UK: Asda protest as supermarket chain faces retail industry's largest equal pay claim
Asda's female employees, backed by GMB Scotland, are gearing up for a protest outside the Perth superstore next Monday in a dispute over pay. The union has highlighted that women working in the shops are pocketing up to £2 less per hour than their male counterparts in warehouse positions. Asda is currently embroiled in the retail industry's biggest equal pay lawsuit, with 50,000 present and past staff members involved.
GMB estimates that the back pay due to Asda's female employees could surpass £30m, and achieving pay parity could boost their annual income by £6,000. GMB Scotland organiser Robery Deavy has called out the undervaluation of women's work at Asda, urging the company to invest in fair pay rather than legal fees, saying: "Women's work in Asda and elsewhere has been undervalued too long and it is beyond time for that to change."
Source: Mirror
New Zealand: Foodstuffs signs deal with UK supermarket giant Tesco
Foodstuffs North Island is seeking help from long-time data services mentor UK supermarket Tesco in its quest to ramp up online sales and better utilise its store warehouse space. The North Island grocery giant has enlisted the help of Tesco's Transcend Retail Solutions to streamline its online business with a new grocery picking service as it aims to tap into the growing grocery ecommerce space.
The service ‒ which sees Foodstuffs using Transcend's picking software and hardware for staff to pack orders more efficiently ‒ is currently being trialled at one Pak'nSave and one New World store. The partnership draws on Tesco's ecommerce expertise, which sees it fulfil approximately one million online orders each week. It is separate to the company's long-standing data-sharing deal with Tesco's data science and analytics group, Dunnhumby.
Source: The Press
UK: Plans approved for Lidl to open new Pinners Brow Retail Park store
LIDL has overcome a planning battle with rival Tesco to open a new supermarket on a Warrington retail park. In June last year, the discount supermarket chain submitted plans to open a new store on Pinners Brow Retail Park. Currently, the site consists of four separate units occupied by Wickes DIY and trade store, which will remain, as well as Sofology, The Jungle children's soft play and Carpet Right.
Lidl has acquired unit four, currently occupied by Carpet Right – which entered administration in July and announced the store was to close – as well as unit three occupied by The Jungle and a portion of unit two occupied by Sofology Warrington.
Source: Warrington Guardian
UK: Asda workers revolt over 'mentally draining' in-store radio Asda workers have hit out at a move to play unlicensed music on repeat in the store. Supermarket bosses swapped over the music on their in-store radio to songs by unsigned artists in an alleged bid to avoid paying expensive royalties. But staff at the supermarket change have criticised the move, saying it is "repetitive" and "mentally draining".
In a Reddit forum dedicated to staff, some have hit out at the change, saying it was "corny". One customer on the forum said of the new music: "I am just a customer but even I've noticed how terrible it is now!" Staff have speculated that the change is a bid to reduce paying royalty fees to big record labels from playing songs on the in-store radio. Asda launched its own in-store radio in 1991.
Source: Standard
Japan: Finance Ministry labels 7-Eleven owner 'core' industry, complicating takeover
The Japanese finance ministry on Friday (Sep 13) designated the parent company of 7-Eleven a "core" industry, in a move that could make a takeover by Canadian rival Couche-Tard more difficult. Other entities rated "core" in Japan include manufacturers in the nuclear, rare earths and chip industries, as well as cybersecurity and infrastructure operators. Last week, Seven & i – Japan's biggest retailer, which owns the global 7-Eleven convenience store chain – rejected an initial buyout offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT).
The Japanese company said the proposal, which roughly matched its market value of around US$40 billion, "grossly undervalues" its business and could face regulatory hurdles. Such a purchase, mooted since August, would be the biggest ever foreign takeover of a Japanese firm. In response, ACT, which owns the Circle K chain, said on Sunday it would pursue the buyout and was "highly confident that we have sufficient capacity to finance the transaction".
Source: Business Times
UAE: Lulu Group partners to boost global promotion of Indian organic products
The Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA), the government's agricultural export facilitation arm, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LuLu Group International, a leading retail chain in the Middle East and Asia.
As part of the agreement, LuLu Group will feature a wide range of certified Indian organic products in its stores across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This partnership aims to expand the global reach of Indian organic products and ensure they reach a broader audience.
Source: NewsX
Philippines: Pokemon themed 7-Eleven pops up
The Pokemon Company has set up a Pokemon themed 7-Eleven in the Philippines. The 7-Eleven in question is located in Eton Centris, cooinciding with a recent partnership between Pokemon and the convenience store chain. Two more stores are also planned to be set up in Makati and Cebu.
Source: NintendoSoup
Australia: Retail bodies back Queensland's tougher work safety legislation
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA) have expressed their approval of the Queensland government's newly introduced Respect at Work legislation, which aims to enhance protections for individuals subjected to workplace assaults and promote safer and more inclusive work environments.
The new legislation stipulates stronger penalties for workplace assaults, including those occurring in retail settings. "This has been an important area of advocacy and we welcome QLD's commitment to workplace safety that will see harsher penalties for offenders who assault people at work," said ARA CEO Paul Zahra.
Source: Retail Asia
US: Aldi is hiring 13,000 employees, with pay starting at $23 per hour
Discount grocer Aldi is hiring 13,000 workers to staff up for the holiday season at an average starting pay of $23 per hour. The jobs available will be in stores and warehouses, with average starting pay ranging between $18 and $23 per hour depending on the market and the position.
Employees who work more than 30 hours per week will get health insurance, flexible scheduling, paid time off, and fully funded parental and caregiver leave. "Our ability to attract and retain talent has always been key to our success, and we look forward to helping our new team members grow in their careers," Atty McGrath, president of ALDI, said in a statement.
Source: Nj.com
US: Hy-Vee voted best grocery store in America by USA Today's 10Best
Hy-Vee has been chosen by USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards as the top grocery store in America. In previous years, Hy-vee has landed in the top three, but this was the first year the supermarket chain has claimed the top spot. A panel of experts nominated 20 grocery stores from around the US for their offerings, selection and service. Readers were then given 28 days to vote for their favorites. Hy-Vee was also voted America's Best Grocery Store for Produce and was the runner-up for Best Grocery Store for Prepared Food in the Nation.
Source: DakotaNewsNow
US: Kroger, Albertsons wrap up defense of $25B merger in Oregon court, but case is headed for overtime
Kroger and Albertsons rested their case Thursday, bringing a marathon three-week hearing over their proposed merger nearer to its end. But it won't end on schedule. The hearing is now expected to drag into a fourth week, likely not wrapping up until Tuesday at the soonest.
U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson, the Portland jurist who is adjudicating the case, unexpectedly cut Monday's arguments short, pushing Kroger's procession of witnesses into overtime. That means the government begins a roughly five-hour rebuttal arguments on Friday, and closing arguments won't come until Tuesday.
Source: Seattle Times
Canada: Sobeys' parent starts fiscal 2025 with a bang
Empire Co. Ltd., the parent company of Canadian grocers Sobeys, FreshCo, Safeway, and several others, is seeing market conditions improving following a promising 2025 first quarter earnings report on Thursday. Food retail sales were just over $8.1 billion, which is a 0.8% improvement year over year and beat estimates of $8.05 billion, and gross profit came in at $2.1 billion, a 2.5% increase. Adjusted EBITDA was just under $648 million for the first quarter that ended Aug. 3, an increase of 2.2% year over year. Net earnings were just over $197 million. Same-store sales excluding fuel improved 1.0% year over year.
Source: Supermarketnews