UK: Southern Co-op celebrates 150th anniversary
The local co-operative, which was the first to open a fully self-service supermarket in Great Britain, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this Friday (24 March). Southern Co-op, originally named Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society, was first formed on 24 March 1873 and is one of the only remaining independent societies in the country.
Source: talkingretail.com
Germany: Edeka Südwest board member Caroline Wilkens to step down
German retailer Edeka Südwest has announced that Caroline Wilkens, board member of Edeka Südwest, will step down from the company due to family reasons. The company added that Rainer Huber will take over the departments of controlling, finance and accounting, real estate, IT, human resources and law, which Wilkens has been responsible for in recent years.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Lidl exported 27,000 tons of Portuguese fruits and vegetables in 2022
In a statement to celebrate World Agriculture Day, Lidl, part of the German Schwarz group, highlights the growth of this indicator by 23% compared to 2021, “which confirms the retailer’s support for national producers”. In total, 1,533 truckloads of fruits and vegetables from 505 producers in Portugal left the country for markets in Germany, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Source: mediarunsearch.co.uk
UK: Just Eat and Iceland team up to deliver rapid groceries
Just Eat, the UK’s leading food delivery app, has launched a new partnership with Iceland to bring good quality, affordable food to households across the UK. The partnership will initially launch with more than 200 Iceland sites by the end of April with over 5,000 products available to customers, in locations including London, Manchester, Belfast and Leeds with plans to roll out to many more cities across 2023.
Source: justeattakeaway.com
Indonesia: GoTo posts narrower Q4 2022 adjusted EBITDA loss to $201.9mln
Indonesia’s biggest tech firm PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk posted a narrower adjusted EBITDA loss for the fourth quarter of 2022 of 3.1tln rupiah ($201.89mln), the firm said. GoTo posted 6.5tln rupiah in adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and rent) loss in the same period of 2021.
Source: reuters.com
UK: South London farm warns it will be forced to close if it fails to raise £50,000 as so many people 'stop buying fruit and veg'
A South London community farm which wants to provide locally grown food could have to shut down if it can’t raise £50,000 to survive the cost of living crisis. Sutton Community Farm has launched a six-week crowdfunder to raise the cash to secure its future. The farm was set up in 2010 and is based on a seven-acre site in Wallington. It claims to be London’s only community-owned fruit and veg farm.
Source: mylondon.news
UK: Ethnic grocery delivery startup Oja bags footballer Raheem Sterling as angel investor
Oja, pitched as the UK’s first ethnic digital supermarket focused on African and Caribbean goods, has raised a pre-seed extension led by LocalGlobe, with participation from Premier League and England football player Raheem Sterling.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Maxima Latvija introduces 'My Shop' concept in 100th store
Maxima Latvija has opened its 100th store featuring the 'My Shop' concept as part of the retailer's transformation project aimed at improving convenience for customers and employees. Located in Riga, the renovated store features a layout of goods adapted for the convenience of visitors, and improvements to help employees perform their daily tasks.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Tesco: Trendy chickpeas have sent pulses racing to top of shopping lists
First it was houmous, then falafel and now chickpeas have become the latest pulse food craze as Brits look to find cheap but nutritious ways to bulk out their meals. Chickpeas are a staple in many cuisines and they can also be used to make mash, veggie burgers, and added to soups, stews curries, wraps, fajitas and salads.
Source: tescoplc.com
Italy: Codè Crai Ovest targets 45 store openings in 2023
Italian retail cooperative Codè Crai Ovest has ended 2022 with a turnover of €320mln, compared to €310mln a year earlier. The forecast for 2023 is for further growth, including sales of €340mln and the opening of 45 new stores, mainly in the Lombardy and Liguria regions.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Couche-Tard to buy TotalEnergies assets for US$3.3bln
Canadian convenience-store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. agreed to buy almost 2,200 gasoline stations in Europe from TotalEnergies SE for €3.1bln (US$3.3bln). Couche-Tard said it made a firm offer for all of the French oil company's retail assets in Germany and the Netherlands, as well as a 60% stake in the businesses in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca
US: Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. acquires two licensed stores in California
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. announced that it has acquired two independently owned stores in Chula Vista, California, operating under the Sprouts Farmers Market name pursuant to a legacy trademark license arrangement.
Source: globenewswire.com
US: Dollar General investing $100mln in its stores, with a focus on boosting labor
Dollar General posted net sales of $10.2bln during the fourth quarter of 2022, a figure that was up 17.9% compared with the same period in 2021, the discount retail chain reported. CEO Jeff Owen said Dollar General intends to invest about $100mln in its stores during 2023, a sum that will mainly go to boosting worker hours. The company now delivers perishable products to virtually all of its stores through its DG Fresh self-distribution program and expects to offer fresh produce in more than 5,000 stores by the end of 2023, up from the 3,200 stores where it carried those items as of the end of 2022, said Owen.
Source: grocerydive.com
US: Schnucks rolls out digitally enabled salad bars at 22 locations
Schnuck Markets, Inc. is giving its customers a “smart salad bar” experience thanks to a partnership with Picadeli. The food technology company’s modular in-store salad bar concept is available at 22 Schnucks locations throughout Missouri and Illinois, and also in its Eatwell Market banner stores.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Amazon cuts 9,000 more jobs, bringing 2023 total to 27,000
Amazon plans to eliminate 9,000 more jobs in the next few weeks, CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo to staff. The job cuts would mark the second largest round of layoffs in the company’s history, adding to the 18,000 employees the tech giant said it would lay off in January.
Source: apnews.com
Brazil's Americanas faces more debt, asset sales as it restructures
Brazilian retailer Americanas SA has presented to a court its post-bankruptcy reorganization plan, a local newspaper reported, marking potential progress to recovery after disclosing billions of dollars in accounting irregularities.
Source: reuters.com