US: New Aldi stores open in Michigan and Georgia
Discount grocer Aldi opened two new stores, one in Georgia and the other in Michigan, on Thursday. The Cedar Springs, Michigan, store is located at 14050 Edgerton Ave., and the Tifton, Georgia, store is at 1805 West US Highway 82, the company said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Could DoorDash's drone delivery pilot program expand to grocery stores?
DoorDash is launching a pilot program in Christiansburg, Virginia, to begin drone delivery from fast food chain Wendy's via Google-owned drone company Wing, but that program could expand to supermarkets.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Canada: Loblaws shoppers threaten to strike as CFO claims food inflation is the lowest in years
Loblaws shoppers have been venting on social media for months about the retailer's prices, and now they are organizing a boycott, reports the Toronto Sun. Reddit group Loblaws Is Out of Control was formed back in November as a way for shoppers to vent about the grocer's cost of food, and now has more than 25,000 members.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Upside and Price Chopper/Market 32 deepen collaboration to boost consumer benefits
Upside, the premier digital marketplace for brick-and-mortar grocers, is thrilled to announce a long-term agreement and an enhanced tech integration with Price Chopper/Market 32, a prominent supermarket chain in the US Northeast. This comes after their initial collaboration resulted in 500,000 incremental transactions from 50,000 customers.
Source: upside.com
Canada: Walmart pilots robotics and automation at Calgary distribution center as part of modernization plan
Walmart Canada is piloting an automated receiving solution at its distribution center in Calgary as part of the retailer's plan to modernize its supply chain. The project kicks off at the retailer's Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) in Calgary.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Waves of UNFI workers continue to join unions
Close to 100 drivers for United Natural Foods, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia, have joined Teamsters Local 728. The move was approved by 95% of the voters and ended a month-long effort by UNFI workers to unionize.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Giant Eagle offers additional grocery delivery options through expanded DoorDash partnership
Giant Eagle announced that it has expanded its partnership with DoorDash, the local commerce platform, to make on-demand grocery delivery available through all corporate Giant Eagle supermarkets and Market District locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia.
Source: about.doordash.com
Six out of eight supermarkets answer call for 'Buy British' online option
Six of the UK's major retailers have now responded to the call for supermarkets to back the nation's farmers by adding 'buy British' tabs to their websites. Waitrose and the Co-op are the latest national supermarkets to join the campaign by implementing 'British' and 'Best of British' sections on their websites. Other supermarkets who have taken up the call to back Britain's farmers include Sainsbury's Best of British page, Morrisons' 'British' section, Aldi's 'Best of British' category, and Ocado Retail's Best of British aisle.
Source: nfuonline.com
Norway: NorgesGruppen reports a 9.3% increase in operating income in FY 2023
NorgesGruppen has posted a 9.3% increase in operating income to NOK112.2bln (€9.7bln) in its financial year 2023. Profit for the year amounted to NOK3.4bln (€290mln), with a profit margin of 3.1%, up from 2.8% in 2022.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Aldi drops Easter veg prices even further to just 15pAldi has once again reduced the price of a selection of its most popular veggies to just 15p, including White Potatoes (2kg), Carrots (1kg), Large Garlic Bulbs (each), Red and White Cabbage (each), Large Brown Onions (3 pack), Swede (each), and fresh Cut Rosemary (20g).
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
Umiami opens French plant of veg substitutes
Umiami, the French "non-meat" startup, has opened a 38mln Euro factory in France. The producer of vegetable meat substitutes has just inaugurated it in Alsace: it is a plant of 14,000 square meters that will produce products of "fake meat and fish."
Source: efanews.eu
India: Agritech CropIn and AWS collaborate to tackle global hunger and food insecurity
CropIn Technology, an agritech firm specializing in intelligent agriculture, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) India Private Limited have inked an MoU with the aim of developing a solution to combat global hunger and food insecurity.
Source: business.outlookindia.com
E-Mart announced on the 22nd that it will stabilize fruit prices by selling imported fruits such as bananas and oranges at discounted prices.
Since the 20th, E-Mart has been selling bananas and oranges, which are the first and second items in sales of imported fruits (based on January 1st to March 20th of this year), by 20% from the normal price (based on March 19th).
Source: mk.co.kr
UK: Waitrose and WRAP tap eye-tracking tech and behavior change science to push loose produce benefits
This Food Waste Action Week (18th-24th March), Waitrose and WRAP are trialling Point of Sale messaging to encourage more customers to buy fresh produce loose to cut household food waste, save money, and reduce single-use plastics and unnecessary packaging.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
UK: Tesco accused of using cash and carry to 'squeeze' village stores out of business
Village stores have sounded the alarm over what they claim is a battle for survival, accusing the supermarket group Tesco of using its cash-and-carry arm to "squeeze" them out of business by restricting supplies and deliveries of groceries. Jonathan Cobb, who runs the village shop and post office in Miserden, Gloucestershire, wants to continue supporting local farms by buying fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables from them and does not want to be solely reliant on one wholesaler.
Source: theguardian.com
Japanese discount supermarket chain jumps 29% in IPO debut
Shares of discount supermarket operator Trial Holdings rose 29% in their public debut on Japan's Growth market, valuing the company at ¥261.6bln ($1.73bln), the country's largest debut this year.
Source: forbes.com