India: RuKart ties up with SBI for easy loans to customers
Agritech firm RuKart, which sells 'Subjee Cooler' to enhance shelf life of fruits and vegetables, has tied up with SBI to help potential customers in getting easy loan options to buy the product. Founded in May 2019, RuKart manufactures Subjee Cooler, a cold chain storage system that requires only 20 liters of water a day to function. It increases the shelf life of fruits, flowers and vegetables by 4-6 days.
Source: startup.outlookindia.com
Germany: REWE and Naturland promote organic farming
REWE Group has announced an initiative with Naturland to help farmers move from conventional to organic farming, thereby increasing the range of organic fruit and vegetables offered in its stores.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Discounter Lidl recruiting 1,500 for UK warehouse jobs
The British arm of German discount supermarket Lidl plans to recruit over 1,500 distribution centre workers to support its aggressive store expansion across the country, it said. Lidl GB also said it has submitted plans for a new distribution centre in Leeds, northern England, which if approved would create a further 400 jobs.
Source: reuters.com
SPAR Gran Canaria promotes local produce at Me Gusta Fair
SPAR Gran Canaria once again supported the primary sector by opening a new exhibition where local produce took centre stage. Called ‘From the tree to your table’, visitors were offered special prices for local fruit and vegetables including tomatoes, papayas, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, white cabbage, courgettes and cucumbers from different farms on the island.
Source: spar-international.com
UK: John Lewis staff to vote on future plans as anger grows
The boss of John Lewis will face a vote of confidence on Wednesday, amid growing staff anger at her leadership. It comes after Dame Sharon White said she was considering selling a stake in the retailer, meaning it would no longer fully owned by its employees.
Source: bbc.com
Belgium: Revamped OKay Zwevegem reopens as a sustainable neighbourhood supermarket on 12 May
Thanks to the fresh and modern interior, customers of OKay Zwevegem can now find their way even more easily in the wide range of fresh products. "In the renewed freshmart our extensive range of fresh fruit and vegetables can stand out completely", says store manager Patrick. "We placed extra refrigeration units just outside the freshmart, so that we can showcase our fresh high-quality products even better."
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
Northern Ireland: SPAR serves up DISH-tractingly tasty Balmoral Show for 2023
The retailer’s on-going sponsorship of Northern Ireland’s biggest agri-business event represents SPAR NI’s long-term commitment to local farmers and suppliers, with over 75% of their fresh produce throughout their own brands sourced locally.
Source: farminglife.com
Australia: Coles to stop selling soft-plastic shopping bags nationwide by end of June
Reusable fresh produce bags made from 90% recycled material are also available across Coles supermarkets nationally. Plastic bags made with 50% recycled plastic remain available in the fresh produce department, excluding in the ACT where they have been replaced with compostable bags made from plant-based corn starch.
Source: colesgroup.com.au
UK: Alexandra Rose Charity to host celebration event to celebrate important milestone
A national charity which works to alleviate health inequalities and food poverty is hosting a celebration event in Barnsley on 26 May to celebrate giving away its two millionth voucher. Alexandra Rose Charity, based in the Southeast, runs ten projects in eight locations around the UK, including Barnsley. In just under ten years, the charity has distributed two million Rose Vouchers for free fruit and veg to families on low incomes.
Source: london-tv.co.uk
UK: Asda announces opening date for new Express store in Calne
The new store is set to open its doors on 23rd May and has created 15 new jobs in the local area. The store will be located just outside of the town centre on London Road and the exciting new format will offer customers over 3,000 products including a comprehensive range of fresh, ambient and chilled groceries, as well as products from Asda’s premium Extra Special range and a broad selection of beers, wines and spirits.
Source: corporate.asda.com
Carrefour Belgium launches first round of price reductions in 2023
Carrefour has launched its first wave of price reductions in Belgium from 8 May with further price reductions planned in the coming weeks. The retailer has also planned reductions in the selling prices of fresh and non-food products in the coming weeks.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Czechia: Digital onboarding platform Product Fruits harvests €1.6mln
Prague-based digital onboarding platform Product Fruits has raised €1.6mln in a seed funding round. According to the company, the capital will be used to further fuel the company’s growth as it ramps up and further refines its sales teams and processes. Since late 2021 Product Fruits has now raised just north of €2mln.
Source: tech.eu
Germany: Edeka Rhein-Ruhr reports sales growth in FY 2022
Edeka Rhein-Ruhr has reported year-on-year sales growth of 3%, to €5.9bln, in its financial year 2022, with all branches contributing to its growth. The company continues to focus on regional foods that are sourced from North Rhine-Westphalia, including meat, sausage, cheese and fish as well as the fruit and vegetables.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Grocery retailer Ahold Delhaize sees Europe's food inflation slowing
Supermarket group Ahold Delhaize expects food inflation in Europe to slow in the second half of this year, CEO Frans Muller said after the retailer beat expectations for its first quarter thanks to strong U.S. sales. Ahold, which operates Stop & Shop, Giant, Food Lion and Hannaford in the U.S. and Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, posted quarterly sales of 21.62bln euros ($23.80bln) to beat a 21.5bln euro consensus from analyst forecasts compiled by the company.
Source: reuters.com
US: Associated Food Stores and Symbotic announce agreement to implement industry-leading warehouse automation system
Associated Food Stores (AFS), a provider of groceries and other goods and services to independent retailers in nine Intermountain states, and Symbotic Inc., a leader in A.I.-enabled robotics technology for the supply chain, announced they have entered into a commercial agreement to implement Symbotic’s A.I.-powered robotic warehouse automation technology in AFS’ Utah distribution center.
Source: globenewswire.com
Amazon to sublease planned Fresh stores in Minneapolis
Amazon seems to have hit the stop button on its brick-and-mortar presence in Minneapolis. According to local media reports, the retail company is subleasing six sites that were intended to be built out into full-scale Amazon Fresh stores.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Mercatus and Eagle Eye announce strategic partnership to enhance grocery eCommerce experiences
Mercatus, a leading provider of grocery eCommerce solutions, and Eagle Eye, a global digital marketing technology company that helps retail and hospitality companies build more personalized relationships with customers, announced a strategic partnership to bring innovative, data-driven marketing capabilities to their grocery clients' eCommerce experiences.
Source: businesswire.com