This year, Fox News asked once again that its readers to rank the best supermarkets in America, and many votes later, it has compiled a list of the top stores in the country:
1. Trader Joe's
2. Publix
3. Stew Leonard's
4. Whole Foods Market
5. Wegmans
6. Costo Wholesale
7. Kroger
8. Sprouts Farmers Market
9. Meijer
10. Piggly Wiggly
Source: Fox News
Wal-Mart a U.K. laggard as Asda misses supermarket bounce: Chart
As Britain’s supermarkets revive, the big loser is Asda. Having surrendered its position as the U.K.’s cheapest mainstream grocer to discounters Aldi and Lidl, the Wal-Mart unit has sought to defend profits while rivals have invested in the range and quality of their products to boost sales. “Asda has lost its mojo, focusing on margin protection over being the shopper’s champion,” said Clive Black, head of research at Shore Capital. (Bloomberg)
Source: Campnay reports / Bloomberg
Choppies expands footprint in southern Africa
CEO Ram Ottapathu said Choppies was on track to reach 200 stores by the end of 2016. Dual-listed retail group Choppies wants to be the market leader in southern Africa in the short term, before taking on bigger projects on the rest of the African continent. The company yesterday announced that it had acquired 10 more stores in Zambia and was looking to Kenya to grow its market hold. (mini.iol.co.za)
Italy to reduce food waste
Italy is set to become the second European country to put in place legislation that will pressure supermarkets to stop throwing out food waste, and instead give it to those in need. Unlike the French legislation, which issues up to €75,000 (US$83,000) fines for supermarkets that waste food, the Italian model instead rewards companies for donating by reducing their rubbish tax - the more food companies donate, the bigger savings they'll receive. (sciencealert.com)
UK: Ocado expects to conclude Morrisons deal this year
Ocado said it expected to renew a deal with Morrisons this year even though its key customer has reached a supply agreement which will allow Amazon to expand into online food retail, Reuters reports. Ocado, which as well as providing supermarket group Morrisons with online services also sells products supplied by upmarket chain Waitrose, said last month that it was in talks with Morrisons to renegotiate a deal struck in 2013. The amendments sought by Morrisons were disclosed on the same day it announced a major tie-up to supply U.S. online giant Amazon with groceries, raising questions about the future of its relationship with Ocado. Morrisons is using Ocado to distribute its online products. Morrison's separate deal with Amazon is a wholesale agreement where Morrisons will supply Amazon with its products and Amazon will control how much it charges customers for them. Ocado said on Tuesday that the new Morrisons agreement was on course to be finalised, reassuring investors over a tie-up which Shore Capital analysts have called "critical to Ocado's future". (Reuters)
Ocado hits delivery milestone
Ocado revealed that its average number of orders shipped is 214,000; an increase of 16.9%. It also had its first week where over 250,000 orders were delivered to customers. (igd.com)
Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda pledge to cut food waste 20%
Britain's leading supermarkets have pledged to drive down food and drink waste by a fifth within the next decade. Retailers including Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons are backing a voluntary agreement, which also targets a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions created by the food and drink industry. The charity, working on behalf of the Government and devolved powers in Wales and Scotland, hailed the deal as the first of its kind and said it would usher in a "new era" for the industry. (independent.co.uk)
Casino said to seek second-round bids for Vietnam unit
French retailer Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA plans to soon seek second-round bids for its Big C grocery chain in Vietnam, people with knowledge of the matter said. Casino aims to ask for binding offers in the coming weeks, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Japan’s Aeon Co. was among several parties that submitted first-round bids, the people said. Some offers valued the business at more than $800m, they said. Casino is selling assets in Asia and Latin America to cut debt, while focusing on price and convenience stores in its largest market, France, as it competes for growth amid weak consumer spending. (Bloomberg)
Wal-Mart Japan to focus on remodeling stores, no plans to exit market
Wal-Mart Storesexpects its Japan business to focus on remodeling existing stores rather than opening new ones this year, citing fierce competition and consumer reluctance to spend freely amid uncertain economic times. But Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, has no plans to withdraw from the country and may open new stores if good locations can be found, Takeshi Kamigouchi, head of the company's Japan business told reporters. (businessinsider.com)
Delhaize - Ahold get green light from the Belgian Authorities
Leading international food retailers Delhaize and Ahold announced that they have received regulatory clearance from the Belgian Competition Authority ("the BCA") with regard to the proposed merger of the two companies, subject to certain conditions. The BCA approved the merger on the condition that Delhaize and Ahold divest a limited number of stores to address competition concerns raised by the BCA. (globenewswire.com)
78% of UK shoppers still not sold on online grocery shopping
Investigating opinions on food delivery services, www.myvouchercodes.co.uk surveyed 2,150 UK adults. They first asked them: “Do you prefer to do your grocery shopping online or in store?” A massive 78% stated they preferred to do their grocery shopping instore, whilst only 20% stated online and 2% said they actually liked to use both. They then asked the participants who shop online: “What food delivery services do you currently use?” The results below show which services are the most popular:
- Asda – 30%
- Amazon – 25%
- Sainsbury’s – 22%
- Morrisons – 13%
- Tesco – 9%
- Waitrose – 8%
- Ocado – 7%
- Iceland – 2%
Denmark: KIWI rolls out large discount concept
Dagrofa’s discount banner KIWI is to roll out large format discount stores named KIWI+, with a new concept store launching this weekend in Frederikshavn, northern Denmark. The store will have 1,300 sq. m of selling space and be Frederikshavn’s largest discount store. (igd.com)
Fresh groceries cheaper in Texas
Quarterly food basket prices drop to $46.43, according to the Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Grocery Price Watch survey released Tuesday. It’s a decrease of more than 2% over last quarter and 5.32% compared to this time last year. Shoppers looking for fresh produce paid less for lettuce, grapefruit and fresh tomatoes. “Texas-grown grapefruit and citrus are harvested during the first few months of the year, making them an affordable and nutritious option,” Boening said. (elpasoheraldpost.com)
US: Giant-Landover adds Instacart, augmenting Peapod
E-commerce grocery concierge Instacart launched service Tuesday in Washington, D.C., in partnership with Ahold's Giant-Landover — a deal the companies said would augment Giant's existing grocery delivery business through sister company Peapod by providing a more immediate e-fulfillment option. (supermarketnews.com)
Moody's gives Whole Foods vote of confidence
Moody’s Investors Service gave a vote of confidence Tuesday to Whole Foods Market, saying it expects the company to maintain and strengthen its lead in the organic and natural specialty foods sector despite short-term performance declines. “Even though intense competition will continue, Whole Foods has the first-mover advantage in this market and is the brand consumers associate most with the organic food movement,” Moody’s said. (supermarketnews.com)
CEO ASDA: Robots will give us the edge in online shopping
Robotics technology has the potential to transform the online shopping landscape by improving the speed and accuracy of orders, according to Asda CEO Andy Clarke. Please, click here to read the article at marketingmagazine.co.uk.
