Lidl eyes Texas | Wegmans extends veggie kit offerings

UK: "Marks & Spencer could lose nearly a quarter of its value" -
The charts say Marks & Spencer could lose nearly a quarter of its value. It is down 30% in the year to date and, according to chartist Zak Mir, there is a certain sinking feeling for Marks & Spencer. The retailer could lose nearly a quarter of its value. The analyst said the retailer could fall back towards 250p per share, lows last seen in the wake of the Brexit vote. Please, click here to read more at proactiveinvestors.co.uk.

US: Wegmans adds to veggie kit offerings
As consumer interest in veggie noodles grows, Wegmans has added new options to its prepped fresh vegetable kits. The retailer recently introduced sweet potato noodles, beet noodles and butternut squash noodles, as well as cauliflower “rice.”

According to a Wegman's spokesperson, the new products are available in all stores. The spokesperson declined to provide further background about the veggie kits, citing Wegmans' policy not to provide information to trade publications. (supermarketnews.com) Image source: Wegmans

Amazon Fresh grocery delivery now available in North Texas
AmazonFresh grocery delivery is now available in North Texas, a company representative said Wednesday. AmazonFresh is available for residents of Fort Worth and many neighboring cities, including Arlington, Burleson, Southlake and Watauga. (star-telegram.com)

Spain: Eroski announces food donations increase
Spanish retailer Eroski has donated more than 1,240 tonnes of food to socially responsible organizations so far this year, thanks to its ‘Desperdicio Cero’ (Zero Waste) programme. Eroski has implemented its Desperdicio Cero plan in all its hypermarkets and supermarkets, collaborating with more than 50 social groups, since 2013. (esmmagazine.com)

Lidl looking to enter Texas retail market
Germany-based Lidl, a low-cost grocer, told the Houston Business Journal that it is looking to open stores in Texas but declined to name specific locations. "Our focus right now is in our operations along the East Coast, but we are also looking at sites in Texas." Lidl spokesman Will Harwood said. Please, click here to read more at bizjournals.com.

UK: Pound drop ends in fight between supermarkets and supplier
Britain's biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, has pulled cherished products such as Marmite spread from its website amid a dispute with consumer goods giant Unilever. Stocks of the brands are running low as British newspapers report that Tesco is resisting Unilever's attempts to raise prices by 10% after the pound plunged against the dollar following Britain's vote to leave the European Union. (sfchronicle.com)

Hungary: More than 80 independent retailers have become members
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Cnova makes slow progress in Q3
Casino-owned Cnova, which operates the retailer’s online stores in France and the Ivory Coast, saw net sales rise 2.8% to €414m in its third quarter, suffering from what it described as ‘very disappointing GMV and net sales levels in July'. Cnova has steadily closed down or sold off operations in 2016, either to third parties as part of the Big C disposal in Thailand, or within the wider Casino group, as per the sale of Cnova Brazil to the retailer’s own Via Varejo, putting the pressure on its operations in France to drive growth. (igd.com)

China: Lianhua Supermarket predicts 20-40% nine month net loss
Lianhua Supermarket announced today the net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 is expected to increase by 20% to 40%, compared with same the nine months of the previous year. This is mainly attributable to shrinking market demand and competition from online and offline retailers, due to diversified shopping channels, which led to a drop in the revenue from sales of merchandise, the company said. (thestandard.com.hk)

British shoppers told to expect price rises after steep fall in pound
British shoppers should brace themselves for higher prices following the steep fall in the pound since the Brexit vote, the former boss of Sainsbury’s has said. Justin King said supermarkets would be unable to absorb the recent rise in the cost of importing goods caused by the falling value of the pound against the dollar and euro. Instead, said King, they would soon pass on the costs to consumers in higher prices. (theguardian.com)

India: Bigbasket to tie up with foodservice startups
After entering the B2B segment to sell its private-label portfolio, online grocer Bigbasket is now looking to tie-up with online foodservice startups to further push its brands. The move will not only help the company reach institutional clients faster (restaurants) via foodservice startups, but will also provide an additional revenue stream to startups that have been struggling to carve a niche for themselves since the beginning of 2015. (indiaretailing.com)

Brazil: GPA's initiatives at Multivarejo begin to bear fruit
GPA said that its implementation of a range of new initiatives at Multivarejo to improve its price competitiveness and perception with shoppers had helped underpin growth at the business. It said that its ‘1,2,3, Passos da Economia’ (’1,2,3 Savings Steps’) promotion, in conjunction with offering competitive daily prices on fruits and vegetables and the lowest price on a selection of staple, everyday products had helped drive volume sales at the banner. However, the positive performance with food was offset by continued weakness in non-food sales, which GPA said ‘continue to be negative’. (igd.com)