Ahold, parent company of supermarkets Giant Landover, Stop & Shop New England, Stop & Shop New York Metro, Giant Carlisle, and online grocery Peapod, has partnered with Retail Solutions Inc. (RSI) to introduce shared enterprise business processes with vendors. Ahold USA has leveraged RSI’s data platform and collaboration tools to better align its business goals and daily priorities with its vendor partners. (chainstoreage.com)
Carrefoursa Carrefour FY 2015 net result turns to loss of 31.7 mln lira
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Aldi to open eight stores in Southern California
German budget retailer Aldi announced that it would open eight new supermarket stores in Southern California on March 24. This would be as a part of its plan to open 45 new stores in the region. The budget retailer also informed that an additional 19 stores will be opened during April and July this year.
Whole Foods to invest in Instacart, signs new multi-year delivery deal
Whole Foods is making an investment in the four-year-old delivery startup Instacart, according to multiple sources. The size of the deal could not be learned, but sources say the deal is essentially done, barring an unforeseen last-minute change of heart. The two companies have also signed a five-year delivery partnership, these people said, making Instacart the exclusive delivery partner for Whole Foods’ perishables business. (recode.net)
Tesco's organic fruit demand hits 10 year high
Brits are creating the highest demand for organic fruit for 10 years. Sales at Tesco are more than twice that, growing by more than 18% in the same time period, the company says in a press release. Among the most popular organic fruit items at Tesco are:
- Soft fruit such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries – demand up 34% in the last year
- Bananas – up 27%
- Citrus fruit – up 17%
- Mangos and other exotic fruit – up 8%
- Apples and pears –up 8%
SA: Shoprite grows profits in tough retail environment
Shoprite’s efforts have seen it post an increase in turnover growth of 8.8% to R62.52bn, which was boosted by festive season sales. Its trading profit grew by 10.4% to R3.14bn. And its trading margin increased from 5.2% to 5.3%. The market reacted positively and Shoprite’s shares rose by 4.4% to close at R151.03 on Tuesday. (moneyweb.co.za)
SPAR spotlights forecourt expansion in Hungary
SPAR Austria has added 45 SPAR Express convenience stores on OMV forecourts in Hungary over the last two years, following the opening of the first in 2013. The convenience stores see SPAR focus on providing a wide range of private label products. (igd.com)
Kenya: Tuskys CEO kicked out in family business rivalry
Tuskys CEO Dan Githua was yesterday kicked out of the retailer after weeks of push and pull involving different factions of the family owned business. Githua was appointed last May in a bid to professionalise the business in preparation for the company's planned listing at the Nairobi Securities Exchange within five years. However, yesterday, some of the family members of the late founder Joram Kamau forcefully ejected him from office on orders of their parents. (the-star.co.ke)
Green light for supermarket chain Lidl in the US
Wilson Borough Council has given a Germany-based company the OK to expand and help make the U.S. the 27th country with one of its stores. The chain announced last June it would build its regional headquarters and distribution facility in Virginia. (lehighvalleylive.com)
Supermarket chain Sheng Siong's Q4 net profit up 23.9%
Supermarket chain Sheng Siong reported fourth-quarter earnings were up 23.9% at $14.6m. Revenue for the three months to Dec 31 inched up 4.9% to $187.1m, compared with the same period a year ago. Net profit for the full year was up 19.3% to $56.8m, while revenue increased 5.3% to $764.4m. (straitstimes.com)
SPAR suffers fall in turnover in Switzerland
SPAR Switzerland has said that its turnover fell by 1.6% in 2015 to CHF596m (US$601.8m) as it invested in prices. The retailer said that it was pleased with the results given the challenging market environment and pointed to the expansion of its ‘Schellen-Ursli’ private label range as a highlight for 2015. (igd.com)
UK: Southern Co-operative appoints new COO of Food Retail
Fallowing a successful Christmas period The Southern Co-operative has announced the appointment of Simon Eastwood as COO of Food Retail. Eastwood is well versed in the supermarket industry: most recently a programme director at Morrisons, he has had a number of senior positions at the company, as well as Kiddicare and Safeway. (retailgazette.co.uk)
GIC invests in Carrefour Indonesia
Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC has agreed to invest US$364m into PT Trans Retail, operator of the Carrefour Indonesia and TranSmart retail networks. CT Corp chairman Chairul Tanjung described the partnership as a significant step forward in enabling Trans Retail to expand its store footprint, realising its vision of becoming a leading multi-format retailer and transforming the Indonesian consumer’s shopping experience. (insideretail.asia)
Alibaba plans physical base in Brussels
Alibaba aims to open a physical base in Brussels to bring Belgian manufacturers in contact with Chinese consumers. The remarkable fact is that about 100 Belgian citizens will get a specific education for it in China. (retaildetail.eu)
7-Eleven to open more than 400 new stores in the Philippines
Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), the local licensee of 7-Eleven, has announced its plans to launch at least 400 new stores across the Philippines this year as part of its strategy to maintain its leadership in the convenience store business in the Southeast Asian country, reported the Business World. (petrolplaza.com)
Japan's Aeon plans 4th shopping mall in Vietnam
Japanese retail giant Aeon Mall is planning its fourth megastore in Vietnam at an estimated cost of around US$200m, news website Dau Tu reported Tuesday. The mall will be located in Nam Thang Long Industrial Zone near Hanoi, and become the second Aeon Mall in the capital when it opens, possibly in 2019. (thanhniennews.com)
Lotte launches online in Indonesia
Last Friday, Lotte signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement with Salim Group, in which the two companies agreed to establish an e-commerce joint venture in the first half of this year. They aim to officially launch the company early next year. (igd.com)