US: Trader Joe's long-time CEO and the brains behind the 19-cent banana announces his retirement
Trader Joe's CEO Dan Bane will retire in July, the grocery store chain said. Bane has worked at Trader Joe's for a quarter-century, the company said. The company started selling bananas for 19 cents each after a conversation Bane had with a shopper.
Source: businessinsider.com
US: Grocers cultivate relationships with local farmers markets
In addition to touting their own fresh fruits, vegetables and plants, some grocers are teaming up with local farmers markets. Earlier this month, Festival Foods reported that it is hosting farmers market events in several of its stores’ parking lots throughout Wisconsin. Most of the pop-up farmers markets are slated to begin in June and run through mid-October, the typical end of harvest season in the Midwest.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Food watchdog group urges FTC to nix Kroger-Albertsons merger deal
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit food and nutrition watchdog group, has called on the Federal Trade Commission to reject the Kroger-Albertsons supermarket mega-merger. In a letter sent to FTC leaders, CPSI argued that the $24.6bln deal - joining the nation’s two largest conventional supermarket operators - would unbalance the grocery industry playing field by consolidating retailer and manufacturer control, in turn hoisting prices and impacting food security in some market areas.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
Online grocery shopping fails with fresh produce
One food category in particular has the lowest overall satisfaction rate with consumers: fresh produce. Per The Feedback Group, customers find that the product delivered to their door often falls short on quality standards.
Source: thedailymeal.com
Landlord, Amazon sue each other over delayed Amazon Fresh location
The plan was for an Amazon Fresh store to replace a Barnes & Noble in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, but that opening has been delayed. Federal Realty Investment Trust LLC is now suing Amazon for a technical default on the lease due to the fact the Fresh store has not yet opened. Amazon, however, is not taking the charge lying down as it also has filed a countersuit alleging the landlord is at fault. Amazon is accusing the building owner of not completing work in order to make the transition.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Brazil's Americanas looking for buyer for stake in Grupo Uni.co
Brazilian retailer Americanas SA, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year after an accounting scandal, said it has started the market sounding process to prospect parties interested in buying its stake in Grupo Uni.co.
Source: reuters.com
Just Eat appoints new Managing Director for UK and Ireland
Claire Pointon has been appointed as Just Eat’s new Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. Pointon takes over from Andrew Kenny, who joined Just Eat Takeaway.com’s Management Board as Chief Commercial Officer last year.
Source: justeattakeaway.com
Lidl GB calls on other supermarkets to make fruit & veg more appealing to kids
Lidl GB is calling on other supermarkets to introduce design changes on the packaging of fruit and veg products, to help make them appeal more to kids. The call comes as the discounter reveals that sales of its Oaklands Funsize range increased by more than a third since introducing the specially designed packaging in 2017. Lidl was the first British supermarket to introduce a range of healthy products specifically designed to encourage children to eat more greens. The collection comprises of fresh fruit and veg with quirky names and cartoon characters, such as Banana-Llamas and Tawny Tomatowl.
Source: corporate.lidl.co.uk
Switzerland: Migros to create new organisation for its supermarket business
The administration of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (Migros-Genossenschafts-Bundes - MGB) has decided to operate the supermarket business of Migros as an independent, centrally controlled company. The administrations of the ten regional cooperatives now have until 24 May 2023 to decide, the Swiss company said in a statement.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Poland: Eurocash sees double-digit sales growth in first quarter
Eurocash Group has reported a 16% year-on-year increase in sales across all business segments, to PLN7.6bln (€1.7bln), in the first quarter of its financial year.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Wolt expands further in Europe
While other flash delivery companies are downsizing or merging, Wolt is expanding its coverage area. With its launch in Vienna and Reykjavik, the Finnish company is now active in 25 countries, almost all of them in Europe. Wolt delivers orders for both restaurants and retailers.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
At ALDI, we are proud to work with suppliers producing top-quality Irish produce
ALDI Ireland reported: "We’ve been working with Flynn’s tomatoes for the past ten years, and to mark the occasion, we visited their facility in Swords, Co. Dublin, as part of our #FarmtoFork series. Irish suppliers like Flynn’s, allow us to offer our customers a great selection of high-quality, homegrown produce."
Source: aldipresscentre.ie
Spain: Alcampo reports 11% revenue growth in FY 2022
Grocery retailer Alcampo, owned by France’s Auchan, reported sales of €4.77bln in its financial year 2022, representing an increase of 11% over the previous year.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Philippines: foodpanda activates first grocery pop-up booth
foodpanda has launched its first-ever physical pop-up store in the country where consumers can physically experience the items sold in their online grocery arm, pandamart. Offering a one-stop shop for all food and essential needs, pandamart is foodpanda’s online grocery store which offers a wide assortment of fresh, frozen, snacks, drinks, pantry essentials, pharmaceuticals, and other household items to be delivered to your doorsteps in less than an hour.
Source: lifestyle.inquirer.net
Top 5 supermarket retail chains in Luxembourg
Here's an overview of the top five supermarket retail chains in Luxembourg, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index (www.retail-index.com) 1. Cactus turnover: €750mln; 2. Auchan turnover: €171mln; 3. Delhaize turnover: €175mln; 4. Aldi turnover: €90mln (estimated); 5. Colruyt turnover: €42mln (estimated).
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK government urged to act as some meat and veg prices double in a year
Which? and other groups call for intervention as food industry figures gather for summit with Rishi Sunak. Some meat and vegetable lines at supermarkets have almost doubled in price over the past year, research has found, prompting fresh calls for the government to intervene as food industry figures gather for summit in Downing Street.
Source: theguardian.com
Auchan Retail expands African footprint to Algeria
French retail group Auchan plans to enter Algeria in the fourth quarter of this year in partnership with the Great Way Group, a retail player operating in the Maghreb region. The partnership will see the opening of a 5,000 square-metre Auchan branded hypermarket in the capital city of Algiers, managed by the Great Way Group.
Source: esmmagazine.com