Kesko introduces new 'Vege' shelves in 200 K-Food stores
Finland's Kesko has announced that it has introduced 'vege' shelves in 200 of its K-Food stores, as strong growth in plant-based protein products continue. Kesko reports that the new vege shelves, branded in green, will be located next to the meat section of its stores, and offer customers an alternative to meat based products. (esmmagazine.com)
Walmart leads in grocery paid search advertising
Walmart spent approximately $850,000 on paid grocery search ads in the past year, according to search marketing intelligence firm AdGooroo, making the world’s largest retailer the biggest paid search advertiser in the grocery category. The retailer also led in click-share, capturing 19.1% share of total clicks on 124 category keywords studied. (fooddive.com)
Metro says wholesale stores in Ukraine hit by cyber attack
Germany's Metro said on Tuesday its wholesale stores in the Ukraine have been hit by a cyber attack and the retailer was assessing the impact. A major ransomware attack on Tuesday hit computers at Russia's biggest oil company, the country's banks, Ukraine's international airport as well as global shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk. (Reuters)
Could Australian supermarkets introduce e-pricing?
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Kroger CEO says Whole Foods is a 'good fit' for Amazon
Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen told CNBC that Whole Foods is really a "good fit" for Amazon; He said his company is remaining laser focused on the next three to five years. "Amazon wanted to do something from the physical asset standpoint," McMullen added. "We are trying to take care of customers." Kroger's stock was up more than 2 percent on the heels of McMullen's Tuesday interview. (cnbc.com)
Ireland's Musgrave commits to UN sustainability development goals
Ireland's Musgrave Group has announced that it has aligned itself with nine of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are relevant to its business, as part of its revised Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. ‘This includes, responsible, local sourcing, exemplified by our Food Academy, working for the development of local producers since its inception in 2014. (esmmagazine.com)
Ocado's self-drive vehicle makes deliveries in first UK trials
Ocado has sent a self-driving truck trundling through the backstreets of Woolwich, south-east London, as part of the UK’s first trial of autonomous grocery deliveries. The small vehicle, developed by Oxford-based Oxbotica, is spending 10 days shipping food and snacks to Ocado customers who live in the area, to test Ocado’s plans for its “Smart Platform” – a plug-and-play online shopping business that it wants to sell to grocery retailers around the world who hope to compete with the likes of Amazon and Walmart. (theguardian.com)
Chile: Cencosud says OK up to $750 mln bond repurchase
Chilean retailer Cencosud has approved the repurchase of up to $750 million in 2021 and 2023 bonds and plans to issue up to $850 million in new 10-year paper, the company said in a letter to regulators on Tuesday. (Reuters)
Waldmann takes CEO chair at Natural Markets Food Group
Peter Waldmann has taken over as CEO of Natural Markets Food Group (NMFG), the operator of the beleaguered — but evidently retooling — Mrs. Green’s banner, a spokesman for its owners said. Waldmann until last month served as director of operations for Lucky’s Market, the Niwot, Colo.-based farmers’ market chain partially owned by Kroger. Prior to that, Waldmann was director of new store development for Sunflower Markets, and is also a former store director at Wild Oats Market and at Whole Foods. (supermarketnews.com)
France: Auchan to optimise transport operations
Auchan Retail France has deployed the latest version of the Reflex TMS solution by Hardis Group, enabling it to drive the execution of its transport operations in real time. In September 2016, Reflex TMS was first deployed in Auchan’s Eastern region, which represents only 5% of the flows within the logistics network of Auchan Retail France. Implementation was extended in October the four other regions of the network: West, North, South, and Île-de-France. (kamcity.com)
