UK: Simon Roberts named as new President of IGD
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Sainsbury's, has been appointed as the new President of IGD by its Board of Trustees. Simon, who is already a highly active member of IGD's CEO Forum, will take over the IGD presidency from Jason Tarry on March 1 2024.
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
UK: Co-op targets growth to reach 8mln members
The Co-op, the UK's largest consumer co-operative, announced its growth plans by building on the momentum of 2023, as it looks to substantially increase the number of members-owners from 5mln to 8mln by 2030 - making a difference for members, communities, and wider social issues they face.
Source: co-operative.coop
Aldi's Italian network reaches 177 stores
German discounter Aldi closed in 2023 with 177 stores in the Italian regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Emilia-Romagna. In the last week of December, Aldi opened what is described as its 'largest store' in Italy, in Milan's Precotto district. Aldi's product offering includes around 2,000 Italian products at affordable prices, including 130 fresh fruit and vegetable SKUs and 30 private-label brands.
Source: esmmagazine.com
France: Carrefour acquires 31 stores from Intermarché
Carrefour announced that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Groupe Intermarché to acquire 31 stores. These stores represent 94,000 sqm or 0.3% of the food retail space in France. They generated sales of around €400mln in 2022. The value of the acquisition is not material. Under the terms of the agreement, Carrefour will substitute Intermarché for the purchase of 26 stores from Casino, while the remaining five stores will be acquired directly from Intermarché.
Source: carrefour.com
France: Casino agreed with Auchan, Mousquetaires on sale of its hypermarkets and supermarkets
Reuters reported: "French retailer Casino said in a statement that it had reached agreements with Auchan Retail and Groupement Les Mousquetaires for the sale of 'almost all' of its hypermarkets and supermarkets. It added that these agreements provide for the sale of 288 stores (and the service stations attached to these stores), based on an enterprise value of between 1.3 and 1.35bln euros".
Source: nasdaq.com
UK: Vietnamese supermarket chain Longdan expands with new Maidstone branch
Longdan is set to open its thirteenth UK store in Maidstone with 10% off all retail purchases in-store for the first month. Longdan currently offers more than 10,000 products, ranging from fresh produce, food, home living, and drinks from countries including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and many more.
Source: kentlive.news
Albania: SPAR trials self-checkouts
SPAR Albania is the first supermarket chain in the country to introduce self-checkouts, with four checkouts operational at the INTERSPAR Hypermarket in TEG. This innovative approach aims to improve the shopping experience for customers through fast transactions.
Source: spar-international.com
UK: Aldi reveals another round of price cuts Aldi has announced another round of price cuts on a range of fresh produce and everyday essentials, including: Everyday Essentials Raspberries 125g Old price £1.39 New price £1.32; Nature’s Pick Raspberries 225g Old price £2.65 New price £2.39.
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
UK: Looking to eat more fruit and veg in 2024? You'll want to try Oddbox
Metro reported: "Oddbox is here to help the UK waste less and eat more of the good stuff. Think dinky, dirt-covered potatoes, colorful carrots, curvy cucumbers, and knobbly apples. It's all good stuff, just not quite as pretty".
Source: metro.co.uk
US: Trader Joe's expanding in Tennessee
Trader Joe's is expanding its presence in Nashville, but exactly where the specialty grocers' new store will be located remains a mystery. Several media reports from the Tennessee capital noted the new store is forthcoming.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Allegiance holds grand opening of 'State-of-the-Art' NYC Foodtown
Allegiance Retail Services (ARS) has presided over the opening of its newest Foodtown banner store at 54 Noll Street in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. Owned by Shady Widdi, "the 15,000-square-foot state-of-the-art supermarket is positioned as a key player in the community's ongoing renaissance", according to the retailer cooperative. On entering the store, customers are greeted by a fresh flower display flanked by fresh produce islands to the center and right.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: 15th Annual Customer Choice Awards WinnersTrader Joe's reported: "For the 15th year in a row, we asked customers to tell us which TJ's products are their absolute favorites. Now, the results are in, and it's time to celebrate the winners! #1 PRODUCE: Bananas. Our customers go bananas for Bananas. It's the unbeatable price (conventional still 19¢!), plus our Organic option that's made them top Banana for the fifth time. Hall of Fame, here it comes! RUNNERS-UP: 2. Teeny Tiny Avocados; 3. Honeycrisp Apples; 4. Persian Cucumbers; 5. Lemony Arugula Basil Complete Salad Kit".
Source: traderjoes.com
US: Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and others could face new restrictions in Chicago
City of Chicago lawmakers will have a chance to consider a measure that would prohibit dollar stores from opening within a mile of one under the same owner or manager, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The city's Committee on License and Consumer Protection approved the measure, and the full city council will vote on it next week.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Aldi opens store in Conway, ArkansasAldi continues its rapid schedule of store openings this month with the launch of a new location in Conway, Arkansas, set for January 25. It's the fourth location Aldi has opened this year, following new stores in Illinois, California, and Florida.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Fresh Thyme Market and Naturally Chicago partner on Locally Made Retail Access Program
Fresh Thyme Market, a community-focused grocer, is honored to be the first grocery partner of Naturally Chicago's Locally Made Retail Access Program. Most recently, the grocer hosted a pitch competition with Naturally Chicago that resulted in the addition of nine new Locally Made brands to shelves, including Popadelics Mushroom and Windy City Mushroom.
Source: prnewswire.com