US: Fred Meyer workers in Portland authorize strike
While the union that represents thousands of grocery workers continues to negotiate a new contract with Fred Meyer this week, a strike in Portland, Oregon, is a real possibility. The 4,500 workers voted to authorize a strike and are accusing the grocer of unfair labor practices.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: GrubMarket introduces AI Chatbot, a revolutionary AI-powered chatbot for the food supply chain
GrubMarket is excited to announce the launch of AI Chatbot, an advanced AI-powered tool designed to revolutionize customer, vendor, and employee support for companies in the food supply chain industry. This innovative solution leverages cutting-edge artificial intelligence to deliver personalized, contextually relevant assistance tailored to the specific needs of food industry businesses. Once initialized with relevant data, AI Chatbot provides world-class support, providing high quality answers to questions on demand, 24/7/365.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Grocery union reverses support for Kroger, Albertsons merger
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 has changed course in its support for the proposed $24.6bln Kroger, Albertsons merger, releasing a statement announcing it's pulling its support for the deal.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Alimentation Couche-Tard to acquire GetGo Café + Market from Giant Eagle
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT), the parent company of the Circle K convenience-store brand, has reached a definitive agreement to acquire GetGo Café + Markets convenience stores from supermarket retailer Giant Eagle Inc.
Source: cspdailynews.com
US: Aldi opens stores in Ohio and Florida
Discount grocery chain Aldi continued its rapid expansion earlier this month with new locations in Orlando, Florida, and Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The Middleburg Heights store, located at 6820 Pearl Road, is a new store, and the Orlando store, located at 4607 South Orange Blossom Trail, is a renovated store.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Jumbo (finally) ready for first Belgian store opening of 2024
Next week, Jumbo will open its 34th Belgian supermarket: Roeselare will be only the first store opening of the year for the Dutch supermarket chain in Belgium, which has plans for five additional shops this year.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Norway's Kiwi cuts prices of popular vegetables to promote healthy eating
Norwegian discount retailer Kiwi is reducing the prices of around 25 best-selling vegetables as shoppers perceive price as the biggest barrier to healthy eating. Seven out of ten people want to follow the dietary advice of consuming five and eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day, but they find it too expensive, a survey conducted by Respons Analyse on behalf of Kiwi revealed. As many as 94% of the respondents believe that fruit and vegetables have become 'somewhat or very expensive'.
Source: esmmagazine.com
East of England Co-op reinforces its commitment to sustainability and tackling food waste
East of England Co-op has extended its partnership with Retail Insight, the provider of in-store execution software, for a further three years as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and tackling food waste.
Source: talkingretail.com
Biedronka unveils locations of first five stores in Slovakia
Polish retailer Biedronka has announced the locations of its first five stores in Slovakia, with the Jerónimo Martins-owned grocer set to open its first outlets in the country by the end of this year. The group will open stores in Levice, Nové Zámky, Považská Bystrica, Senica and Zvolen as part of its initial opening drive, Zuzana Baloghova, chief people officer for Slovakia at Jerónimo Martins announced in a post on LinkedIn.
Source: esmmagazine.com
New Zealand: Foodstuffs fine unfair to consumers
The $3.25mln penalty imposed on Foodstuffs for using land covenants to prevent competitors setting up shop, was just a fraction of the $7.3bln that could have been handed down under the legislation. However, Justice Radich said the higher figure, which represented 10% of Foodstuffs North Island turnover multiplied by 17 contraventions would have been out of all proportion to the offending.
Source: scoop.co.nz
Irish plant-based brand The Happy Pear announces UK retail launch
The Happy Pear, a plant-based brand based in the Republic of Ireland, has announced an upcoming expansion into UK retailers. Founded 20 years ago by twin brothers Dave and Steve Flynn, The Happy Pear's stated mission is to help people eat more vegetables.
Source: vegconomist.com
Picnic sweetens huge losses with promising Dutch results
Dutch online-only supermarket Picnic continues to raise both its turnover and its losses, as it says investing in growth comes before profits. The first (tentative) profit figures in the Netherlands do offer a hopeful perspective. Picnic's turnover grew 34% last year to 1.2bln euros, according to the annual report that Dutch newspaper the FD quotes from. However, the retailer also sees its losses grow, from 208.7mln euros in 2022 to 220.6mln in 2023.
Source: retaildetail.eu
SPAR Austria rolls out smart electronic shelf labels
Following extensive testing, SPAR Austria are rolling out smart electronic shelf labels (ESL) in stores. The multi-coloured ESL units ensure shoppers a modern and convenient shopping experience and digital price labelling for store employees.
Source: spar-international.com
"Roam and Greenspoon launch Kenya's fastest deliveries"
Roam and Greenspoon have partnered to offer sustainable deliveries and support local farms. Greenspoon customers get orders in under 99 minutes with Roam Air, down from 3 hours. Greenspoon riders make up to 195 orders daily with Roam Air thanks to its portable charging feature.
Source: roam-electric.com