UK: Asda brings back industry veteran Leighton to lead business
Struggling British supermarket Asda said veteran retailer Allan Leighton would return as executive chairman, more than two decades after he served as CEO when he turned around the business before selling it to Walmart.
Source: reuters.com
Spain: DIA minority shareholders discuss transparency and reforms
A coalition of minority shareholders at Spanish retail group DIA convened in Madrid to discuss strategies that the retailer needs to implement to achieve its true potential. The coalition, united by concerns over DIA's significant undervaluation relative to its peers and the board's lack of transparency, seeks to promote better corporate governance at the Spanish supermarket chain.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Belgium: Lidl gives self-scanning another go
Lidl is going to equip three Belgian branches with self-scanning checkouts before the end of this year. The discounter also seeks to implement a self-scanning solution throughout Europe.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Northern Ireland: Milestone new M&S opens in Belfast Grand Central Station
M&S Food is excited to announce the opening of its first-ever store in Northern Ireland located within a major travel hub at the new Belfast Grand Central Station. This milestone opening introduces M&S Food to one of Belfast's most anticipated new infrastructure developments, positioning the brand at the heart of the city's transport network.
Source: corporate.marksandspencer.com
UK: TikTok influences what we Just Eat
Just Eat, the UK's largest on-demand delivery service, unveiled its Food Trends Report. The viral TikTok cucumber salad trend alone made sales of cucumbers double on Just Eat, while sales of Co-op salad tomatoes have soared by 103% compared to 2023 thanks to the viral tomato toast.
Source: justeattakeaway.com
Belgium: Colruyt Group and organic farm De Lochting are partners for an indefinite period
De Lochting is an organic horticultural business in Roeselare that employs 120 people who face difficulties entering the regular job market. They work in the fields or in the greenhouses, in the kitchen, or assemble vegetable packages. In 2009, Colruyt Group first entered into a structural agreement with De Lochting to supply vegetables, but the first delivery goes back to 1999.
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
Amazon surpasses Coolblue in Dutch ecommerce top 100
AliExpress and Shein are among the ten largest online sellers in the Netherlands. And behind market leader bol comes, not Albert Heijn or Coolblue, but Amazon as the number two. That is according to a new ranking by German ECDB, a well-known publisher of ecommerce statistics.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Japan: Ito-Yokado closes store that inspired 'Crayon Shin-chan' supermarket
Supermarket chain Ito-Yokado on Sunday closed its store in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, that was known as the model for the "Sato-Kokonokado" store that appears in the popular anime series "Crayon Shin-chan".
Source: japantimes.co.jp
South Africa's Pick n Pay raises $471mln in Boxer IPO
South African grocery retailer Pick n Pay raised 8.5bln rand ($471mln) after selling a 34.4% stake in its discount chain Boxer at 54 rand per share to institutional investors in an initial public offering, it said.
Source: reuters.com
Official statistics: Food in three cities in Romania is more expensive than in Bucharest
Food is more expensive in three cities in Romania than in Bucharest, where salaries are the highest in the country, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics consulted by HotNews.ro. The cities in question are Arad, Miercurea Ciuc, and Alba Iulia. In these cities, the price of potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, kapia peppers, cucumbers, cheese (telemea), milk, and eggs reaches a higher combined total than an equivalent basket of products in Bucharest.
Source: romania-insider.com
Sweden: Axfood names Patrick Grabenbauer as managing director of City Gross
Axfood has named company veteran Patrick Grabenbauer as the new managing director of its recently acquired City Gross chain. In the new role, Grabenbauer succeeds Anders Wennerberg, who decided to step down after the change in ownership.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Major milestone reached as St George and Sainsbury's open new store at Silkstream, Hendon
Four years after the announcement of the Silkstream regeneration project between Sainsbury's and St George, a proud member of the Berkeley Group, the development partners are celebrating two important milestones. On Wednesday 20th November the doors of the highly anticipated, state-of-the-art 43,000 sq ft Sainsbury's supermarket opened for the first time. Alongside this, St George are delighted to welcome the first residents to Silkstream this month.
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
All eyes on Stuttgart as EDEKA Jäger opens another store featuring AI powered age verification at self-checkouts
A third EDEKA Jäger store with self-checkouts and AI supported age verification has opened its doors to the public in Stuttgart Plieningen, Germany. These are powered by Diebold Nixdorf.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Seven & i founding family sounded out KKR, others about buyout, Nikkei says
The founding family of Japan's Seven & i Holdings has approached KKR & Co and other investment firms about participating in the potential buyout of the retailer, the Nikkei newspaper reported.
Source: reuters.com
US: New Kitchen & Market location opens in Seattle
Kitchen & Market recently opened the doors to its latest small-format grocery store in the Seattle neighborhood of Eastlake. The 5,000-square-foot store at 1616 Eastlake Ave. includes a European-style corner grocery model that offers meal kits, grab-and-go lunches, pantry staples and produce.
Source: cspdailynews.com
US: Instacart orders first Super Bowl ad as its marketing evolution continues
Instacart will advertise during the Super Bowl for the first time in 2025, the company announced. The news comes as the brand continues to put a focus on marketing around football and sporting events more broadly.
Source: marketingdive.com
Amazon workers in 20 countries to protest or strike on Black Friday
Thousands of Amazon workers are expected to protest or strike in more than 20 countries during Black Friday to press for better workers' rights and climate action from the US retailer.
Source: theguardian.com
Canada: Walmart axing some property controls amid grocery competition scrutiny
Walmart Canada says it's getting rid of property controls relating to retail competition across the country. The move comes as Canada's competition watchdog is investigating the use of the restrictive real estate covenants, and as two major grocers have indicated they would be open to eliminating them.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Walmart de México y Centroamérica celebrates opening of 2,500th Bodega Aurrera
Walmart de México y Centroamérica, also known as Walmex, opened a landmark 2,500th Bodega Aurrera store in Mexicali, Mexico. In addition to its 2,500 brick-and-mortar locations, Bodega Aurrera offers a true omnichannel experience.
Source: corporate.walmart.com
US: Whole Foods workers in Philadelphia file to unionize with UFCW 1776
Workers at Whole Foods in Philadelphia, supported by UFCW Local 1776, have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a union election.
Source: ufcw1776.org