Spains DIA loses market share to rivals Lidl, Mercadona

Spanish discount supermarket chain DIA has seen its market share tumble this year, according to industry data, the latest sign of the store’s struggle to compete with rivals Mercadona and Lidl. DIA has lost more than two-thirds of its market value since a 2015 peak and has one the country’s lowest profitability ratios per square metre for grocery stores. DIA’s market share has shrunk to 7.7% by August 12 from 8.4% at the start of the year, market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said. In comparison, direct domestic rival Mercadona has gained 1% and now controls a quarter of the Spanish grocery market.

Source: reuters.com

Norway: Oslo’s Spar Snarøya cuts CO2 emissions by almost 60%

Spar Snarøya in Oslo’s Bærum suburb has cut down its CO2 emissions by almost 60%, according to a press release. Launched on 24 August 2018, it is also Spar Norway’s first eco-friendly store. CEO of Spar Norway, Ole Christian Fjeldheim, said, “This store is an important environmental project for Spar and a contribution to Norges Gruppen’s - the parent company of Spar Norway - ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Source: esmmagazine.com

UK regulator identifies 463 areas wher Sainsburys/Asda stores overlap

Britain’s competition regulator has identified 463 local areas wher Sainsbury’s and takeover target Asda’s stores overlap, threatening a substantial lessening of competition, it said on Thursday. Last week the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) referred Sainsbury’s proposed 7.3bln pound takeover of rival Asda, the British supermarket arm of Walmart, for an in-depth, or “phase 2”, review, saying shoppers could face higher prices or a worse quality of service in places wher both chains had shops.

Source: uk.reuters.com

Russian retailer Magnit to shun big-box stores

Russia’s second-biggest food retailer Magnit said it would not open any more hypermarkets and would focus on smaller stores to capitalise on customers’ growing preference for neighbourhood shops. Hypermarkets traditionally struggle in an economic downturn as consumers tighten their belts and turn to smaller shops and discounters. Olga Naumova, the chief executive officer of Magnit, said the company would not open stores larger than 4,500 square metres and would turn existing “big boxes” into shopping malls by subletting space.

Source: reuters.com

UK: Tesco set to launch reverse vending machine trial

Tesco has announced that it will launch a reverse vending machine trial in the UK, which will give money to consumers who deposit plastic bottles in an effort to encourage consumers to recycle their plastic bottles. The trial will initially take place at seleced Tesco stores in Borehamwood, Swansea, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham from 27 September and machines at all stores will pay 10p for each bottle returned. The initial trial will allow consumers to deposit a maximum of 10 bottles per customer, per day and bottles up to 750ml in size can be deposited.

Source: foodbev.com

South Africa: Woolworths intros in-app shopping

Motivated by growth in online shopping sales and the dominance of mobile, Woolworths has introduced in-shopping on its app. Woolworths said in a statement the launch of the new app feature is to create an integrated customer experience. "Mobile is a crucial part of our digital strategy. More than 60% of the traffic to Woolworths.co.za comes from customers browsing on their mobile phones and over the last year alone we have seen 64% growth in mobile transactions, says Liz Hillock, Woolworths head of online.

Source: itweb.co.za

Germany: HelloFresh commits to more sustainable packaging

Meal kit delivery service HelloFresh has replaced the liners of its boxes with an option that performs as well as extruded polystyrene foam but is more sustainable. The company is now using TemperPacks ClimaCell liners, which offer the same performance inch per inch but can be disposed of in kerbside recycling bins alongside the corrugated boxes containing the packaging material. HelloFresh has the same plans for its Green Chef box liners.

Source: progressivegrocer.com

Australia: Coles sees sales rise due to Little Shop promotion

Coles Supermarket Australia has placed ahead of its rival retailer, Woolworths, in regards to sales for the first time in two years. The Melbourne-based supermarket saw its sales rise by 5% during the first quarter compared to the previous year. “This has come at the expense of Woolworths, wher sales growth is likely to moderate to 1.5%,” stated the investment bank, Citi, according to the West Australia. The rise in sales has been attributed to Coles’ Little Shop promotion, in which its customers are collecting miniatures of products in the store.

Source: anz.businesschief.com

US: online grocer Thrive Market inks 5-year partnership with new distributor

Thrive Market, a pure-play ecommerce grocer operating in the natural and organic space, has signed a five-year deal with KeHe Distributors LLC. The Naperville, Illinois-based grocery distributor will operate as the online grocers strategic distribution partner of natural and organic products through 2023, during which it will provide category insights, supply chain expertise and access to its wide array of products. Thrive is known for offering a carefully curated selecion to online members, which helps shoppers find every category of food, including highly niche categories such as products from woman-owned companies and carbon-neutral goods.

Source: progressivegrocer.com

Amazon to open new retail store in NYC in latest brick-and-mortar push

Amazon.com Inc said it is opening a store in New York City that will sell products ranging from card games to skillets that are highly rated on its website, in the company’s latest push into brick-and-mortar retail. The shop, known as Amazon 4-Star, marks a new store format for the world’s largest online retailer, which owns grocery chain Whole Foods Market and has rolled out bookstores and several grocery convenience stores across the United States.

Source: reuters.com

US: Weis Markets steps up home delivery with Shipt

After an initial launch earlier this month, Weis Markets Inc. is expanding online grocery delivery with Shipt to more than a dozen new metropolitan markets. Starting on October 11, Shipt same-day delivery will be available from Weis stores in Chambersburg, Frederick, Hagerstown and St. Mary’s Peninsula, Maryland; East Brunswick, Hackettstown, Mercer County and Morristown, New Jersey; Binghamton, New York; Reading, State College, Stroudsburg, Sunbury, Williamsport and York, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C.

Source: supermarketnews.com

US: Walmart patent wants to monitor your health & stress levels while you shop

Walmart aims to use biometric shopping handles to track customers heart rates, temperatures, and stress levels. Walmart sales associates may not be able to read customers’ minds, but they soon might be able to monitor shoppers’ heart rates to get a little more insight on how they’re faring during their shopping trip. The company’s recently published patent application - titled “System And Method For A Biometric Feedback Cart Handle” - aims to equip shopping cart handles with the ability to gather biometric data to determine when customers might need help.

Source: cbinsights.com

US: Meijer garners its first-ever recognition for Disability Inclusion

Meijer Inc. has received a top score of 100% on the Disability Equality Index (DEI) and received, for the first time, recognition as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion - an honor bestowed only on companies that earn a top score. Meijer was among 126 companies to receive awards at the Disability:IN Annual Conference, held this past August in Las Vegas. "On behalf of all Meijer team members, we are absolutely thrilled to not only achieve a top score on the DEI, but to be named as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion - a monumental achievement for our organization,” said Michael Rotelle, SVP of human resources at Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer.

Source: progressivegrocer.com

US: Giant Eagle to acquire Rickers c-store chain

Giant Eagle Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire Ricker Oil in a deal allowing the GetGo and Ricker’s convenience-store brands to join forces in Indiana. The companies expect the transaction to close by the end of the year. Financial terms were not disclosed. “We are thrilled to partner with such a strong company, brand and talented group of Ricker’s employees,” said Laura Karet, president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, in a statement. “We look forward to building on the great history that Ricker’s has in Indiana, and carrying forward many of the amazing offerings and services Ricker’s customers have come to expect.”

Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com

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