Daily Harvest makes its Costco debut as company continues U.S. retail expansion
Daily Harvest, the company on a mission to make it easy to eat more sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables, announced the company's inaugural availability at Costco at 82 warehouses across 12 states in the Midwest. The brand, beloved for its nourishing, quick to prep Smoothies - and more recently, a range of meals and snacks for every time of the day - will launch its top-selling Strawberry + Peach Smoothie as a four-pack beginning in early March.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Easter savings hop to Walmart, featuring an Easter meal priced lower than 2023
Walmart reported: "With customers still feeling the burden of high food costs, Walmart is lowering the cost of a curated Easter meal, available for purchase at a price even lower than last year. Customers will be delighted to discover that the meal features all the Easter mainstays, from ham and sweet potatoes to all the ingredients for deviled eggs, to apple pie and more. Best of all, the meal can serve up to 10 people and is available for an average price of less than $8 per person (Based on the national or highest regional price to be charged for the same items from February 15 - March 31, 2024. Prices at your local Walmart may be lower)".
Source: corporate.walmart.com
US: Wegmans to open 1st store on Long Island
Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is preparing for its first store on New York's Long Island. The 95,000-square-foot store is part of the DSW plaza at the corner of Middle County Road and Moriches Road in Lake Grove. According to the East Coast grocer, the new store is scheduled to open in early 2025.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Target sales, traffic exceed expectations in Q4, fiscal year 2023
In Q4, total year-over-year comparable sales declined 4.4%, while total revenue of $31.9bln was driven by sales growth of 1.6% and a 9.8% increase in other revenue. Comparable-store sales were down 5.4% and digital comparable sales were down 0.7%, but up more than 5 percentage points from the previous quarter. Operating income was $1.9bln, an increase of 60.9% over 2022. As for FY23, operating income grew 48.3% to $5.7bln, and full-year gross margin rate was 26.5% compared with 23.6% in 2022.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: ReposiTrak adds 10 new produce suppliers to its rapidly expanding Food Traceability Network
ReposiTrak announced the addition of ten produce companies to the ReposiTrak Traceability Network® (RTN). The new members include: A Calif.-based produce supplier in operation for more than 170 years; A Minn.-based leader in the grab-and-go fruit and vegetable snack market; An Ariz.-based radish grower and supplier of a variety of premium-quality vegetables; Two, third-generation fruit suppliers; A Texas-based supplier of fruits and vegetables leveraging direct grower relationships across the United States; North America's largest provider of fresh Brussels sprouts, based in Calif.; A high-tech greenhouse grower with operations across multiple countries; The largest distributor of specialty produce in the United States, based in Calif.; A Fla.-based shipper of Athena cantaloupe, specializing in eastern-grown produce.
Source: businesswire.com
Retailer Cencosud posts profit down 42% on Argentine inflation, slow consumption
Chile's Cencosud, one of Latin America's largest retailers, reported a 42% fall in fourth-quarter net profit, landing at 83.3bln pesos ($94mln), while revenues shrunk 16% to 3.30tln pesos.
Source: reuters.com
UK supermarkets' sales growth slows in February, NIQ says
Sales growth at British supermarkets slowed to 5.3% in February, from 6.6% in January, reflecting a fall in food inflation, industry data showed. Market researcher NIQ said food price inflation decreased to 5.0% last month from 6.1% in January.
Source: esmmagazine.com
SPAR shoppers save 5mln Surprise Bags with Too Good To Go
SPAR is delighted to share that the partnership with Too Good To Go has reached another milestone with 5mln Surprise Bags saved. The innovative app-based partnership across 13 countries resulted in reduction of food waste and an immense environmental impact with 12,500,000kgs of CO2e avoided.
Source: spar-international.com
Belgium: Colruyt Lowest Prices tests in-house developed 'Smart Cart'
Customers at Colruyt Lowest Prices in Halle may be in for a surprise over the next month. They might see a very special cart popping up in the aisles of their familiar store. Jo Willemyns, COO Retail at Colruyt Group and General Manager Colruyt Lowest Prices, adds: "For products without a barcode, like fruit and vegetables, we have provided a solution for the future: initially, customers will be able to weigh the products on a specially equipped scale in the fresh market. Via a code on the scale, the customer can enter the weighed products on the shopping cart to add them to the current account. During the test with employees, fruits and vegetables will be placed separately in the cart, and they will be weighed at the checkout."
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
Spain: Dia reports 'strong' performance in FY 2023 with profitability growth
Spanish grocery retailer Dia's proximity strategy proved successful in its financial year 2023, with the retailer generating 'strong results' despite a challenging economic climate. Sales reached €6.76bln, with like-for-like sales growth of 3.3% driven by a strong performance in Spain. However, overall net sales decreased 7.2% due to currency fluctuations in Argentina, the company noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
AliExpress now offers Korean fresh food, including tomatoes, at half-off prices
AliExpress (Ali), a Chinese e-commerce platform known for its focus on low-cost goods, has expanded its product lineup to include fresh food items such as fruits and meats.
Source: chosun.com
New Zealand: Foodstuffs North Island invites emerging suppliers to register for nationwide forum to set up for supermarket success
Foodstuffs North Island in partnership with The New Zealand Food Innovation Network are introducing a new series of nationwide forums to help emerging grocery suppliers set themselves up for supermarket success, hosting 14 events across New Zealand from March to September.
Source: foodstuffs.co.nz
Aldi unmatched as the UK's cheapest supermarket
Latest findings from consumer group Which? show Aldi to officially be the UK's cheapest supermarket for February. A shop at Aldi is over £37 cheaper than Waitrose. Aldi recently achieved Which? Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for three years running (2023 – 2021).
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
India: BigBasket teams up with chef Sanjeev Kapoor to launch frozen food brand Precia
E-grocery major BigBasket said that it has partnered with chef and entrepreneur Sanjeev Kapoor to launch a frozen foods brand Precia. Precia will encompass three product categories, featuring frozen vegetables such as green peas and mixed vegetables, frozen snacks like momos and french fries, and frozen sweets including gajar ka halwa and purani dilli rabdi.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Britain's Tesco raises store worker pay by 9.1%
Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, said it would raise store workers' hourly pay by 9.1%, in a move that reflects the increase in the government-mandated minimum wage.
Source: reuters.com