Another 8 stores go in A&P auctions | Walmart Mexico soars
Dutch Albert Heijn (Ahold) opens online store in China
A scheme redistributing fresh food nearing its sell-by date at Marks & Spencer (M&S) stores nationwide began yesterday. The retailer is working in partnership with Neighbourly, a social network and mobile app that connects community projects with businesses, to deliver the scheme. Every day, stores will upload information on the spare food they have on offer and charities registered in the scheme can claim it using the app and then collect it from the stores. Food redistributed through the programme will include fruit, vegetables, bread, cakes and groceries, with charities able to choose what type of food they receive based on need. M&S has set a target of reducing food waste created by its stores by 20% by 2020. (resource.co)
Dutch Albert Heijn (Ahold) opens online store in China
Dutch Albert Heijn opened a webshop in China, reports Het Financieele Dagblad. A large part of the products at Albert Heijn were already sold online in China by Dutch Chinese, who have been asking for very high prices. Albert Heijn's own webshop must ensure that the money ends up back at Albert Heijn. Ahold will initially run about a hundred products in China. The emphasis is on the private labels of Albert Heijn and Etos. The prices in the Chinese shops are somewhat higher than those in Dutch supermarkets. (nu.nl)
US funds launch legal action against Tesco
A group of American pension and investment funds have launched a multimillion-dollar legal action against Tesco PLC over its GBP263m accounting scandal, The Times reported on Monday. The complaint was filed in Ohio's federal southern district court on Wednesday last week, the newspaper said. (morningstar.co.uk)
Metro Serbia expands offer with organic fruit and veg
The Serbian unit of German wholesaler Metro has added a selection of organic food and vegetables at two of its outlets in Belgrade. The retail giant has introduced vegetables Bulgarian supplier Gimel, namely cherry tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, carrot, garlic and ginger. Customers can also purchase organic fruits, such as oranges, lemon, kiwi, grapefruit and pear. (esmmagazine.com)
US: Another 8 stores go in A&P auctions; many more in 'limbo'
A&P has filed papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court confirming that another eight of its stores were successfully bid on during a second auction of its assets late last week. The sales — which require court approval — leave as many as 72 of A&P’s initial group of 300 locations still in limbo. Sources told SN Monday those stores were either bid on previously but not for a price A&P was seeking, or simply haven’t attracted interest at all. If unsold, A&P would likely reject those leases and close the stores, creating still more claims against the money-losing estate. (supermarketnews.com)
Walmart Mexico soars while parent company struggles in the U.S.
Walmart de Mexico SAB, Latin America’s largest retail chain and a separately traded stock, reported better-than- expected sales for September, with same-store sales rising 7% from a year ago. Improving results have sent the shares soaring 31% in 2015, bouncing back from a roughly 40% tumble that began after a 2012 scandal in which the company was accused of bribing Mexican officials to speed up store openings. Its parent company’s stock, meanwhile, is down 22% this year. This year, Walmex has seen sales increasing equally in all formats, Antonio Ocaranza, a spokesman, said in a phone interview. "We’re seeing a very consistent demand in all regions and products,” he said. “The numbers reflect the solidity of our value proposition.” (esmmagazine.com)
South-Africa: Pick n Pay profit rises
Pick n Pay Stores Ltd. said first-half profit climbed 23% as the South African supermarket chain added outlets and cut costs even as consumer confidence in its home market remains depressed. Profit increased to 322.5m rand ($24m) in the six months through Aug. 30, compared with 261.9m rand a year earlier, the Cape Town-based company said in a statement on Tuesday. Sales rose 8.5% and it opened 83 Pick n Pay and Boxer stores in the period. The company raised the interim dividend 24% to 0.24 rand a share. (Bloomberg)
US: Whole Foods sets restaurant partnership
Whole Foods Market has set up a partnership and investment deal with restaurant operator Mendocino Farms that will lead to the opening of restaurant outlets within some of the retailer’s units. (supermarketnews.com)
UK: Aldi ranked 2nd in Times Top 100 list of graduate employers
Discount retailer Aldi has risen to 2nd position in the prestigious Times Top 100 list of graduate employers for the upcoming academic year – its highest ever position in the rankings. The Times Top 100 rankings are compiled every year, based on feedback from over 18,000 graduates. Since the league table was first published in 1999, no retailer has been ranked in the top two until this year, and Aldi has now featured in the top ten for nine years in a row. (onrec.com)
UK: Brady family secures new listing with Budgens
Brady Family, the Irish pre-pack ham brand, has secured a listing across the entire Budgens UK chain, following a successful initial trial in three London stores. (kamcity.com)
US: Instacart now powers grocery delivery for Allrecipes
On-demand grocery delivery startup Instacart is joining forces with another online recipe source: Allrecipes. Through the partnership, Allrecipes will feature a button that lets its 40m monthly readers automatically order ingredients for top recipes to be delivered in under an hour. The new integration will be available across mobile and desktop devices. This is the second recipe site that Instacart has partnered with for grocery delivery. The company teamed up with Yummly in January to provide a similar service. (venturebeat.com)
US: Wegmans announces fruit/veggie squeeze pouch recall
A product designed to get kids to consume fruits and vegetables is being recalled due to concerns of mold. Officials say the company that produces GoGo SqueeZ Fruit & Veggiez, Zippin’ Zingin’ Pear has recalled the product sold in four 3.2 ounce pouches. (wivb.com)
