Casino sources: $6.2bn Big C buy approved by 99,99% of voters
83 Ahold-Delhaize US stores for sale | Alibaba to double by 2020
Rosselkhoznadzor previously identified insects and weeds in products belonging to the retail chain Metro, reports ria.ru. 27 batches of products were investigated including herbs, spices, fruits, dried fruits and vegetables. Rosselkhoznadzor took the samples from consignments of goods which were in Metro's distribution centre and the retailer reported that these products would not have entered stores in Moscow. "Suppliers of products are notified of such discoveries, all products that do not meet legal requirements are blocked from further supplies," it said in a statement. In summer last year Rosselkhoznadzor increased the number of checks in Russian retail chains, identifying low-quality products in the stores, and failure to comply with storage and processing regulations. Violations were found in Auchan stores, as well as Magnit, Globus and Dixy.
83 Ahold-Delhaize stores for sale: Report
An industry trade paper on Monday published a list of 83 stores that it reported Ahold and Delhaize are seeking to sell as part of their forthcoming merger, including all 20 Martin's stores in the Richmond area. SN was unable to immediately confirm the accuracy of the list, first published by Food World. The list corroborates several sites that SN previously reported were for sale. Ahold and Delhaize officials have not commented on the report, but have acknowledged stores would likely be divested so as to receive antitrust approval for their deal to close. Also included on the list are 43 Food Lion stores, including 31 in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. (supermarketnews.com)
Spar to reach 100 stores in Slovenia in 2016
Slovenia’s second largest retailer Spar is planning to open its 100th store in 2016, following positive sales results for 2015. Speaking on the business results for 2015, director general Igor Mervič expressed his satisfaction that the company has operated without losses during its 25 years in Slovenia. Spar performed better than the market average in 2015, generating revenues of €732.6m (compared to €729.6m in 2014) and net profit of around €18.4m. (esmmagazine.com)
Kenyan Uchumi axes 5 branches
Uchumi Supermarkets Limited on Monday shut down five of its outlets in Kenya to cut costs. CEO Julius Kipng’etich said the closure of the branches is aimed at reducing the retailer’s operational costs enabling it to concentrate its efforts on a leaner structure. (nation.co.ke)
Wal-Mart loses everyday low price edge as Aldi opens across US
In the Southern California town of Beaumont, Wal-Mart shoppers must first drive past the new Aldi, a recent addition to the family-owned German grocery-store chain that is beating the US retail giant at its own game: selling food at rock-bottom prices. Aldi is betting that many in Beaumont will never make it to the Wal-Mart. Like hundreds of others Aldi has opened in recent years, the Beaumont store is strategically located to siphon off the retail giant’s discount-seeking shoppers with prices that can average almost 20% less than those at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (esmmagazine.com)
Thai BJC shareholders approve $6.2bn Big C buy: sources
Thailand's Berli Jucker Pcl shareholders have voted in favor of a $6.2bn acquisition of hypermarket operator Big C Supercenter Pcl from France's Casino Group sources told Reuters. Some 99.99% of voters approved the plan at Monday's meeting, two financial sources who attended it said. Berli, the core retail business of Thai tycoon Charoan Sirivadhanabhakdi's TCC group, won a hotly contested auction for Casino's 58.6% stake in Big C. Earlier, Casino said it was on track to reduce debt as promised after Standard & Poor's cut the French retailer's credit rating to junk, citing falling profits, weakness in Brazil and competition at home. (Reuters)
Tesco revamps own-label range in fight against discounters
Tesco has revamped its budget range of value products with a new range of own-label “farm” brands as it steps up its fight against German discounters Aldi and Lidl. The seven brands comprise 76 new lines across fresh produce, meat and poultry that will either match the price of competitors or beat them. Prices for fruit and vegetables range from 35p for a lettuce to £1.69 for a punnet of raspberries. (theguardian.com)
Thailand: 10 new Makro outlets set to open this year
SET-listed Siam Makro Plc, the operator of the Makro cash-and-carry chain under Charoen Pokphand Group, will allocate 6bn baht to expand its store network this year. The opening of the 10 branches this year will bring its total number of outlets to 108 nationwide. (bangkokpost.com)
BigBasket raises $150m in funding led by Abraaj Group
Indian grocery delivery service BigBasket has raised $150m in fresh funding in a round led by UAE's Abraaj Group as the company looks to expand its services into smaller cities, the investor said. The online grocery retailer BigBasket has also signed on a range of electric vehicles to increase efficiencies and cut down on operating costs as part of its environment-friendly initiatives. (ecommercenews.eu/ indiatimes.com)
Chinese Alibaba plans to double by 2020
Alibaba Group said on Monday it has crossed a major milestone in online-commerce, hitting 3 trillion RMB ($463bn) in GMV transacted over its China retail marketplaces in under a year. The company said that they will continue to pursue its goal of reaching 6 trillion RMB in annual GMV by 2020. (forbes.com)
Spanish Eroski’s app successfully launched
Eroski, a Spanish supermarket chain, has received very positive responses from users after it launched two mobile applications in mid-February. In just one month, the apps reached the milestone of 100,000 downloads. “We estimate that during this first year, 10% of online sales will be made through this new mobile application", the company said. (ecommercenews.eu)