New Zealand: Foodstuffs co-ops will appeal the Commerce Commission's decision to decline their merger clearance application
Foodstuffs North Island (FSNI) and Foodstuffs South Island (FSSI) are standing firm in their belief that uniting into one nationwide co-op will help deliver better prices at the checkout, and will appeal the Commerce Commission's decision to decline clearance for their merger.
Source: foodstuffs-si.co.nz
20-year-old Lidl Hungary to further expand in the country
Lidl Hungary plans to increase the number of its stores in Hungary from the current 210 to 250 in the next few years, with its latest store opening in the capital's agglomeration, the chairman of the board of the company announced at a press conference.
Source: hungarytoday.hu
UK: Snappy Shopper links up with another online food ordering specialist
Grocery home-delivery service Snappy Shopper has linked up with Foodhub in a move it says will help convenience stores reach more customers. The link-up with Foodhub is being introduced in phases, with a few Snappy Shopper stores initially joining Foodhub's marketplace and plans to expand nationwide.
Source: talkingretail.com
World-class Checkers Hyper relaunches as largest in South Africa
After a major refurbishment, Checkers Hyper FreshX Gateway now provides customers with a superior shopping experience, and created 35 new jobs in addition to the 380 people already employed by the store. At over 11 000 m², it is the largest Checkers Hyper supermarket in South Africa and this state-of-the art retail destination boasts brand new attractions for customers, including: a large fresh fruit and vegetable section where customers can select their own ingredients for freshly squeezed juice.
Source: shopriteholdings.co.za
Greece: Sklavenitis reports growth in sales, profit in FY 2023
Greek retailer Sklavenitis generated €5.16bln in sales in its financial year 2023, up from €4.47bln in 2022, according to media reports. The retail group's profits before taxes amounted to €135.4mln, while expenditure in investments reached €140mln during the year, the publication FoodBusiness reported. In Greece, Sklavenitis supermarkets generated €4.3bln in this period, and pre-tax profits amounted to €112.6mln, accounting for 2.6% of total turnover.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Serbia: METRO opens new logistics and distribution centre
METRO Serbia opened a state-of-the-art logistics and distribution centre in Dobanovci. Covering an area of 15,000 square metres, a modern depot with four temperature zones has been built that meets international standards and is precisely tailored to the requirements of the food wholesale business.
Source: newsroom.metroag.de
Switzerland: Migros sells more fruit and vegetables thanks to its low-price strategy
According to President Ursula Nold, Migros is achieving initial success with the recently launched price campaign for fruit and vegetables. "The quantity sold in the last two weeks was 7% above the previous year's level", she said in an interview. This shows her that customers understand and appreciate the new Migros strategy, Nold continued in an interview with the Tamedia newspapers.
Source: bluewin.ch
France: Intermarché kicks off ambitious private label rebrand
French retailer Intermarché aims to earn 40% of its sales through its private labels by 2026. The range will be rationalised and products will be redesigned, with the retailer's name on the packaging for the first time.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Morrisons cuts debt by £2.4bln after major restructuring effort
Morrisons has slashed its debt by nearly 40% following major debt restructuring, cutting its bill from £6.2bln to £3.8bln. The restructuring included extending its term loan facilities from 2027 to 2030 and decreasing both the cost of the debt and the overall debt level. Morrisons has also extended its revolving credit facility to 2030.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
UK: Dougall group extends supply contract with Nisa
A family owned convenience group in the West Midlands has extended its partnership with Nisa for five years. The Dougall Group opened its fourth Nisa store in September, in Leamington Spa, and has now extended its supply contract with the symbol group for five years. The renewed contract solidifies a relationship that began in 2010.
Source: talkingretail.com
Conad Albania rolls out new online shopping platform
Italian supermarket chain Conad has launched a new e-commerce platform for its Albanian operations, powered by ReStore, offering home delivery throughout Tirana.
Source: esmmagazine.com
The 5 keys to Aldi's private label success
Aldi U.S. President Dave Rinaldo provided a forward-looking blueprint for own brand development at PLMA: 1. Commit to quality; 2. Innovation needs to be constant; 3. Always work to lower operating costs; 4. Be straight with customers; 5. Put shoppers at the center.
Source: supermarketnews.com
DoorDash's app can now import your grocery list for faster shopping
While online grocery shopping is generally convenient, manually adding items to your cart one by one can become a bit of a chore. To address this, food and grocery shopping app DoorDash has launched a new feature that allows you to sync your grocery list to the app. A variety of grocery options will be available for each item, such as different types of onions (white, yellow, and red) that you can quickly add to your cart by tapping the plus (+) symbol.
Source: techcrunch.com
US: Kroger reveals customer Thanksgiving favorites and grocery shopping habits just in time for the holiday
In preparation for Thanksgiving, The Kroger Co. surveyed customers to see how they plan to shop and what they plan to eat during the holidays this year. The top five must-haves for any Thanksgiving meal include turkey (83%), stuffing (55%), mashed potatoes (49%), pumpkin pie (30%) and gravy (30%). While 20% of respondents considered cranberry sauce a Thanksgiving essential, the polarizing side was also ranked as the number one dish that customers refuse to eat on the holiday.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Vallarta Supermarkets celebrates the grand opening of new Clovis store
Vallarta Supermarkets, one of California's largest Latino-owned grocery chains, proudly announced the grand opening of its newest location in Clovis, California. Along with the fresh, quality produce and everyday goods that the chain is known for, the new store will feature many beloved departments: Guacamole Station: Customers can customize fresh, hand-crafted guacamole and newly added Pico De Gallo tailored just the way they like it; La Fruteria: Choosing from the freshest fruits and ingredients, customers can order juicy fruit bowls topped with Tajin, Chamoy, lime juice, and salt.
Source: prnewswire.com
Instacart offers members an 'Express Lane' for $0 holiday deliveries
Instacart has introduced "Express Lane", a holiday-themed perk for Instacart+ members. Express Lane gives members zero-dollar delivery minimums on grocery and retail orders of $10, what the company says is the lowest cart minimum for $0 delivery in the industry.
Source: pymnts.com