Starship robots turn Santa's little helpers for Christmas deliveries in Lapland
In the Lapland town of Rovaniemi - the 'official' home of Father Christmas - customers are receiving their last minute Christmas shopping from delivery robots dressed up as elves and reindeer. Lisa Johnson, Vice President at Starship Technologies, says: "Our robots operate all over the world, so they're the perfect helpers for Father Christmas. Most orders take up to 30 minutes, so the robots have a big role to play if Santa's going to make all his deliveries in one night. Co-Op and Uber Eats customers in the UK are already getting the Christmas shopping in using our robots. We hope to spread as much Christmas cheer as we can".
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
UK: Iceland Foods celebrates festive season with its first every Christmas Party Roadshow
Iceland Foods and The Food Warehouse is celebrating the end of its first ever Christmas Party Roadshow, where a specially designed lorry travelled more than 400 miles across the UK to visit charities and community support groups, bringing joy to those who need it most.
Source: retailtimes.co.uk
"Crisp is profitable for the first time", but turns away from Belgium
For the first time since its launch in 2018, Dutch online supermarket Crisp has recorded an operating profit - albeit only on a monthly basis. The company wants 2026 to be its first profitable year and is therefore leaving its distribution centre in Breda, which supplied Belgium. CEO Tom Peeters said as much during the presentation of the annual results for 2024, in which Crisp recorded a 12% increase in turnover to 82.9mln euros. The operating loss halved to 23mln euros, Dutch newspaper FD reports.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Transgourmet Ibérica expansion
Transgourmet Ibérica has opened 30 new franchised supermarkets across eight regions, spanning urban, coastal and rural areas. These stores operate under the Suma, Spar and Kuups banners.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Christmas dinner in Spain gets pricier
The national consumers' association, the OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios), reported a 5.1% average price increase for typical Christmas food items, compared to last year. While some niche items like baby eels, barnacles and red cabbage have maintained their prices, the overall trend is unequivocally upwards. Products at record highs include suckling lamb, roast beef, turkey, cured ham, pineapple, pomegranate and oysters.
Source: esmmagazine.com
SPAR Australia opens new store in Bloomfield, New South Wales
SPAR Australia celebrated the opening of a new SPAR supermarket in Bloomfield, located in Orange in the Central West region of New South Wales. The SPAR Supermarket Bloomfield offers an extensive selection of groceries, dairy, frozen foods, grab-and-go meal options, and drinks.
Source: spar-international.com
UK: QSR startup Tahina preps £2mln funding round for flagship London autonomous store
Tahina, a London-based FoodTech startup which combines autonomous retail with fresh, healthy meals, reports that it is working towards a £1.5mln to £2mln investment round (SEIS/EIS approved) to open its flagship London store and scale its cashierless technology.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Portugal: Continente halts hypermarket expansion, focuses on proximity stores
Continente will no longer open new hypermarkets in Portugal, opting to focus on smaller, more convenient store formats and a targeted expansion in urban areas, particularly Greater Lisbon.
Source: esmmagazine.com
SSG.com launches Ultra-Fresh Discovery Project with E-Mart
SSG.com has partnered with E-Mart to launch its 'Ultra-Fresh Discovery Project', which selects and introduces highly reliable fresh food products. This month, SSG.com highlighted Jeju Gold Kiwis, Geumhandon Pork Belly, Envy Apples, and Free-Range Black Angus Beef as 'Ultra-Fresh' products. From the 25th to the 31st, it will feature 'King Blueberries' and 'AgroSuper One-Bite Pork Belly' as Ultra-Fresh products, offering special discounts.
Source: chosun.com
Billa Czechia focuses on quick commerce
Billa Czechia has announced a shift in its online strategy, moving away from its traditional e-shop model to fully embrace quick commerce. This strategic pivot, driven by evolving customer behaviours and market dynamics, will see the company focus future investments on expanding its physical store network and modernising existing branches while phasing out its online shop by 31 January 2026.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: 'Cost of feeding Santa' soars nearly 40% in a decade
Over the past 10 years, the cost of feeding Santa on Christmas Eve has risen by almost 40%. Experts at Ailsa analysed how much it costs to leave a pint of milk, a mince pie, and a carrot out for Santa and Rudolph on Christmas Eve. Using supermarket data, they calculated the average cost of each item: a pint of milk is 85p, a pack of mince pies is £1.25, and a 500g bag of carrots is 49p.
Source: retailtimes.co.uk
Carrefour forges e-commerce alliances in Romania and Argentina
Carrefour has partnered with courier service Cargus in Romania and e-commerce company Mercado Libre in Argentina to expand its digital and logistical footprint. Users can now access an official Carrefour store within the Mercado Libre platform, browsing approximately 10,000 products, including meats, fruits, vegetables and frozen foods, with scheduled deliveries available within convenient four-hour windows and free shipping for purchases over 65,000 pesos.
Source: esmmagazine.com
How a year of produce volatility ended up on diners' plates - and their bills
New data from MarginEdge shows that produce costs, not protein prices, drove the most significant restaurant cost swings in 2025, with items like cauliflower and lettuce experiencing extreme volatility. Weather disruptions, concentrated growing regions, and import dependence created major supply constraints for vegetables and fruits, pushing prices up for months at a time.
Source: foodandwine.com
US: NGA statement on implementation of SNAP waivers
The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, released the following statement on the implementation of SNAP waivers: "For decades, local grocers have been trusted stewards of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a public-private partnership that successfully feeds over 40mln Americans every day. These grocery stores are family-owned, Main Street businesses that know their customers, serve their neighbors, and follow the rules. With the approval of state SNAP restriction waivers, however, new challenges have arisen for independent grocers, who are steadfast in their efforts to uphold SNAP's primary mission of providing low-income Americans with food items. Under the SNAP restrictions going into effect on January 1, 2026, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of food items will be placed on SNAP restricted lists, forcing independent grocers to take on significant costs to reprogram systems, track and code items, retrain frontline employees, and educate customers about the new policy. These regulatory burdens have the potential to disrupt store operations and slow checkout lines as retailers work in good faith to implement and enforce the new rules. For SNAP reforms to Make America Healthy Again, policymakers must provide clear, consistent definitions and a realistic implementation timeline. Independent grocers are proud economic drivers, creating local jobs and generating tax revenue, but they need certainty and common sense, not more costly red tape handed down by bureaucrats."
Source: nationalgrocers.org
