Cutting-edge innovations coming to Plant Based World Expo Europe this November
When Plant Based World Expo Europe opens at ExCeL London on 13 and 14 November 2024, the full breadth of innovation and trends will be on display. The two-day event for the food-and-beverage industry will feature an international exhibition with over 100 exhibitors and three theatres of educational content, led by industry experts.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Spain: Caprabo makes progress on its expansion plans
Spanish retailer Caprabo has opened 11 supermarkets in the year to date, announcing that it is 'making progress' on its expansion plans for 2024. "Caprabo maintains its sustained plan to open supermarkets in Catalonia, a strategic market for us", commented Jordi Lahiguera, marketing and corporate development director.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Britain's John Lewis optimistic on Christmas trading outlook
British department store retailer John Lewis is "quietly optimistic" about trading in the run-up to Christmas despite the prospect of the new Labour government announcing tax rises in next week's budget, its boss said. The John Lewis department store business is part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership which also runs the upmarket Waitrose supermarket chain.
Source: reuters.com
Auchan could sell local business in Russia - newspaper
France's Auchan group could sell its business in Russia, the French newspaper La Lettre said. La Lettre said that Auchan has found a "local buyer", and is in the final stages of negotiations to sell its Russian assets. "Our answer remains the same. We do not comment on market rumors", a representative of Auchan's Russian division told Interfax.
Source: interfax.com
Spain: Alcampo invests in robotics and AI for online shopping
Spanish supermarket chain Alcampo has invested €19.4mln in a highly automated warehouse equipped with robots and AI to enhance its online shopping service. The company has unveiled its Customer Fulfillment Centre (CFC) in San Fernando de Henares, Madrid, operated by Ocado and designed to handle up to 280,000 online orders per month.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Tahina plugs into autonomous retail technology as it gives a glimpse into its new flagship London store
Tahina has released the final designs for its autonomous food store which is set to launch in London during Q2 2025. The flagship store will be fully autonomous via a range of technology, including AI, intelligent weight shelves, motion detector sensors and cloud computing.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Plant-based and dairy push forward Danone sales
In Europe, prices actually went down 1%, while volumes grew 2.4%. Water sales grew despite the weaker weather, but especially the dairy and vegetable division (with star results from Alpro, Actimel and YoPro) performed very well. North American sales went up 5.8%, driven by a 4.9% volume growth and a 0.9% price increase.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Staff hold protest over 'unfair sackings'
A union which looks after 79 recently dismissed HelloFresh workers said the sackings were an outrage and a disgrace. Staff from the firm's Warwickshire warehouse staged a protest over the dismissals which the Community Trade Union said came about after the workers complained about working conditions.
Source: bbc.com
Canada: Empire Company Limited expands e-commerce home delivery options through new partnerships with Instacart and Uber Eats
Empire Company Limited ("Empire" or the "Company") announced partnerships with Instacart and Uber Eats, providing customers with new ways to shop its stores online. These new partnerships complement Voilà, Empire's existing online grocery home delivery service. Instacart and Uber Eats users will now see Empire banner stores on their apps in Ontario, with rollout across Canada to follow. Delivery will be available at Sobeys, Farm Boy, Longo's and, for the first time, FreshCo.
Source: newswire.ca
US: Kroger predicts Top Five Food Trends of 2025
The Kroger Co. revealed its top five food trends for 2025, predicting emerging trends, customer behaviors and anticipated popular items for the year ahead. Kroger's top five food trend predictions for 2025: Food Dupes; Bold & Briny; The Protein Renaissance; Pepper Palette: Customers shifted from chasing the highest Scoville ratings to now exploring how heat maximizes flavor. And delving into spices and peppers from international cuisines - like Calabrian chiles, guajillo peppers and hatch chiles - allows them to do so; Hail, Caesar: Following its viral "Caesar salad and french fries" moment, Caesar salad innovation is at an all-time high. Beyond traditional salads and wraps, recipes featuring Caesar dressing on pizza, pasta and a variety of leafy greens beyond romaine lettuce are gaining popularity.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Nugget Markets breaks ground in Sacramento area
On October 22, California-based Nugget Markets broke ground on its first store in Rocklin, California. The 95,000-square-foot grocery store will be located at the corner of Whitney Ranch Parkway and University Avenue, near downtown Sacramento.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Instacart's cornucopia of Thanksgiving and winter holiday insights
According to a recent Instacart survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults by The Harris Poll, a hearty 89% plan to celebrate Thanksgiving, while 88% are also gearing up to cook festive meals for occasions like Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year's Eve. Data also showed the classic duo of turkey and cranberry sauce were top-of-mind for consumers, as the top five Thanksgiving-focused items included whole turkey, cranberries, whole frozen turkey, pumpkin pie, and canned cranberries.
Source: instacart.com
Smaller is better: Sprouts Farmers Market finds success in reduced store footprint
The organic and natural food grocery retailer has posted a string of positive earnings reports, with the latest from Q2 indicating $1.9bln in net sales, which is a 12% year-over-year increase, as well as comparable stores sales growth of 6.7%. Wall Street is responding accordingly. On October 22, the share price for Sprouts reached an all-time high of $118. The success is the result of bold moves from Sprouts in choosing to both focus on health conscious shoppers, as well as lean into a smaller store footprint.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Canada: Stong's Market to add new location in B.C.
A new Stong's Market is set to open in Surrey, B.C. The B.C.-based grocer and its Stems floral shop will open in Lark Group's Health and Technology District, inside the new City Centre 4 building. Stong's will feature major national brands, local suppliers, hot meals, an Edibles deli, fresh produce and more. Stems offers fresh flowers, succulents and giftware.
Source: canadiangrocer.com