US: Why Grocery Outlet is focused on fresh
Grocery Outlet says its value proposition focused on fresh food, value and the treasure hunt remains strong despite a mixed first quarter earnings report. The company says it expects to open as many as 38 new stores in fiscal 2021. 3 to 5 of these stores will be in the east, including 2 that have opened already year to date.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Target launches Good & Gather Plant Based label
Target Corp. has added a plant-based line to its year-and-a-half-old Good & Gather food and beverage brand. Called Good & Gather Plant Based, the new collection includes more than 30 products for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, Minneapolis-based Target said. Items range from plant-based dips and spreads, oat milk, almond milk creamer and vegan salad dressing to meatless beef and chicken patties, pea-protein meatballs and buffalo-style cauliflower wings.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Kroger creates business incubator for fresh food producers
The Kroger Co. has launched the Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator, a business incubator for fresh food and related suppliers. Under the partner program, Kroger aims to discover new U.S. growers, producers and other suppliers to help drive the continued expansion of its supermarkets’ fresh departments, including produce, deli, bakery, meat, seafood, dairy, specialty cheese and floral.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Carrefour’s Brazil unit’s Q1 net profit rises 4.7%
Reuters reported: “Food retailer Carrefour Brasil reported a first-quarter adjusted net income of 420mln reais ($80mln), a rise of 4.7% year-over-year, amid strong sales growth and market share gains in South America’s largest country. The Brazilian unit of Carrefour posted adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 1.1bln reais, down 1.3% from the same period a year earlier”.
Source: nasdaq.com
Amazon does not have to pay back Luxembourg tax advantage
The tax advantage that the European branch of Amazon enjoys in Luxembourg is legitimate, according to the EU’s General Court. The e-commerce giant therefore does not have to pay back 250mln euros in back taxes.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Sonae MC to accelerate rollout of Meu Super stores in Portugal
Portuguese retail group Sonae MC is planning to accelerate the rollout of its Meu Super franchised stores in Portugal and Cape Verde in 2021. Last year, the group opened 17 Meu Super proximity stores, taking the total to around 300 and generating revenue worth €171mln, corresponding to an annual growth of 14%. Since January, Sonae MC has already opened 7 Meu Super stores, out of a total of 25 planned for this year. Speaking to Dinheiro Vivo, the general manager of Meu Super, Tomás Lince Fernandes, said that for 2021 the plan is to accelerate the rate of new openings compared to the previous year.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Just Eat Takeaway launches grocery delivery in Germany
Just Eat Takeaway.com, Europe’s largest food ordering and delivery company, said it would launch a supermarket delivery service in Germany and is considering doing the same in other markets. The company said its Lieferando service, which operates in 50 German cities, would now also offer groceries. Lieferando “intends to run its grocery business at gross profit neutral”, Takeaway said in a statement. “Just Eat Takeaway.com is also investigating a similar approach in other key markets such as the UK and the Netherlands”.
Source: reuters.com
Delivery Hero to launch operations in Berlin and expand across Germany later this year
Delivery Hero SE (“Delivery Hero”), the world’s leading local delivery platform, announced plans to re-enter the German market under its brand foodpanda. Seeing a great opportunity due to evolved customer demands and an under-penetrated market, Delivery Hero believes in the potential that Germany has to offer. foodpanda already operates in more than 10 countries across Europe and Asia, and will bring its signature pink deliveries to the streets of Berlin later this summer. foodpanda is at first starting with a soft launch in the center of Berlin in June, and plans to expand operations to more German cities after an official launch on August 10th.
Source: deliveryhero.com
Ozon scales up business in Belarus, expands logistics infrastructure
Ozon, a leading multi-category e-commerce platform, announces that it has registered an operating company in the Republic of Belarus called Ozon Rocket Bel LLC. The new structure is being created to scale up business in the country and primarily to expand Ozon’s logistics infrastructure.
Source: sistema.com
Ireland: Dunnes wants court to rule on what ‘groceries’ means
Dunnes Stores has asked the High Court to rule on what is the definition of groceries in a row between the supermarket chain and a discount retailer. Dunnes wants the court to enforce a restriction on what a Mr Price outlet in Carlow town can sell which the supermarket says is a requirement of the lease granted to the discount store. Dunnes says groceries are more than just food and includes low-cost, non-durable repeat household items. Mr Price accepts groceries means food but opposes Dunnes’ contention that it extends to other items.
Source: irishtimes.com
UK: Bestway Wholesale restructures business
Bestway Wholesale has unveiled plans to restructure its senior management team to bring Bestway Wholesale and Bestway Retail together, enabling it to “harness its growing scale and talent”.
Source: talkingretail.com
Foodwaste in retail chains in Poland
There are huge differences between the amount of food donated between the 2 largest retail chains in Poland: Lidl and Biedronka. Shops generate about 5% of food losses in Poland, but it is the retailers and wholesalers of food that have been obliged by the act on counteracting food waste to conclude an agreement with non-governmental organizations on the provision of free food. In addition, store owners must organize promotional campaigns to encourage consumers not to waste. The financial statements of Jeronimo Martins Polska and Lidl Polska show that the entire chain of Lidl stores generates over 2.5 times lower turnover than Biedronka discount stores. The reason is even a smaller number of outlets (there are about 760 Lidl stores, and about 3120 Biedronka stores). However, if Lidl achieved a turnover comparable to that generated by Jeronimo Martins Polska, it would still give up 60 times less food than Biedronka. In fact, Biedronka is at the forefront of food donated per PLN1mln of revenue, but these are still small amounts compared to the total food turnover in this chain. In this comparison, Lidl seems to be a master in managing the product offer.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
SPAR Slovenia receives IFCO Sustainability Certificate
As part of its efforts to ensure a sustainable production chain, SPAR Slovenia has received a 2020 Sustainability Certificate from IFCO SYSTEMS, a leading supplier of reusable plastic food containers. Environmental awareness is a priority for SPAR Slovenia, reflected in state-of-the-art technologies and eco-friendly equipment instore. In addition, SPAR Slovenia is seeking to reduce plastic waste by using biodegradable materials and ensuring packaging material is reusable.
Source: spar-international.com
Germany: Netto Marken-Discount teams up with WWF for water conservation
Netto Marken-Discount has collaborated with WWF to create a framework for more sustainable water use by the German retailer. According to WWF analysis, there are numerous agricultural areas in Germany with a moderate water risk, which will increase over the next few years and decades.
Source: esmmagazine.com