Large African grocery chain accepts Bitcoins

Poland’s Eurocash takes over Mila S.A.
Polish wholesaler Eurocash has announced the takeover of Mila S.A., owner of a network of 188 stores located mainly in central Poland. The group said that the purchase of Mila is part of its strategy to build a ‘nationwide supermarket chain based both on cooperation with franchise partners and running own stores’, which in turn will assist with the development of its supply chain in new regions of Poland. (esmmagazine.com)

UK: Co-op to invest in young farmers
The Co-op has beefed up its British farming investment programme with a blueprint to give young farmers the business skills they need to accelerate their agricultural careers. The extension of the retailer’s “Farming Pioneers” programme, which launched in 2016 and was initially intended to run for two years, will mean that by 2019 over 100 young farmers will have embarked upon the course.

US: Food Lion to boost private label sales
Food Lion is bringing back a “Quarter Back” promotion that will run through Oct. 10th and save shoppers a quarter on every private label brand product they purchase, according to Own Brands Now. Consumers can save up to $10 per store visit and receive coupons that are eligible for more savings on their next trip to the market. (ownbrandsnow.com)

Lidl opens first mini grocery shop
'Lidl Slovenija has presented its first mobile shop or 'pop-up store' concept during the MOS International Trade Fair taking place in Celje, in the north east of the country. The store at the MOS is much smaller than the usual Lidl supermarket, as the retail space is only about 94 square metres. The offer includes 122 products and includes fruit and vegetables. (esmmagazine.com)

Large African supermarket accepts Bitcoins 
The second largest supermarket chain store in South Africa, Pick n Pay, recently started testing Bitcoin payments at its stores. The South African based Pick n Pay stated that they are excited to offer the Bitcoin payment option: "As a result of this groundbreaking innovation project, for a limited time, customers at Pick n Pay’s campus store have been able to use the Bitcoin cryptocurrency to purchase groceries and services." Pick n Pay doesn’t yet have a definite date for full Bitcoin integration for its stores. (bitcoinist.com)

US: Kroger ventures into comfort food
Kroger will open a comfort food restaurant called Kitchen 1883 late next month in Union, Kentucky, according to a press release. The restaurant will feature international and American cuisine, along with cocktails and what the company calls “a community-centered atmosphere.” (fooddive.com)

Report: Amazon and Whole Foods to thrive by nabbing each other's customers
New research by Morgan Stanley estimates that 80% of U.S. Amazon Prime members — or about 38 million consumers — don’t shop at Whole Foods. Likewise, the investment firm estimates about 5 million U.S. households — roughly 38% of Whole Foods shoppers — aren’t Prime members. This disparity between the two shopper bases creates a huge opportunity for the newly combined Amazon/Whole Foods entity to grab more shopper dollars, according to Quartz. (fooddive.com)

Russia: X5, Rosneft explore Pyaterochka forecourt concept
Russia’s X5 Retail Group is reportedly looking at rolling out a series of Pyaterochka stores at petrol stations operated by the Rosneft Group. Lebensmittel Zeitung, quoting Russian news source RBK.ru, said that the group has already opened a pilot store near Smirnovka in the Moscow region, ahead of a wider rollout. (esmmagazine.com)

UK: Costcutter doesn't comment on tie-up rumour
Costcutter says it will not be commenting on “rumour and speculation” regarding a potential tie-up with another operator as industry sources point to the Co-op and Morrisons. Industry observers believe Costcutter has been in discussions with the Co-op about a supply deal that could eventually see it re-united with Nisa under the Co-op umbrella some four years after the two companies split. (talkingretail.com)

Lulu reaffirms US$500 million investment plans in Indonesia
LuLu, which opened its first hypermarket and department store in the capital city of Jakarta last year, is firm on its planned investment of US$500 million as part of its expansion and intends to set up 10 hypermarket and department stores in the next three years in the country. Speaking to media Yusuffali MA, Chairman of LULU Group said “the tremendous response for our first LULU Hypermarket opened last year in Cakung has encouraged us to further expand our operations in Indonesia and we plan to open another 8 new hypermarkets in coming years”. (internationalsupermarketnews.com)

Metro Cash & Carry builds warehouse in Myanmar
Metro Cash & Carry, an international specialist in wholesale and food retail with a presence in 25 countries, recently entered Myanmar by kicking off construction of its warehouse in Thilawa special economic zone this week. Tiparayat Kaewsringarm, deputy CEO of Metro Wholesale Myanmar, the company’s Myanmar subsidiary, said in an interview that the firm would not have physical outlets in the nation unlike other countries that it operates, and only operate through the warehouse in Thilawa. (nationmultimedia.com)