UK: John Lewis boss Pippa Wicks leaves after less than three years in job
John Lewis Partnership has parted company with Pippa Wicks, the head of its department store chain who oversaw the ditching of its famous “never knowingly undersold” marketing pledge, after less than three years.
Source: theguardian.com
Spain: Consum expands charter retail chain, exceeds 400 stores
Cooperative retailer Consum has announced that it opened 38 new stores under its Charter banner to expand its network to 406 outlets in Valencia, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia, Murcia and Aragon. The new stores added over 10,710 square metres of floor space to the retailer's network, taking its total sales area to more than 120,400 square metres.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Ocado's losses swell to more than $600mln
Ocado Group, the British online supermarket and technology group, plunged to a worse than expected full-year loss as it took a big accounting charge and profits at its joint venture with Marks & Spencer were wiped out. The group, whose shares have more than halved over the last year, said it made a loss before tax of 501mln pounds ($604mln) over the year to November 27, 2022. That compared to analysts' average forecast for a loss of 399mln pounds and a loss of 176.9mln pounds in the previous year. Group revenue was broadly flat at 2.5bln pounds.
Source: reuters.com
Billa online shop offers employees of Gurkerl.at jobs after layoffs
Austrian retailer Billa has announced it will be offering jobs to employees who have registered for termination from the online delivery service Gurkerl.at after layoffs at the company. The Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard reported that Gurkerl.at has given notice of termination to 290 of the approximately 1,000 employees.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Casino to step up promotions as cost of living crisis weighs on French sales
French retailer Casino vowed to spend more on promotions this quarter to help cash-strapped shoppers after sales at its Geant hypermarkets in France fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2022 amid competitive pressure. Overall group sales growth slowed in the fourth quarter despite a robust performance in Latin America, and shares in Casino, whose domestic rivals include Carrefour and unlisted Leclerc, fell 2.5%.
Source: reuters.com
Magnit opens first 'hard discount' stores
Magnit supermarket chain launched its first "hard discount" stores under a new brand, the company said, as falling living standards and rising inflation push Russian consumers to search for lower-ticket items. Magnit said the new "V1" - which stands for "First Choice" in English - brand will focus on basic products, including fruit, vegetables and bakery goods, carrying a narrower range of items than the chain's existing stores.
Source: reuters.com
AiFi surpasses 100 computer vision-powered autonomous stores opened globally
AiFi, the leading AI provider empowering retailers worldwide to scale autonomous shopping solutions with 100% computer vision, announced it has opened its 100th checkout-free store and welcomed Joe Jorczak as its Head of Global Revenue to support the company's global expansion. Among its deployments across North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia, AiFi is the first autonomous retail provider to showcase its ability to scale with an individual partner, as it has now opened more than 50 stores with Żabka Group in Poland.
Source: prnewswire.com
The Ugly Company raises $9mln to grow market, capacity for upcycled fruit empire
When The Ugly Company founder Ben Moore speaks about the scale of the wasted-produce problem on farms in the US, he does so with a tone of humility that almost matches the magnitude of the issue. His vision for The Ugly Company was fairly simple: Find a way to process a portion of the millions of pounds of the perfectly edible, yet wasted fruit farmers have to toss annually due to a slight blemish or imperfection and turn it into consumable snacks.
Source: sustainablebrands.com
Associated Wholesale Grocers extends its partnership with Givex
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) has renewed its 15-year relationship with Toronto-based Givex Corp. to support in-house loyalty, digital coupon and data marketing programs at more than 600 independently owned supermarkets.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Krasdale expands Bravo banner in Florida
Krasdale Foods, Inc., which provides grocery distribution, merchandising and marketing services to independent grocery store owners, is preparing to open a Bravo Supermarket location in Ocala, Florida. The store will open March 3 and promises a unique selection of international products.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Save Mart automated ‘dark store’ drives Lucky Now online grocery service
The Save Mart Cos. has transformed a closed Lucky supermarket in Mountain View, California, into a micro-fulfillment center (MFC). Technology partner Fulfil Solutions Inc., a Mountain View-based robotics startup, said that its automation powers a “dark store” opened several months ago that fills same-day delivery and pickup orders for a new Save Mart online grocery service called Lucky Now.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Weis Markets’ moves pay off with strong 2022 fiscal year
Weis Markets built on record sales in fiscal 2021 - when the Mid-Atlantic grocer topped its previous record set amid COVID-driven consumer demand in 2020 - with another strong fiscal year in 2022. Top-line results benefited in part from an extra week on Weis Markets’ fiscal calendar. For the 14-week quarter ended December 31, net sales climbed 18% to $1.31bln from almost $1.11bln in the 13-week 2021 quarter, the Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based supermarket chain reported. That came atop an 8% net sales gain in the year-ago period.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Supermarkets capitalize on meal kit craze
Meal kits have been in demand at supermarket delis since the early days of the pandemic, but now recent data from Statista indicates that the U.S. market will exceed more than $10bln by 2024, compared to just $6.9bln in 2021.
Source: supermarketnews.com