buy-Low locations in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Instacart partners with Uber to offer food delivery services to customers in US
Instacart customers will now be able to use the grocery delivery platform's app to order from hundreds of thousands of Uber Eats restaurant partners across the U.S., as part of a partnership between the two companies, they said.
Source: reuters.com
US: Simbe announces partnership with Plexus Corp. to scale manufacturing and meet global retail demand
Simbe, the leading provider of Store Intelligence™ solutions that increase retailer performance through unprecedented visibility and insights, announced a partnership with Plexus Corp. to bring its best-in-class retail robotics-as-a-service to market quickly and at global scale.
Source: globenewswire.com
US: Snack'in For You's award winning Veggie Puffs debut at Sweets & Snacks Expo
Snack'in For You by Sigma Foods will debut its line of vegetable-based, high-protein, baked, better-for-you puffs at the Sweets & Snacks Expo at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis from May 14-16, at booth #22276. The veggie puffs are available as two- and four-ounce bags in Sour Cream and Onion Cauliflower, Buffalo Ranch Cauliflower, Mesquite Barbeque Broccoli, or Cheddar Jalapeno Broccoli flavor profiles.
Source: globenewswire.com