Belgian supermarkets face the biggest challenge for three decades: Comeos
Belgian trade federation Comeos has warned that the country's supermarkets are facing their most difficult situation for 30 years, with margins falling to an all-time low of 1.29% and persistent inflation in the food retail sector. According to Comeos, price hikes in the sector are not solely being determined by raw material costs but are also being influenced by purchasing and transport costs, wages, packaging, rents, energy, and taxes, RTL.be reported.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Morrisons says it remains committed to Bradford despite closure
Morrisons said it "remains committed to Bradford" despite announcing plans to shut a fruit-packing plant putting 450 jobs at risk. The supermarket chain will merge its Cutler Heights factory with another site in Northamptonshire. Concerns were raised in a meeting of Bradford Council.
Source: bbc.com
Japan: Seven & i posts 20% drop in Q1 profit
Japan's Seven & i Holdings, the world's largest convenience store operator, reported a nearly 20% fall in first-quarter operating profit. Profit fell to 81.99bln yen ($590.70mln) for the three months ended May 31 from 102.37bln yen in the same period a year earlier.
Source: reuters.com
Holland: Supermarkets starting to cut prices; some products are cheaper than last year
After months of increases, the prices in supermarkets are finally starting to fall. Cucumbers, strawberries, eggplants, and melons are now even cheaper than they were a year ago, NOS reports based on an analysis by data agency Hiiper.
Source: nltimes.nl
Sweden: Axfood outperforms the market in the second quarter
Swedish retailer Axfood reported a 16.6% increase in retail sales to SEK16.1bln (€1.4bln) in the second quarter of its financial year, with chief executive Klas Balkow citing the group's "strong position" in the market. Overall, group net sales rose 12.6% to SEK20.8bln (€1.81bln), while operating profit amounted to SEK878mln (€76.6mln) for the period.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Farmmi announces new high-volume order exporting to Egypt
Farmmi, Inc. ("Farmmi" or the "Company"), an agriculture products supplier in China, announced a new high-volume order for shipment to Egypt, one of Africa's largest economies. The latest order is for the company's high-quality dried shiitake mushrooms and black fungus.
Source: prnewswire.com
Carrefour Spain rolls out new store with Grupo Abades
French large-scale retailer Carrefour has opened a new Carrefour Express convenience store at the Abades Puerta de Andalucía in the town of Santa Elena in the Jaén province in Spain. This is the first supermarket that Carrefour Spain has opened in collaboration with the Spanish hotel and catering company, the retailer noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Nisa partners with Just Eat to offer rapid grocery delivery
Nisa has partnered with Just Eat to launch an on-demand online delivery partnership to increase customer access to quick convenience shopping. Through the tie-up, consumers will be able to order items from participating Nisa stores for speedy delivery in as little as under 30 minutes via the Just Eat app and website.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
UK: From transformation to possible takeover, what's going on at Ocado?
The last couple of weeks have been quite the rollercoaster ride for online grocer Ocado. Its previously plummeting share price soared more than 40% - and then fell back again - as rumors of an Amazon takeover swirled. As the online grocer prepares to unveil its half-year results, Grocery Gazette takes a look at what's going on at Ocado.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
China: Alibaba's Ele.me platform signs wages, safety contracts as tech crackdown ends, media report
Alibaba's Ele.me became China's first delivery platform to sign collective contracts on wages and labor safety with its staff, official media reported, as Beijing signals an end to its crackdown on the tech sector.
Source: reuters.com
Amazon's 'biggest ever' Prime Day boosts US online sales to $12.7bln
U.S. online sales during Amazon.com's Prime Day shopping event rose 6.1% to $12.7bln from last year, as inflation-hit Americans hunted for discounts on the e-commerce platform, Adobe Analytics data showed.
Source: reuters.com
US: HealthPartners finds success in fresh produce delivery through FarmboxRx
HealthPartners delivered more than 570,000 pounds of fresh produce to senior Minnesotans last year through its partnership with FarmboxRx. The health system introduced the benefit in January 2022 to its Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) (HMO SNP) members. Since then, 2,500 eligible members have used the benefit to receive two free boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to their homes each month.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Harps Food Stores to acquire Janise's Supermarket
Springdale, Arkansas-based Harps Food Stores has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire Janise's Supermarket, an independent grocery retailer in Sunset, Louisiana, the company announced. As part of the acquisition, Harps Food Stores will retain the existing staff at Janise's Supermarket. Both parties anticipate completing the transaction by the end of July, the grocery retailer said in a statement. Other details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Governor Moore announces Vegetable and Butcher to relocate headquarters to Maryland
Governor Wes Moore announced that Vegetable and Butcher, a subscription-based food delivery service, is relocating its headquarters to Maryland. The company is moving from Washington, D.C., to a 32,000-square-foot Class A industrial space at 6001 Fallard Drive in Upper Marlboro.
Source: governor.maryland.gov
US: Meati's wide-scale retail launch is here with a Dots distribution deal
Meati Foods, a maker of alternative meats made from the mushroom root, announced its partnership with Dot Foods, North America's largest food industry redistribution, to distribute its line of products to a network of 5,200 distributors across the 50 states.
Source: fooddive.com
US: Montefiore pediatricians and Stop & Shop prescribe produce for local families to address food insecurity
One in three Bronx children faces food insecurity, with inconsistent access to the healthy foods they need to live an active life. Building off screening efforts to identify patients who fall into this category, the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) is launching a new program in partnership with Stop & Shop and About Fresh, a platform that enables healthcare professionals to connect patients to healthy food. The pilot program, called Fresh Connect, will provide prepaid debit cards to families to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at local Stop & Shop stores.
Source: prnewswire.com