US: Costco Wholesale Corporation reports October sales results
Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) reported net sales of $17.73bln for the retail month of October, the four weeks ended October 30, 2022, an increase of 7.7% from $16.47bln last year. For the nine weeks ended October 30, 2022, the Company reported net sales of $39.19bln, an increase of 9.0% from $35.97bln last year.
Source: globenewswire.com
US: Convenience stores offer destination for product, brand discovery
Americans are in love with convenience stores (c-stores). Over 7 in 10 (71%) adult consumers, ages 18 and over, say they discover new products and brands in c-stores. Nearly 4 in 10 (38%) say they shop at c-stores two or more times a week, while overall, nearly two-thirds (62%) visit c-stores at least once a week. The findings are part of a new nationally representative consumer sentiment survey on c-store shopping commissioned by NCSolutions (NCS), the leading company for improving advertising effectiveness for the CPG ecosystem.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: ReposiTrak, NGA partner for affordable, faster traceability
Tech solution provider ReposiTrak and the National Grocers Association (NGA) are teaming up to bring more traceability resources to NGA-member independent grocers and wholesalers. For a limited time, ReposiTrak will waive its $2,000 setup fee for food industry suppliers and, once data exchange begins, offer a low, flat fee for unlimited records creation and data sharing with in-network trading partners.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Pre-cut produce sales are booming. Here’s what’s new.
Value-added fruits and vegetables are a nearly $11bln business, with sales just under 5% of total produce sales, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI OmniMarket Integrated Fresh for the 52-week period ended October 2. Sales of pre-cut produce climbed 7% during the period, with the bulk of the growth coming from value-added fruit.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: H-E-B opens 3 stores on same day
As it continues to grow its footprint across Texas, H-E-B has opened three stores on the same day in Plano and in the Houston area. With a focus on the DFW area, H-E-B officially opened its store in Plano. Meanwhile, in the Houston area, the company opened H-E-B stores in Magnolia and Willis.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Mojo Vision announces test integration with Alexa Shopping List on smart contact lens
Mojo Vision, the Invisible Computing Company, announced that it had developed a potential consumer implementation of Alexa Shopping List on its Mojo Lens prototype. It was the first major third-party consumer application on a smart contact lens. The test integration shows how Mojo Vision could integrate the Alexa voice AI with Mojo Lens’ unique and powerful eye-based interface.
Source: businesswire.com
Dino Polska sees 54% revenue growth in third quarter
Polish retailer Dino Polska has reported 54% year-on-year growth in revenue to PLN5.4bln (€1.2bln) in the third quarter of its financial year. On a year-to-date basis, the retailer generated revenue worth PLN14.1bln (€3bln) from January to September 2022, up 48.5% compared to last year and exceeding the full-year 2021 revenue of PLN13.4bln (€2.9bln).
Source: esmmagazine.com
Singapore: NTUC FairPrice to offer discount to offset GST increase, allaying concerns on rising cost of living
Ahead of the implementation of Goods & Services Tax (GST) increase in Singapore, NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice) has announced that it will be offering discount on 500 essential items for the first six months of 2023. This initiative will apply across all FairPrice supermarket retail formats, including FairPrice Online. The basket of 500 key essential items is selected based on items that customers purchase frequently and serves the top-of-mind needs of customers. They comprise national brand and housebrand items such as fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, staples, dairy, paper products, detergents and household cleaners.
Source: fairpricegroup.com.sg
Germany's Metro in advanced talks over sale of Indian division
Germany's Metro is exploring strategic options for its Indian unit and is in advanced discussions over a deal, a group spokesperson said, with analysts reckoning that the division could be valued at 500mln euros ($490mln) in a sale. Indian retailer Reliance is well-positioned to buy the business, two people familiar with the matter said, adding a deal could happen before the end of the year but that no final decision has been made.
Source: reuters.com
New Zealand: Countdown says pay rises for staff will cut profits
Supermarket chain Countdown has warned that first-half profit could halve as wages rise and sales fall from elevated lockdown levels. Countdown’s Australian owner Woolworths told investors that it expects New Zealand first-half earnings before interest and tax of $100mln to $130mln, down from $200mln in the same period last year, citing “the combination of lower sales and materially higher wage inflation”.
Source: stuff.co.nz
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings announces opening of "MITSUKOSHI FRESH" & "MITSUKOSHI Beauty" at "MITSUKOSHI BGC" in Manila
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. (hereinafter "Isetan Mitsukoshi HDS") of Tokyo is pleased to announce the opening of a new supermarket, "MITSUKOSHI FRESH", and a new beauty store, "MITSUKOSHI Beauty", on Friday, November 18, 2022, at "MITSUKOSHI BGC" in the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) area in the Philippine capital of Manila. MITSUKOSHI FRESH: Under the concept of "A Feast of Your Senses", the store aims to be a supermarket which not only sells goods but can also be enjoyed by all five senses. The store will respond to daily needs of customers with high-quality proposals, especially in the bakery, fruit, vegetable, meat, and fish sections, taking new initiatives unique to Isetan Mitsukoshi Group's concept.
Source: prnewswire.com
Belgium: Colruyt starts sustainable loyalty programme
The Belgian Colruyt Group has launched its first loyalty programme in its Xtra app, which spans several of the retail group’s chains. Shoppers can support local environmental initiatives when they purchase items with Eco-Score A or B.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Aldi teases 2022 Christmas advert as Kevin the carrot returns in nod to iconic TV moment
Aldi has unveiled an exciting teaser for their 2022 Christmas advert, and Kevin the Carrot is back with another conundrum. The advert for the popular supermarket is expected to be revealed soon, but as a teaser, a new 50 second clip has been unveiled, which shows Kevin and his family ready to jet off to the romantic city of Paris for a Christmas break.
Source: mirror.co.uk
StrongPoint becomes AutoStore distributor in UK and Ireland
StrongPoint, a leading provider of grocery retail technology and distributor of AutoStore’s Cube Storage Automation, announced it has signed an agreement to expand its successful Nordics and Baltics partnership with AutoStore to the UK and Ireland.
Source: strongpoint.com