Dia Portugal seeks to mitigate competition concerns
Carrefour wants to cover all of Poland
Dia Portugal has proposed a set of commitments to address concerns raised by Competition Authority (AdC), which began proceedings against the company in April 2014, in regards to how it deals with franchisees and resale prices. The proposed commitments include the mailing of a circular letter to Dia’s franchise network, clarifying that the retailer only recommends resale prices or determines maximum resale prices, and that franchisees are free to adopt lower prices. Dia Portugal also pledged "not to conclude franchise contracts with clauses restricting the freedom of franchisees to autonomously determine the resale prices, clarifying in these contracts that no contractual provision should be interpreted as restricting that freedom". The commitments submitted by Dia Portugal are now subject to public consultation for a period of 20 working days. (esmmagazine.com)
Carrefour aims to cover all of Poland with all its formats with a strong focus on convenience stores, Guillaume de Colonges, the CEO of Carrefour Poland said. The 2016 store expansion will be in the line with the previous year. Carrefour plans to open around 150 own as well as franchised stores. The retailer will invest €61m this year, out of which €37M will be allocated in the modernisation and remodelling of the current store network. The retailer has also plans to offer groceries online. (igd.com)
France: Système U creates new logistics structure
Système U has created U Log (U Logistique), a new centralised structure to bring together its four regional distribution facilities. The changes were announced at Système U's AGM. U Log will see each regional centre (Carquefou, Caen, Mulhouse and Vendargues) transfer its structures to a single national entity. The move paves the way for greater integration with Auchan and will allow Système U to pool resources and reduce costs for all members. (igd.com)
UK: Sainsbury's wins battle to buy Argos
Sainsbury's has won its four-month battle to buy Argos after its owner after agreed to a £1.4bn takeover. The supermarket said the deal to buy Home Retail Group would create a "multi-product, multi-channel" retailer with about 200 stores. Sainsbury's will pay a combination of shares and cash, with Home Retail shareholders holding 12% of the combined business. The deal should be completed in the third quarter of this year. Chairman David Tyler said he believed the combined business would be "very attractive to customers" and create value for shareholders of both companies. (BBC)
10 new Carrefour stores in Indonesia
Trans Retail, Carrefour’s operator in Indonesia, plans to add ten new Transmart Carrefour stores to its national network. Since the start of this year, Trans Retail has launched three outlets in Balikpapan, Palembang and Jakarta, as part of the company’s expansion plan. It’s planning to open another seven stores in other major cities in Indonesia. (igd.com)
Tesco looks to offload Giraffe restaurants
Tesco is mulling the sale of its Giraffe restaurant chain in a move to cut its losses and distance itself from its former management’s wrong-footed strategy. The supermarket bought the family-friendly restaurant chain in an ill-fated acquisition three years ago under the direction of former CEO, Phil Clarke, who saw Giraffe as an opportunity to lure more customers into its larger stores. (telegraph.co.uk)
Spain: Wholesale cooperative Covirán reports 4% growth in 2015
Spanish cooperative Covirán says net sales growth of 4% to €1,215m in 2015, in a year the CEO and President of the group described as "very positive". Alimarket.es has reported that Covirán saw sales of €1,114m in Spain, with the remaining €101m coming from its Portuguese business. The company’s sales volumes now represent a market share of 1.7% in Spain and 0.7% in Portugal. (esmmagazine.com)
Booker boosted by Budgens deal
Booker, the food retailer and wholesaler, has posted a rise in sales helped by last year’s acquisition of Budgens and Londis. Booker posted a 10.6% increase in total revenues, including the Budgens and Londis convenience stores operations, in its fourth quarter. Excluding Budgens and Londis, Booker’s like-for-like sales were down 2.5% in the period to March 25. For the 52 weeks to the same date, total sales including the contribution from Budgens and Londis rose 5% year on year to £5bn. Booker like-for-like total sales slipped 1.9%. (retail-week.com)
Florida Grocers Assn. names new CEO
he Florida Grocers Association said Thursday Josie Legido Correa has been named its executive director. She succeeds Tom Jackson, who will remain as a consultant to the association. Jackson — president and CEO of the Ohio Grocers Association from 1987 until 2011 before becoming a consultant based in Bonita Springs, Fla. — helped launch the association last year. (supermarketnews.com)
Dutch Jumbo to expands online grocery nationwide
Jumbo has said that it will begin to roll out its home delivery service nationwide. Discussing the development with trade publication Distrifood, OVJ president, Anrico Maat, said that franchisees had overwhelming supported the plan, with Maat noting that the expansion of the service will depend on the number of delivery vans that Jumbo can buy, which franchisees will be able to lease from the company. Both PLUS and Vomar are also making plans to sell their groceries online. (igd.com)
UAE: Eataly opens second store in Dubai
Italian grocery Eataly has opened its second store in the UAE, located in Dubai's Festival City, promising to offer local ‘foodies’ high-quality Italian food and drink. As well as a grocery section, the store has spaces to learn about Italian culture. The store shelves feature typical products from across Italy's 20 regions, and Eataly says that each product is carefully selected by an expert buying team. (esmmagazine.com)
AU: Wesfarmers auditors assist in Target supplier probe
The future of former Target managing director Stuart Machin and other Target executives is under a cloud until the outcome of an investigation by Wesfarmers into whether the retailer inflated earnings by bringing forward supplier rebates. Please, click here to read the article.
