Walmart details new focus on fresh produce

UK supermarket Morrisons' profit hurt by price war -

Morrisons, Britain's fourth biggest grocer, reported an expected fall in annual profit on Thursday, as the industry's brutal price war took its toll. The Bradford, northern England, based group, which trails market leader Tesco, Sainsbury's and Walmart's Asda in annual sales, said it made an underlying pretax profit before one off items of 302m pounds ($429m) in the year to Jan. 31. That compares to analysts' average forecast of 307m pounds and the 413m pounds it made in the 2014-15 year. "We are on track to deliver improved future profits and returns for shareholders," Chairman Andrew Higginson said in the statement. Morrison also reported 2015 profit in the middle of its own forecast range. (Reuters / esmmagazine.com)

US: Walmart details new focus on fresh produce

CMO Steve Bratspies of Walmart US explained how Walmart is going to realise its new focus on fresh produce, foodbusinessnews.net reports. “We’re looking at how we source product, where we source it from globally, how we change seasons more effectively all the way to fork,” he said. The retailer is also changing the look and layout of its fresh departments. Additionally, the retailer has expanded space for cut fruit, which is a huge growth business for us, Mr. Bratspies said. Walmart has implemented the changes in 180 stores with plans to roll out to about 3,300 stores by the end of the year. The company already noticed that the changes have led to positive results.

Click here to read more at foodbusinessnews.net.

US: Food Lion invests $215M to renovate stores Charlotte

Food Lion said Wednesday that it would begin "Easy, Fresh & Affordable" renovations in the Charlotte, N.C., market beginning in May, with a goal of completing changes at 142 stores there by October. The $215m investment — about $1.5m per location — includes remodeling the stores, making additional price investments, new training for staff and investments in the community through its Food Lion Feeds initiative. (supermarketnews.com)

Aldi names Laubaugh US co-president

Aldi US on Wednesday said that Brent Laubaugh has been promoted to the role of co-president, effective March 28. Laubaugh, currently VP of the retailer's Saxonburg division in Pennsylvania, will join David Behm and Chuck Youngstrom, who continue in their roles as co-presidents. Laubaugh’s promotion is designed to strengthen Aldi’s leadership team during a period of significant expansion. The retailer is aiming to have almost 2,000 stores up and running in the US by the end of 2018, representing a 50% increase in the network over five years. A key element of Aldi’s expansion includes its imminent entry into Southern California. (igd.com/supermarketnews.com)

Carrefour profit down 22% on restructuring costs

French retailer Carrefour SA said Thursday its profit declined in 2015, hurt by restructuring charges. The company said net profit fell 22% to EUR980m ($1.08bn) from EUR1.25bn a year earlier as the company booked a net expense of EUR257m, principally linked to reorganization costs in various countries. Recurring operating profit rose 2.4% to EUR2.45bn, boosted by growth in Europe and emerging markets, the company said. Carrefour said in 2016 it will continue to focus on implementing its different action plans with total investments to reach between EUR2.5bn and EUR2.6bn. (marketwatch.com)

US: Lunds & Byerlys launches e-commerce program

Lund Food Holdings said Wednesday it is partnering with Unata to launch a new e-commerce and digital customer engagement program at its Lunds & Byerlys stores. The program, which is underway at six of the company’s stores, will be rolled out next month to the other 21, the Edina, Minn.-headquartered company said. (supermarketnews.com)

French Casino to expands discount and c-stores in Brazil

Casino will expand its premium, convenience and discount stores in Brazil to address changes in consumption trends, the Saint-Etienne, France-based company said Wednesday after reporting a 35% drop in 2015 profit. The retailer also said it’s aiming to boost gross margin in France by more than 100 basis points, aided in part by sourcing agreements with rivals Intermarche and Dia, and increase same-store sales in the country by more than 1.5%. (supermarketnews.com)

US: Smart & Final reports results for 'exceptional year'

Smart & Final announced financial results Wednesday for “an exceptional year” ended Jan. 3, including record earnings. Net income for the 13-week fourth quarter rose 7.4% to $10m, while sales jumped 18.9% to $997.6m — including $73.3m attributable to an extra week in this year’s fourth quarter — and comparable stores sales increased 3.5%, including a 3.9% increase in transaction count and a 0.4% decline in average transaction size, which the company said was negatively impacted by deflation. For the year net income climbed 15.5% to $38.3m, while sales were up 12.4% to $4 (supermarketnews.com)

South-African Spar grabs stake in namesake Swiss brand

Spar Group has agreed to buy a majority stake in the company that owns the brand in Switzerland as the South African food and liquor retailer seeks to boost growth outside its home market. Spar will buy 60% of Spar Switzerland for 44.5m Swiss francs (R678m), the company said yesterday. “The acquisition represents an opportunity for the company to invest in an established business in a stable market with growth potential,” Spar said. (mini.iol.co.za)

German Metro aims to digitalize food industry (interview)

The chief of Germany’s largest retail group Metro is looking to accelerate the digitalization of the food services industry. Olaf Koch is also occupied with restructuring Metro's struggling Real discount grocery chain. Please, click here to read the interview.

AU: ACCC approves Coles' purchase of five Supabarn stores

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's decision on Thursday will see Coles buy supermarkets in the Canberra Centre, Kaleen and Wanniassa, as well as at Five Dock and Sutherland in Sydney. The supermarket giant plans to invest $22m in upgrading the five Canberra stores and will offer to keep on existing employees. The stores being sold will be rebranded as Coles outlets. (smh.com.au)

Kroger analyst: Other retailers ‘would be thrilled to see sales growth of this magnitude’

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