New Zealand: Struggling shoppers stick with 'pasta, rice, potatoes, and bread' to keep tummies full
At Pak'nSave Kilbirnie in Wellington, shoppers gave a resounding consensus that fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy are putting serious pressure on their budgets. This comes as the Commerce Commission investigates the two big supermarket chains over pricing and promotional practices.
Source: rnz.co.nz
UK: M&S Food invests in price of over 200 products as part of trusted value promise for 2024
The investment will see price cuts across 65 products with an average reduction of 6% and builds on the over 200 price cuts announced in October. Frozen strawberries (350g) New price £2.50 Old price £3.20 22% reduced; Organic Fairtrade Bananas (5 pack) New price £1.60 Old price £1.90 16% reduced; Eat Well Select Farms Seedless Mixed Grapes 500g New price £2.50 Old price £2.60 4% reduced. At the same time, M&S Food is also extending its price lock on over 100 customer favorites. Price-locked products include Eat Well Select Farms Easy Peeler Net (750g, £2). Eat Well Select Farms Boston beans (200g, £2). Eat Well Super Sweet Corn on the Cob (2 pack, £1.40).
Source: corporate.marksandspencer.com
Italy: Conad secures €25mln sustainability loan from UniCredit
Supermarket chain Conad has secured a €25mln loan from Italian banking group UniCredit to support its sustainability initiatives. The loan, linked to the achievement of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives, will finance the purchase of goods and warehouse stocks, the retailer noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Finland: Food education startup raises €0.5mln in funding and received invitation to SDG Lab in Davos
Vegemi's growth has been strong, and today almost 3mln transactions have already been made on the Vegemi app, such as photo recognition of a fresh vegetable or feeding a digital fruit to Vegemi. Vegemi has recently been joined by a number of prominent Finnish and international investors.
Source: einnews.com
UK: Sainsbury's £220mln investment into lowering prices
Sainsbury's reported: "For a delicious weeknight dinner for a family of four, our prawn and courgette pasta recipe with all products price matched to Aldi is over 20% cheaper than this time last month, thanks to our investment into lowering prices. Budget-busting healthy family recipe - Prawn and Courgette Pasta: bySainsbury's Frozen Large Cooked & Peeled King Prawns 180g January 2024 price £2.63 December 2023 price £3.50; bySainsbury's Tomato and Chilli Pasta Sauce, 500g January 2024 price £0.79 December 2023 price £0.89; bySainsbury's Wholewheat Fusilli, 500g January 2024 price £0.75 December 2023 price £0.75; Courgette (£2.78/kg) January 2024 price £0.30 December 2023 price £0.30; Red Onion (0.95/kg) January 2024 price £0.14 December 2023 price £0.15".
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
UK: Christmas Box proves a cracker for Earth & Wheat
Food-waste-fighting brand Earth & Wheat has revealed sales for its Christmas Feast Rescued Box were up a whopping 124% year-on-year. The wonky and surplus food supplier released the special seasonal box, which included an assortment of 'rescued' vegetables, fruits and baked breads as a one-off purchase delivered four days before Christmas Day.
Source: grocerytrader.co.uk
Walmart to close Store No. 8: WSJ
Walmart plans to close its technology and business innovation unit, Store No. 8, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an internal memo. Some of the unit's innovations include Walmart's in-home delivery service and text and voice shopping.
Source: retaildive.com
US: A new era for Northeast Grocery
Northeast Grocery Inc. (NGI) has taken another major step in its strategic transformation plan. The company has elevated its COO, John Persons, to serve as CEO, effective February 26. Current CEO Frank Curci is retiring from the company. NGI is the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: WinCo Foods expanding in Phoenix area
WinCo Foods, which has garnered a larger following and higher traffic in recent years for its bargain pricing, is in expansion mode. The employee-owned warehouse-style chain is set to open a new location in the Phoenix market in late 2024, its eighth outpost in the state of Arizona. The city of Goodyear, Arizona, reported that WinCo is breaking ground soon on a site at the PebbleCreek Marketplace.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: SpartanNash implements new food traceability program, strengthening safety and transparency throughout its global supply chain
Food solutions company SpartanNash (the "Company") announced the launch of the ReposiTrak Traceability Network®, a food traceability program that advances efforts to create a safer, more transparent supply chain. Now, hundreds of the company's suppliers who harvest or handle products on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Traceability List are now required to exchange traceability data with SpartanNash and the thousands of retailers served by the company.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Paradise Salad, grown locally by students of the Somerset Hills Learning Institute, debuts at ShopRite of Chester
Paradise Salad is the first product sustainably grown, harvested, and packed by young adult students who are learning job skills at Three Meadows Farm. The farm's new Paradise Salad launched at the ShopRite of Chester, located at 183 Route 206 North.
Source: newsroom.wakefern.com
US: Tops Markets details ongoing sustainability efforts
Tops Markets LLC is celebrating the advances that it continues to make in the area of sustainability. In 2023 alone, the northeast regional retailer's stores recycled more than 503 tons of organic scraps, including unusable and unsaleable produce, floral, and bakery cull.
Source: progressivegrocer.com