SPAR UK announces new virtual conference: ‘SPAR Winning Together’
SPAR UK is hosting a virtual conference on 27 May 2021 focusing on innovation and growth. The event will explore how the company looks to invest and build on the momentum it has achieved over the past year in collaboration with retailers, suppliers, and customers.
Source: spar-international.com
Spanish supermarket chain Consum reveals 2020 was a spectacular year for business
The supermarket chain Consum which has a major presence in Valencia, Murcia and Catalonia announced 2020 turnover of €3.324,9mln, 13.3% more than the previous year. According to General Director of the cooperative, Juan Luis Durich overall growth during the year was 10.4%t which is 7% more than the average for the food distribution sector in Spain and profits reached €65.5mln.
Source: euroweeklynews.com
UK: Amazon creating 10,000 new jobs this year
Amazon has responded to the pandemic-led boom in online shopping by announcing that it will create more than 10,000 new permanent jobs in the UK during 2021, taking its total workforce in the country to more than 55,000. The new jobs will include roles at its corporate offices, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and operations network.
Source: kamcity.com
Poland: Poundland owner Pepco valued at 5bln euros in Warsaw listing
Steinhoff priced shares in Poundland owner Pepco at 40 zlotys (8.8 euros) for its Warsaw stock market listing, valuing the discount retailer at around 23bln zlotys (5bln euros). The initial public offering (IPO) is Poland’s biggest this year and gives a boost to Warsaw’s stock market which has had an uptick in listings, but was passed over by parcel delivery company InPost, which opted to list in Amsterdam in January.
Source: reuters.com
Asda: UK family spending power soars to 11-year high as optimism returns
Family disposable incomes hit an 11-year high in March – showing a marked improvement on the start of lockdown in March last year – and meaning many families are feeling far more optimistic about the future. The research from Asda’s latest Income Tracker showed the average family disposable income increased by 13.1% year-on-year in March, meaning households were on average £28 better off each week compared to the same period last year when lockdown began, and families were first impacted by reduced working hours and furlough.
Source: corporate.asda.com
Ukrainian delivery Rocket enters Amsterdam, has global ambitions
Food delivery service Rocket wants to become a global company rivaling Estonian Bolt Food, Spanish Glovo and American Uber Eats. And it has started its global expansion with the Netherlands. In April this year, the company’s orange backpacks were spotted on the streets of Amsterdam, where it now works with nearly 50 restaurants and continues to connect new partners. For now, Rocket is the only service in the city that delivers food for free.
Source: kyivpost.com
India: Flipkart to expand grocery operations with more fulfillment centres
Walmart-owned Flipkart will expand its online grocery operations by opening more fulfillment centres over the next 3 months. This comes at a time when India is currently experiencing its second wave of coronavirus infections, and customers need a safe and seamless access to grocery items through a quick and contactless delivery.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Food retail in Romania could exceed 140bln RON in 2021 (analysis)
The turnover in food retail is estimated at around 130bln RON in 2020, after, in 2019, this sector recorded incomes worth 118bln RON, according to the most recent KeysFin analysis. “The increase is due to the stockpiles made by the population at the beginning of the pandemic, as well as the ascending trend of online sales in food retail, over the average of the e-commerce market increase, situated at around 30 pct in 2020,” the release shows.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
Franmax appoints Karolis Lesickas as new CEO
Karolis Lesickas has been appointed the CEO of Franmax, a subsidiary of the Maxima Grupė, which provides IT development, support and maintenance services to the group’s companies. He is replacing Karolis Ceizaris, who will now join the e-commerce development team at the Vilniaus Prekyba group. Franmax currently has over 80 employees. The subsidiary services Maxima group companies in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Bulgaria.
Source: esmmagazine.com
US: Kroger to participate in virtual BMO 16th Annual Farm to Market Conference
The Kroger Co. announced that Gary Millerchip, Kroger’s CFO, will address investors at the virtual BMO 16th Annual Farm to Market Conference at 8:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The presentation will broadcast online at ir.kroger.com. Click on “Events & Presentations” to access the event. The presentation will be available in an archived format following the conference.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Whole Foods announces growth plans, organizational changes
Amid the nation’s slow return to normalcy – in a market impacted by pandemic-related shifts and still tinged with uncertainty – Whole Foods Market has shared some of its growth strategies for the future. In an announcement, Whole Foods reiterated the importance of access to high quality groceries and disclosed some ways that the retailer plans to move ahead across the organization. For example, more than 40 new stores are in the pipeline, following the opening of several locations in 2020. Among those recent locations: a novel Ideal Market concept in Denver and a new online-only store in Brooklyn, New York.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Canada: Empire completes purchase of 51% of Longo’s and Grocery Gateway, accelerates growing presence in Ontario
Empire Company Limited (“Empire” or the “Company”) announced that it has completed the purchase of 51% of Longo’s, a long-standing, family-built network of specialty grocery stores in the Greater Toronto Area (“GTA”) of Ontario, and the Grocery Gateway e-commerce business.
Source: newswire.ca