Spain: Bon Preu advances omnichannel offer
Three years after the launch of the Iquodrive platform, Bon Preu has announced that its ‘Drive’ offer accounts for 1.5% of group sales, despite being available at only three stores (out of 164 that the retailer operated at the end of 2014). Bon Preu said it invested €300,000 in each of the Drive outlets. The retailer also said that shopper acceptance of its Drive offer had been aided by it not charging for the service and the fact that there was no minimum purchase required, making it more acceptable to a wider range of shopper missions. (igd.com)
Spain: Covirán reaffirms commitment to cooperative model
Following the statement of its positive financial results, Covirán’s CEO, Luis Osuna, has stated that the retailer’s good growth has been because of its business model. Osuna said that this foundation enabled it to develop and invest for the future with a strong foundation. A key area of investment in the medium term for Covirán will be in its supply chain so that it can support the addition of new stores and as it is necessary for it to become ‘stronger and more efficient’. To this end Osuna said that Covirán would be investing €5 mn in its Coslada logistics platform to drive greater efficiencies. (igd.com)
Spain: Ulabox strengthens its commercial team
Ulabox, in which Portugal-based Sonae holds a majority stake, has filled two roles that it says will help it drive sales, better create and activate promotions and business plans and embed relations with manufacturers and brands. The retailer, which predominantly operates in Barcelona and Madrid, has appointed Carmen Wilke to lead its fresh, chilled, frozen and baby category, while Cesar Pahl has taken on the same role for non-food categories. (igd.com)
India: IFC to invest $25M in grocery supplies
International Finance Corporation has said it will invest $25m in Supermarket Grocery Supplies(SGSPL), which is backed by Ascent Capital and Helion Ventures. Other investors in the company include Zodius Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners. The Bengaluru-based company is also promoted by several entrepreneurs and experienced professionals including V S Sudhakar, Hari Menon, Abhinay Choudhari, Vipul Parekh and VS Ramesh. Currently SGSPL operates in nine cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Mysore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Delhi-NCR. (business-standard.com)
Costco opens first Washington location since 2008 amid major worldwide expansion
Costco Wholesale Corporation has opened a new location in Lynnwood, near the Alderwood Mall, the first new Costco store in Washington state since 2008. This comes as part of a push to open 32 stores worldwide during its current fiscal year, which began Sept. 1. Kayleen Burnett, executive assistant for Costco, said the company typically rolls out new stores at a rate of 10-20 per year. The plans for 18 new stores in the U.S., three in Canada and more in Asia and Europe come after the company opened 23 new locations worldwide last year. (bizjournals.com)
Philippines SMIC to open 2 rebranded Cherry stores this week
SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) is opening two of its rebranded Cherry Foodarama supermarkets this week. SMIC, the publicly listed holding firm of the SM Group led by the Sy family, acquired Cherry Fooderama from the Ong family in June this year. In a statement, SMIC said it would be opening Cherry Shaw today, October 13, and Cherry Congressional on Thursday, October 15. (manilatimes.net)
UK: Tesco's Price Promise can be a game-changer, say analysts
Tesco has revamped its Price Promise price-matching scheme as Brand Guarantee, which will immediately reduce the price of a customer’s shop at the till if it would have been cheaper at Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. Nick Bubb, retail analyst, said: “There is a lot of smoke and mirrors about most supermarket price-cutting campaigns, but the new Tesco Brand Guarantee scheme could be a gamechanger for the industry, as it does away with money-off coupons in favour of an instant discount at the till, and it will be interesting to see how Sainsbury’s etc respond.” Clive Black, analyst at Shore Capital, said: “Such a move will mean that Tesco is no longer dishing out reams of paper at the till, which will be a saving in-store in its own right. (theguardian.com)
Spanish Mercadona ranks in top 10 most valuable brands
Spanish retailer Mercadona has been listed among the top ten most valuable brands by Spanish consumers, according to a study by advertising agency Tapsa/YR. The list, which featured global brands such as WhatsApp, Google, Coca-Cola and Nestlé, ranked brands according to their intangible values. Mercadona was the only Spanish brand to make the list, ranking seventh. (esmmagazine.com)
Sweden: Axfood outperforms in sales and operating profit in Q3
Axfood, Sweden's second-largest retailer, has reported an increase of 6.7% in sales in its third quarter, and an increase in operating profit of 21.9%, compared to the same period in 2014. The Q3 sales of €1118.4M and profit of €59.3M gives Axfood an operating margin of 5.3% for the quarter, a 0.7% increase. (esmmagazine.com)
Sweden: Coop to promote sale of ugly fruit and veg
Retailer Coop will start offering "ugly" fruits and vegetables in the coming weeks. It is all about supplying quality ingredients with different shapes than we are used to, like crooked cucumbers, knobbly tomatoes and chubby bananas, which will be sold at cheaper prices than their pretty counterparts. In Sweden, this means that, every year, 400,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables never leave the farms and in the EU a total of around 89m tonnes of food have been thrown away during the same period. (kristianstadsbladet.se)
Germany: Edeka presents: “Spectacular fast delivery”
High speed, real-life action and daredevil drifting. In the new advertisement campaign, Edeka group shows the spectacular short distance between farmer and supermarket. The add shows how fast the apples can reach the shelves of the Edeka supermarket.
AU: 7-Eleven franchisees' concern grows
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