US: Sprouts Farmers Market promotes Daniel Spivey to national director of produce for fruit
Sprouts Farmers Market has named a new national director of produce for fruit. Daniel Spivey, who was serving as senior category manager for avocados, stone fruit, and citrus, was promoted to the position and will report to Sonya Constable, vice president of produce for Sprouts. Working under Spivey will be Jason Glunt, senior sourcing manager for berries; Erin Tice, senior category manager for cherries, bananas, apples, and pears; and David Dudley, senior category manager for grapes, melons, and tropical.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Salad and Go has super-sized growth on the menu for 2024; Will add new stores weekly throughout the year
Salad and Go, a one-of-a-kind drive-thru concept on a mission to make fresh, nutritious food convenient and affordable for ALL, is placing its bet that 2024 will be the year of the salad. Rounding the bend on a successful 2023, CEO Charlie Morrison has aggressive plans to bring Salad and Go to even more Americans with a goal of continuing to open nearly a store per week in 2024.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Albertsons reports strong Q3 returns as Kroger merger looms
With a decision due any day by the Federal Trade Commission on the $24.6bln Kroger, Albertsons merger, Albertsons reported strong net sales and revenue figures in its Q3 report. Albertsons reported $18.6bln in net sales and revenue for the 12-week period ended December 2, 2023, up 2% from the $18.2bln reported for the same quarter in 2022, the company said. Net income was up $361mln, or $0.62 per share, for the quarter, Albertsons reported. Adjusted net income was $462mln, or $0.79 per share, while the adjusted EBITDA was $1.1bln.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Big Y appoints new president/CEO and COO
The board of directors of Big Y Foods Inc. has revealed that Charles L. D’Amour will become executive chairman of the board, while the roles of president and CEO will transition to Michael P. D’Amour, and those of EVP and COO will move to Richard D. Bossie.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Make 2024 the best year ever with Kroger
The Kroger Co. is bringing customers the tools to make 2024 the best year ever, offering savings on thousands of fresh, natural and organic products and dishing on ways customers can access health and nutrition support at Kroger all year long. Try these Simple Truth® favorites to sneak in more fruits and veggies in 2024: Simple Truth® Freeze Dried Strawberries; Simple Truth® Organic Jalapeno Lime Kraut; Simple Truth® Organic Bagged Fresh Broccoli and Cauliflower - steams in the microwave; Simple Truth® Organic Frozen Fruit; Simple Truth® Organic Fruit and Veggie Blend Strips. OptUP favorites from Kroger Health registered dietitians include products such as: Private Selection® Mini Seedless Cucumbers; Kroger Brand ®Yukon Gold Potatoes; Kroger Brand® Honeycrisp Apples.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Aldi adds new market with Lombard, Illinois, store
Discount grocer Aldi is expanding its footprint further with plans to open its newest store in Lombard, Illinois, on January 11, the grocer announced. The new location at 205 W Roosevelt Road is Aldi’s third to open this year.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Walmart unveils new GenAI search tech for shoppers at CES
Walmart unveiled two new AI-powered tools at the CES conference in Las Vegas to help shoppers quickly search for products and automate the process of re-ordering frequently ordered items.
Source: reuters.com
Tech firms Stor.ai and Mercatus to merge
Grocery e-commerce providers Stor.ai, based in Tel Avi, Israel, and Mercatus Technologies, based in Toronto, Canada, have merged, according to an emailed press release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Source: grocerydive.com
SPAR Slovenia phase out single-use F&V plastic bags and receive FDI Award Slovenia
Continuing its focus on sustainable operations, SPAR Slovenia will be the first retailer in the country to completely phase out single-use plastic bags in the fruit and vegetable department. Instead, biodegradable bags or reusable SPAR mesh bags will be available from this year. SPAR Slovenia received the FDI Award Slovenia 2023 in the category of significant influence on the Slovenian economy.
Source: spar-international.com
Spain: Eroski surges ahead with revenue growth, improved profitability in Q3
Spanish supermarket chain Eroski has posted year-on-year sales growth of 8.7% in the third quarter of its financial year, to €3.86bln. Grocery sales soared 11.2% compared to the same period last year, to €3.66bln, the retailer noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Tesco cuts price of more than 150 popular products from berries to baked beans
Tesco has cut the price of more than 150 everyday items by an average of 12.5% to help customers reduce the cost of their weekly shop and help stretch the family budget as they go into 2024. The latest price cuts include: Tesco Strawberries (227g) - down 30p to £2.00; Tesco Blueberries (250g) - down 35p to £2.65; Tesco Large Pineapple (each) - down 50p to £1.30; Tesco Sugarsnap Peas (180g) - down 20p to £1.10; Tesco Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (420g) - down 5p to 45p.
Source: tescoplc.com
UK: Asda's £4bln debt pile is not a problem, say supermarket chain's private equity owners
Asda’s private equity owners have insisted the supermarket can cope with spiralling borrowing costs on its £4bln debt pile. TDR Capital, which bought the grocer with the Issa brothers for £6.8bln in 2021, told MPs it was ‘more than comfortable’ with the amount owed.
Source: thisismoney.co.uk
Holland: Picnic raises $388mln from investors, Gates Foundation
Dutch online grocery store Picnic has raised 355mln euros ($388.02mln) from its investors and plans to further expand in France and Germany, it said in a statement. The company has already opened distribution centres in Hamburg and Berlin in Germany, and in Paris, France. Picnic, which was founded in 2015, said investors taking part in the latest fundraising included The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust and Germany's largest supermarket group Edeka.
Source: reuters.com
Germany: Galeria files for bankruptcy
German department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof has filed for bankruptcy. The retailer wants to separate itself from shareholder Signa, which is weighed down by heavy debts.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Sainsbury's claims food win but reveals tougher Christmas for wider sales
Sainsbury's says it is not expecting prices to fall across the board this year while revealing a strong Christmas sales performance for groceries but falls in non-food categories. The UK's second-largest supermarket chain by market share warned that shoppers should not expect to see deflation in 2024, as the pace of grocery inflation continues to ease back. The company said it was expecting to report underlying profit before tax of between £670mln and £700mln.
Source: news.sky.com