Wal-Mart stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area average between 500 and 600 online grocery orders each week, according to The Dallas Morning News. Some stores regularly process as many as 900 weekly orders. The retailer was the first to offer online grocery ordering and curbside pickup in the North Texas market, in October 2015, and since then it has expanded the service to 50 area stores. Wal-Mart offers curbside pickup at 500 stores across the country, and will add the service to 600 more stores this year. (fooddive.com) 'Consumer Reports' subscribers pick Wegmans as top grocer, again
Wegmans Food Markets has landed in a familiar spot on top of a survey of grocery store chains by nearly 58,000 Consumer Reports subscribers. This year Wegmans received excellent ratings in nine categories: cleanliness, fresh-store prepared foods, staff courtesy, checkout speed, produce quality, produce variety, meat/poultry quality, selection of healthy options and local produce quantity. Market Basket (86), Trader Joe’s (86), Publix (86), Fareway Stores (86) rounded out the top five grocers in the ranking. (democratandchronicle.com)Supervalu CEO sees opportunity in Marsh bankruptcy
Supervalu will benefit from Marsh’s bankruptcy, said Supervalu Inc. President and CEO Mark, at the RBC 2017 Consumer & Retail Conference on Wednesday. The two company’s agreement began last summer, nearly a year before the Indianapolis-based Marsh Supermarkets filed for bankruptcy and began the search for a new owner. “The market is ever increasingly competitive and the competition is not lessening. It puts stress on our customers and it also gives an opportunity,” said Gross. “We got the Marsh business. The Indianapolis market (is) competitive. Meijer came into that market. Kroger turned up the heat in response to Meijer.” (supermarketnews.com) US: Peapod expands Nutrition filter options
Peapod shoppers can now curate their own personalized digital offering, thanks to the online grocer’s expansion of its filtering capabilities to include four new nutrition filters: Non-GMO, Sugar Free, Vegan and Vegetarian. Using Peapod’s already robust Sort Feature, shoppers can customize their searches with 16 features specific to nutrition preferences, as well as a range of filters encompassing such factors as brand preference, price and sale specials. (progressivegrocer.com)Walmart tests food safety with blockchain traceability
Walmart revealed the results a test that began in October 2016 of blockchain technology in China and the US to develop food safety and traceability protocols. IBM and Walmart worked together to perform the test on Chinese pork, as reported by ETHNews, and US mangoes, which proved that tracing food origins, a process which once took weeks, could now be handled in 2.2 seconds. Products were digitally tracked with blockchain technology by way of scans as they traveled from farms to Walmart shelves, recording various pertinent product details on an immutable ledger. (ethnews.com) Costco sees 7% sales growth in May
Costco Wholesale Corporation has announced net sales of $9.86 billion for the four weeks ending 28 May – an increase of 7% compared to the same period last year. The retailer has also reported net sales of $92.11 billion for the 39 weeks ending 28 May. This represents a 6% increase from the same period last year. (esmmagazine.com) Younger shoppers favour food-to-go market: IGD
Shoppers between the ages of 18 and 25 are 'extremely engaged' with the food-to-go market, according to the latest report from grocery research group IGD. The report showed that 30% of 18-25 year olds purchased food-to-go products in their last shop, compared to 13% of those over 26. This age group is also more interested in convenience ranges that meet specialist dietary requirements. (esmmagazine.com) As consumers do more shopping at convenience stores, investors take note
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Tesco faces CMA investigation into Booker takeover
UK retailer Tesco is facing an investigation into its proposed acquisition of Booker by the Competition and Markets Authority. The first phase of the investigation runs until 25 July, and will asses 'whether the deal could reduce competition and choice for shoppers and other customers'. If the merger is not cleared after this period, there will be an in-depth investigation for up to six months. (esmmagazine.com) UK: M&S targets food waste
Marks & Spencer has pledged to raise £25m for mental health, heart and cancer charities, and halve food waste across its operations by 2025, as it steps up its ethical commitments under its new chief executive, Steve Rowe. (theguardian.com)UK: Tesco delivers groceries by robot in London
Tesco successfully delivered a food order to an address in central London in the trial. The six-wheeled robots will be able to carry groceries within a three-miles radius. They will carrying items directly from stores or special delivery hubs to homes. It is part of the Tesco Now app which is trialling one-hour delivery in London. (dailymail.com) Tesco launches indoor tomato plant
Now a new unique and super-productive indoor tomato plant is being launched by Tesco aimed at helping people living in urban areas without gardens. The mini tomato plant has been naturally developed over the last five years by produce experts who have bred together varieties to come up with one that is small, compact and, most importantly, very productive. The plants can each produce up to 150 delicious tomatoes with minimal fuss. (internationalsupermarketnews.com)