SPAR's annual Apple and Citrus Festival begins in Oman
In a effort to give customers fresh quality produce, SPAR Oman has launched its annual Apple and Citrus Festival. From February 13-21, this one of its kind festival features 25 different kinds of apple and citrus fruits from over 19 countries; giving its shoppers a chance to taste the most extensive and choicest variety of fruits from all over the world. (sun-sentinel.com)
In a effort to give customers fresh quality produce, SPAR Oman has launched its annual Apple and Citrus Festival. From February 13-21, this one of its kind festival features 25 different kinds of apple and citrus fruits from over 19 countries; giving its shoppers a chance to taste the most extensive and choicest variety of fruits from all over the world. (sun-sentinel.com)
Egypt's core inflation soars to a record 30.86 pct in January 2017
The Central Bank of Egypt announced on Monday that the country's core inflation soared to a record 30.86% in January from 25.86% the previous month, as consumers continue to be hit with prices upsets after the country's flotation of its currency and increase in fuel prices. (english.ahram.org.eg) UK: Supermarkets 'not cheating customers'
Supermarkets are not trying to cheat customers when multi-buy offers are not properly processed at the till, a retail analyst has told the BBC. Steven Dresser, director of analysts Grocery Insight, said managing price promotions is a hugely complex issue. "Retailers don't try to rip anyone off, they can't get away with it," he said. Mr Dresser was speaking after a BBC Inside Out investigation discovered that some Tesco customers were being short-changed by out-of-date offers. (BBC)
Retail CEOs to meet Trump in bid to kill US border tax
US President Donald Trump will meet on Wednesday with the chief executives of eight large retailers, including Target, Best Buy J.C. Penney Company, to discuss tax reform and infrastructure improvements, according to people with knowledge of the meeting. A White House official confirmed Trump will meet with retail industry CEOs on Wednesday morning to discuss economic growth. (Reuters)
Wal-Mart releases statement about banana
A recent claim swarming social media by a local individual of a banana purchased at the Russellville Wal-Mart tainted with blood caused the ND&L to contact the local store and the corporate offices of Wal-Mart. Leslee Wright, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at Wal-Mart released a statement concerning the claim. It is as follows: “Red (blood looking) bananas are due to a phenomenon referred to as “Mokillo” in the banana industry. It is a bacterial growth (Pseudomonas sp.) in the fruit that is harmless to humans.” (newsdemocratleader.com)
Delhaize to laser brand its organic produce
Delhaize's fresh organic products are packed separately in order to distinguish them from other products. That distinction is required in order to avoid consumer confusion. From now on, however, organic fresh produce will be marked with laser light, whereby an image is applied to the skin. The labeling technology only affects the outer layer of the skin retaining the quality of the produce. Thanks to this new technology, Delhaize hopes to save up to 13 tonnes of packaging material. (retaildetail.be)
Switzerland's Coop Group sales boosted by organic products
Swiss retailer Coop Group has seen an increase in sales and earnings for 2016, with total sales of CHF 28.3bn (€26.5bn), an increase of 5.2%. The company said its positive results were mostly due to the performance of its wholesale and production sectors. It alone generated a net income of CHF 12.2bn, representing an increase of 15.4% or 2.4%, excluding acquisitions. Organic products were a big win, contributing CHF 1.3bn (€1.22bn, up 6.8%). (esmmagazine.com)
Amazon's delivery drones may drop packages via parachute
Amazon has said its drones are coming soon -- but don't necessarily expect them to land in your yard. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Amazon a patent for a method to guide packages released from drones safely to the ground. Previously the e-commerce giant had publicly released demo videos of its drones landing in yards to drop off packages. The company has testing for several years to determine the best method to deliver to customers in the future. (mywabashvalley.com)
Rising food costs worry UK shoppers most: IGD
Two-thirds of UK shoppers say that food costs will have the highest impact on their wallet this year, according to a survey by research charity IGD. More than 80% of thrifty shoppers said that they cooked meals at home or ate leftovers to cut down on grocery expenses. More than 60% said they visited two or more stores to find the best prices, and 63% said they opted for packed lunches over lunch dates. (esmmagazine.com)
Coles profit falls, as price war bites
Coles earnings for the first half have slipped 2.6% to $920m as its sales growth slows further amid heavy grocery discounting led by Woolworths. Growth in like-for-like food and liquor sales, which strips out the effect of shops that have opened or closed, rose just 1.3% in the six months to December. That is much slower than the 4.3% growth recorded in the same period a year ago. It means Woolworths could soon overtake Coles for sales growth for the first time since last decade. (couriermail.com.au)
US: Wegmans facing pressure over Trump Wine sales in Virginia
Wegmans is facing pressure from some people in Virginia to stop selling Trump Winery products. The Rochester-based supermarket chain cannot sell wine inside its supermarkets in New York, but in Virginia it does, and spokeswoman Jo Natale says the company offers a number of Virginia wines in stores there as part of a commitment to work with suppliers near their stores. Wegmans has been carrying wines from Kluge Winery since 2008. That winery was sold to Donald Trump in 2011. (wxxinews.org)
Forget Supermarkets, Japan’s Aeon has ace in Malaysian financing
For Japan’s Aeon Co., giving individuals loans to buy cars and motorcycles has been a much better business in Malaysia than selling goods in its supermarkets. Please, click here to read the article at Bloomberg.
Tesco the best performing supermarket in Northern Ireland
Latest market share data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that all the major grocery retailers in Northern Ireland have seen an increase in the value of their sales over the last year. As the table below shows, Tesco remained way out in the lead with its sales increasing the most and share of the market rising to 34.8%. Asda held on to the number two spot, having overtaken Sainsbury’s at the end of last year. Separate figures released yesterday for the Republic of Ireland showed that Dunnes had taken the top spot in the market, ahead of SuperValu and Tesco. (kamcity.com)
NGA, Nielsen preview national grocery shoppers survey findings
The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, released topline results from its national grocery shoppers survey that was conducted by Nielsen on behalf of NGA. (groceryheadquarters.com)
Retailers expand ethically sourced produce selection
Please, click here to read the article.
