One in 6 EU stores of Ahold Delhaize Group is in Romania
The Romanian market is, by store number, among the 3 most important European ones, for the Dutch-Belgian group, together with the Netherlands and Belgium. Dutch-Belgian group Ahold Delhaize, owner of Mega Image store network, has around 5,200 stores in Europe under various brands and formats. Out of these, 880 are in Romania, meaning 1 in 6 stores, according to ZF calculations based on data from the group’s quarterly report and own website.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
Carrefour also trials subscription in France
Following several supermarket chains of Casino, Carrefour will soon launch a paid subscription formula in France. The subscription offers a price reduction on all the retailer's own brands. As of 20 September, Carrefour will trial the new service in its 21 stores in the Rouen region, reports French newspaper LSA.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Amazon opens 8 new logistics locations in Germany
Amazon wants to expand further in Germany and plans to erect 8 new logistics buildings by the first half of 2022. This will create 3.000 additional permanent jobs with Amazon Germany. The expansion is necessary to meet customer demand and expand the range of products. The new logistics locations are going to be placed in Dummerstorf, Erding, Friedrichsdorf, Helmstedt, Hof/Gattendorf, Neu-Ulm, Weiterstadt and Wenden.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
UK: Booker HGV drivers vote for strike action
The threat of disruption to deliveries to more than 1,500 convenience stores in London and the southeast has moved a step closer after 40 drivers, employed by Booker Retail Partners at its Thamesmead site, voted unanimously for strike action. The dispute stems from the Tesco-owned wholesaler putting in place a temporary £5 an hour pay uplift for drivers at its Hemel Hempstead depot because of the HGV driver shortage. However, the company then refused to implement a similar uplift for the drivers at the Thamesmead site.
Source: kamcity.com
Belgium: Delhaize launches "healthy subscription" for companies
Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize is launching a subscription service that allows companies to offer their employees a discount on healthy food products. The 'Healthy Membership Program' builds upon a pilot project called Healthy Ucoins, which Delhaize and software company Unbox tested 2 years ago with a selection of companies.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Slovakia: Kaufland to distribute fresh fruits in primary schools
Kaufland Slovakia will distribute fresh fruit and vegetables in primary schools as part of the 3rd edition of the Fresh Headers project. The initiative will see the retailer distribute up to 2,900 kilograms of fruit or vegetables per week in the country. Throughout the school year, the retailer will donate different types of fruit and vegetables on Tuesdays, including bananas, apples, mandarins, peaches, persimmons, grapes, kiwi, sweet carrots and cucumbers.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Amazon UK arm pays £3.8mln more corporation tax despite £1.9bln sales rise
Amazon’s key UK business paid just £3.8mln more corporation tax last year than in 2019, even as sales increased by £1.89bln. Accounts filed at Companies House show that the corporation tax contribution of Amazon UK Services - the group’s warehouse and logistics operation, thought to employ the majority of the group’s UK workforce - was £18.3mln in the year to December 2020, up 26% from £14.5mln a year before. Profits at the division rose by a quarter over the same period to £128mln, while sales soared by 64% to £4.85bln.
Source: theguardian.com
France's Carrefour: Decision of the Board of DirectorsThe Carrefour Board of Directors takes note of the resignation of Alexandre Arnault and Nicolas Bazire and co-opts Arthur Sadoun as a new director.
Source: carrefour.com
Indonesia: Grocery start-up Segari bags $16mln from GoTo, Alfamart
Grocery start-up Segari reported that it had raised US$16mln in its Series A funding round amid the consumer shift to online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Go-Ventures, the venture capital arm of technology company GoTo, led the funding. Investment company Susquehanna International Group (SIG), supermarket chain Alfamart, food company Gunung Sewu Group and Intrinity Capital also participated in the funding. Segari’s seed stage investors BEENEXT, AC Venture and Saison Capital participated too.
Source: thejakartapost.com
German retail chain Lidl now biggest in Slovakia
Lidl has surpassed for the first time its rival and long-standing leader on the Slovak market, British supermarket chain Tesco, recently released financial statements from both companies for last year have confirmed. News broke after both companies released their 2020 financial statements, according to which Lidl had posted revenues of more than €1.5bln and profit of €126.4mln.
Source: euractiv.com
US: Giant Eagle goes cashierless at more GetGo stores
Following up a one-store soft launch a year ago, Giant Eagle is deploying checkout-free payment technology from Grabango at another 4 GetGo Café+Market convenience/fuel locations in Pennsylvania. Berkeley, California-based Grabango said that its cashierless solution is now live at GetGo stores in the greater Pittsburgh communities of Ross Township, Wexford, Cranberry Township and Mars. These locations were chosen to create a “local network effect”, so shoppers can use the system at multiple GetGo stores in their area, the tech company said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Publix plans first store in Kentucky
Publix Super Markets plans to enter its 8th state, Kentucky, with a new store opening in 2023. Lakeland, Florida-based Publix said that it has signed a lease for a 55,702-square-foot supermarket in Louisville, Kentucky. The store will be located at the northwest corner of Terra Crossing Boulevard and Old Henry Road in Jefferson County and have an adjacent Publix Liquors outlet - the first outside Florida - that will sell beer, wine and spirits.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Save A Lot expands retail partnership throughout Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin
Save A Lot, one of the largest discount grocery chains in the U.S., announced the completion of the sale of 32 company-owned stores across the Greater Cleveland, Greater Chicago and Greater Milwaukee areas to Yellow Banana, LLC, as part of the discount grocer’s ongoing efforts to convert corporate-owned stores to local ownership. The 32 stores generate annual revenues in excess of $130mln, immediately positioning Yellow Banana as one of Save A Lot’s largest Retail Partners nationwide.
Source: businesswire.com
Amazon to open drive-thru grocery store in Florida?
The next innovation from Amazon may not involve artificial intelligence, machine learning or Just Walk Out cashier-less technology. In fact, Amazon’s latest experiment might involve technology that originated in a burger joint in Missouri in 1947 but has never been fully leveraged by many in the grocery industry - until maybe now. According to public records, Amazon is intending to open a 35,000-square-foot Amazon Fresh grocery store in Boca Raton, Florida, the company’s first such store in that state and its first store in the Southeast.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
$10bln U.S. battle for Britain's Morrisons heads for auction
The $10bln takeover battle for British supermarket group Morrisons between 2 U.S. private equity groups looks set to be decided by a rarely used auction process.
Source: reuters.com
GrubMarket further expands in eastern United States and Canada through acquisition of Bartolotta
GrubMarket announced it has completed the acquisition of Bartolotta LLC ("Bartolotta"), a full-service provider of fresh fruits and vegetables to customers in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Eastern Canada. Bartolotta is a highly established and longstanding produce provider to a wide range of business customers including retailers, fresh cut processors and others.
Source: prnewswire.com