UK: Easter sales spring early
Kantar reported: "Aldi's sales stepped up by 3.1%, with its market share at 9.8%. Fellow discounter Lidl grew by 8.8% to capture a 7.8% share of the market, helped by a 24% rise in sales of baked goods and a 11% jump in fruit, vegetables and salads. Iceland grew sales by 2.2%. Waitrose holds a 4.5% share, with sales up by 3.9%, while Co-op takes 5.5% of the market".
Source: kantar.com
Swedish chain ICA leaves purchasing alliance Epic
After three years, ICA is leaving the European retail alliance Epic, which was founded in 2021 by German market leader Edeka. The Swedish chain was reportedly kicked out for failing to respect agreements on boycott actions by the buying group against brand manufacturers, writes Lebensmittel Zeitung.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Lidl issues message to shoppers who buy vegetables and says 'from Tuesday'
Lidl has slashed down veggie prices to 15p ahead of Easter. Lidl has announced that the price of veggies will go down to as little as 15p starting on Tuesday, March 26. Shoppers can get their hands on green beans (220g), British carrots (1kg), British white potatoes (2kg), deluxe echalion shallots (300g), British swede (each) and spring onions (per bunch) for only 15p.
Source: birminghammail.co.uk
Meet Uzbekistan's first unicorn: e-commerce startup Uzum
Uzum, an e-commerce startup offering online shopping, fintech, and food deliveries to millions of customers in Uzbekistan, has raised $114mln in funding, becoming the country's first unicorn with a valuation of $1.16bln.
Source: techcrunch.com
Carrefour Spain expands price reduction initiative with 500 additional products
In an effort to win over customers, Carrefour is significantly reducing the prices of a wider range of products in Spain. This second wave of price cuts can reach up to 20% off and applies to staples like bread, eggs, vegetables, meat, fish, and olive oil - one of the products that has seen the highest price increase in recent years.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Dino Polska reports revenue growth of 29.6% in FY 2023
Dino Polska generated revenue of PLN25.7bln (€5.97bln) in its full financial year 2023, registering an increase of 29.6% compared to 2022. The company generated around 40% of its revenue from the sales of fresh products, especially fruit and vegetables, bread and the fresh meat produced by the Agro-Rydzyna meat processing plant, it said in a statement.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Ocado wins over new customers with price cuts and promotions
Ocado Group Plc's online grocery business saw higher sales as it lowered prices to attract British shoppers emerging from a generational cost-of-living crisis. The venture between Ocado and Marks & Spencer Group Plc said volumes grew almost 8.1% in the 13 weeks to March 3, compared with a year earlier. Its number of active customers also rose to 1.02mln, with revenue climbing 10.6% to £645mln ($816mln).
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca
UK: M&S supplies early-season potatoes in '100% recyclable' paper packaging
M&S reports that its early-season Jersey Royal potatoes are being packaged in 100% recyclable paper in hopes of removing an estimated one million pieces of plastic from the product line in the first year. This 'market first' for M&S is set to help the retailer become the first to sell early-season Jersey Royals to its customers, with the early batch of crops traditionally being reserved for renowned chefs and luxury dining establishments. The paper-packaged potatoes will now be available in 75 M&S Foodhalls across the United Kingdom.
Source: packagingeurope.com
Wolt expands EMEA footprint, enters Albania and Luxembourg
Online food platform Wolt has launched operations in Albania and Luxembourg, expanding its presence across EMEA. The expansion into Albania and Luxembourg is estimated to add 3.5mln new customers, the company noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Supermarket brings back 19p Christmas veg prices for Easter
With shoppers wanting to keep costs down this Easter, many families will be cooking their own roast dinner to have at home. Morrisons have cut the price of traditional Sunday roast dinner staples, with packs of carrots, parsnips, kale, and whole swede on offer for just 19p each.
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Monoprix counts on distinctive food offering in first Belgian store
Thursday morning, Monoprix will open its first Belgian store in Waterloo. That outlet will be a test lab with a view to additional store openings, including stores under the Monop' and Monoprix Maison brands.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Italian discount chain Eurospin makes Maltese debut
Italian discount supermarket chain Eurospin has opened its first store in Malta, located in the city of Mosta, about 17 kilometers from the capital, Valletta. Eurospin is initially planning at least five stores in Malta, including another outlet in Marsa, with a view to potentially operating 12 stores across the island.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Aldi reaches 100 stores in Andalucía with new Costa del Sol opening
German supermarket chain Aldi opened its first store in Nerja on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol on Friday, March 22; its 100th in Andalucía and 28th in Malaga province.
Source: surinenglish.com
Walmart names new Neighborhood Market division head
Walmart has named Kyle Kinnard as senior vice president of Neighborhood Market, according to a post from a Walmart associate on LinkedIn. Kinnard currently serves as senior vice president and general merchandise manager of Home for Walmart US. He will replace the retiring Kelvin Buncum.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Trader Joe's just increased the price of a banana for the first time in more than 20 years
Food prices have gone a bit bananas - and that includes a famously priced 19-cent fruit at Trader Joe's. The snack-heavy grocer told CNN that it recently increased the price of the banana to 23 cents, a more than 20% increase. "We only change our prices when our costs change, and after holding our price for Bananas at 19¢ each for more than two decades, we've now reached a point where this change is necessary", a Trader Joe's spokesperson said to CNN.
Source: edition.cnn.com
Five customer trends, according to Kroger
Customer preferences are constantly changing, and Kroger's research arm 84.51° has identified five new trends that show growing expectations from shoppers. Pre-cut and pre-washed vegetable sales by dollar amount are up 569% year over year, and pre-cut and pre-washed fruit sales are up 133%.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Instacart and AWG partner to ease access to grocery technology
Instacart and Associated Wholesale Growers (AWG) have expanded their partnership to offer eCommerce and same-day delivery solutions to AWG's member retailers.
Source: pymnts.com