US: Suzy Monford named CEO at Heritage Grocers Group
Heritage Grocers Group (HGG) has appointed industry veteran Suzy Monford as chair and CEO. She is a two-time winner of Progressive Grocer's Top Women in Grocery awards.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: H-E-B breaks ground on metro Dallas stores
The whirlwind of new H-E-B store openings in metro Dallas continued with the groundbreakings on stores in Murphy and Euless, Texas, the San Antonio-based grocer announced. Both the 122,000-square-foot Murphy store and the 126,000-square-foot Euless store are expected to open in 2026.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: DoorDash adds 5 regional grocers
Last-mile delivery service DoorDash has brought five more grocery chains into the fold, announcing new partnerships with regional chains Fresh Encounter, Fruitful Youth, Plum Market, Robért Fresh Market, and Stew Leonard's.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: BJ's commits to growing fresh business
BJ's Wholesale Club gained grocery market share in both units and dollars during its recent third quarter, ended November 2. One of the highlights of the quarter was its fresh performance, with perishables continuing to drive strong comp sales as the retailer advances its Fresh 2.0 initiative.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: New Seasons Market workers will hold another one-day strike on Wednesday
New Seasons Market grocery workers are planning a one-day strike on November 27, the day before Thanksgiving, the union announced. Eleven stores in the Portland, Oregon, area will be impacted by the strike, but in an email to Supermarket News New Seasons Market said all stores will remain open.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: KeHE Distributors® releases its 2025 macro trends
KeHE Distributors®, a distributor of natural & organic, specialty, and fresh products in North America, has identified five macro trends in the food and beverage industry for 2025: All Day Protein; Drink Your Health; Unexpected Areas of Discovery: While multi-channel shoppers demonstrate significantly higher spending power (86%), older generations still prefer to purchase fresh produce, meat, and other perishable items in-store; International in Every Aisle; New Rules of Aging Well.
Source: kehe.com
UK and Australia-based food startup Fresho announces $17mln funding round and expansion in the US
Fresho, an order management platform for fresh food wholesalers, has announced the close of a $17mln Series B funding round, bringing total investment to $50mln to date. The oversubscribed round welcomed both new and existing shareholders, led by Geoff Tarrant, Co-Founder and former Executive Chairman of Payapps, a construction software firm acquired by Autodesk for $600mln in 2024. Tarrant, who also served as director of ASX listed Adbri, will join Fresho's board of directors. "Finally after 12 years of trying to develop or buy a usable online system, we met the Fresho people and got what we always wanted. Our customers can now order and pay online - it's super simple to use and has saved us heaps of time and money already", says Ali Ahment, Owner of Adams Fruit & Veg Wholesale in Worthing, UK.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Retailers warn inflation could hamper UK shoppers in run-up to Christmas
Shoppers' ability to afford Christmas treats has been put under threat as retailers warned November could mark a turning point for inflation, with the recent fall in prices slowing amid increased fresh produce costs and fewer discounts on the shelves. Shop prices fell by 0.6% in November, compared with a fall of 0.8% in October, according to the latest report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and research firm NielsenIQ.
Source: theguardian.com
Greece: Supermarket sector shrinks to 40 chains
Back in 1999, there were 100 supermarket chains operating in Greece, but today their number has fallen below 40 in this market of 12bln euros per annum.
Source: ekathimerini.com
Belgian food prices rising faster
Average food prices in Belgium rose by 27% between October 2021 and last month, which is a faster pace than that in Luxembourg (+ 21.4%), France (+ 22.9%), Italy (+ 24.3%) and the Netherlands (+ 24.9%). However, there are big differences between products. Price increases were strongest for olive oil (+ 100.6%), potatoes (+ 48.3%) and eggs (+ 42.1%). For his latest report, Eric Dor (Director of Economic Studies at the IÉSEG School of Management) compared the increase in food prices between Belgium and other Eurozone countries from October 2021 to October 2024.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Aldi Ireland's pre-tax profits dip but sales up 3.4%
Discount retailer Aldi Ireland has reported higher sales figures for 2023 but lower profits for the year. Aldi Ireland said its sales rose by 3.4% to €2.102bln from €2.032bln in 2022. But its pre-tax profits for the year fell by 2.1% to €16.83mln from €17.184mln as it said it continued to invest in supporting its supplier network amid efforts to manage "stubborn" input cost.
Source: rte.ie
UAE retailer Union Coop mulls transition to public joint stock company
Dubai-based retailer Union Coop is weighing a transition to a public joint-stock company from a consumer cooperative society, which had direct-listed its shares on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM).
Source: zawya.com
Belgium: Opening of the Collect&Go Pickup Point in Florennes
On Wednesday, 27 November 2024, Colruyt Lowest Prices in Florennes will open its doors at 17b, rue Henry de Rohan-Chabot. Store manager Jean-Michel Incourt explains: "We offer a very wide assortment of quality products, both from leading brands and our own brands like Boni and Everyday. In our fresh produce section, customers will find vegetables, fruits, fish, dairy products and prepared dishes". In Florennes, customers can also use the Collect&Go pickup point, Colruyt Group's online shopping service.
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
UK: Tesco's rapid c-store expansion continues
Tesco is planning another 150 Express stores in the next three years, further fuelling the battle for convenience spending. The plans will see Tesco's convenience store arm expand to nearly 2,230 stores, with the creation of more than 2,000 jobs as a result of the expansion.
Source: talkingretail.com
Australia: Spinach & Mamamia tap influencers to boost kids' veggie intake in campaign for NutriV
Spinach has partnered with Mamamia for an integrated campaign to help parents boost their kids' veggie intake for NutriV. In collaboration with the CSIRO, NutriV transforms Australian-grown surplus vegetables into powders that improve health, reduce food waste, and care for the environment.
Source: bandt.com.au
Polish shoppers 'moderately' optimistic as sales grow in third quarter: NIQ
Polish shoppers were 'moderately' optimistic in the third quarter with spending on FMCG increasing 4.3% year on year, according to the latest data from NIQ.
Source: esmmagazine.com
DESPAR Italia welcomed new and modernised stores in October
In October, the DESPAR Italia consortium welcomed the opening of new and modernised stores across the North and South-Central regions. In the North of the country, DESPAR Nord announced three new store openings. In Emilia Romagna, the EUROSPAR Supermarket in Spilamberto offers a wide range of fresh and local products as part of a one-stop-shop for customers. In the South-Central region of the country, three new stores joined the DESPAR Centro Sud retail network in Arpino, Ruvo di Puglia, and Adelfia. Each supermarket provides fresh departments, locally soured products, and a range of DESPAR Italia own brand products as part of the overall product offering.
Source: spar-international.com