European retailers turn off lights, cut opening hours to save energy
As energy bills mount and the threat of rationing increases, some European retailers are turning off lights and considering shorter opening hours this winter. SPAR Austria is reducing the hours of lighting for storefront advertising and outside its more than 1,500 stores across the country, a spokesperson said in an email. The business, which operates over 1.2mln square metres (12.92mln square feet) of store floor space, posted retail sales of 8.56bln euros ($8.86bln) last year.
Source: reuters.com
Deliveroo to exit Netherlands, loss widens in first-half
Britain's Deliveroo said it would quit the Netherlands after failing to gain a strong local position, as it reported a larger pre-tax loss in "challenging market conditions" in the first half. The food delivery company, which slashed its full-year revenue outlook last month after a sharp slowdown in its second quarter, reported a pre-tax loss of 147mln pounds ($177mln) in the first half compared to a 95mln pounds loss a year ago.
Source: reuters.com
India: Amazon Fresh is now present across 6 cities in West Bengal
Amazon India announced the expansion of Amazon Fresh, its full basket grocery service to Asansol, Chinsurah, Paschim Bardhaman, Burdwan and Durgapur. The Amazon Fresh app-in-app experience will offer a wide selection of over 3,000 grocery products including fruits, vegetables, chilled products, beauty, baby, personal care, and pet products among other daily grocery needs.
Source: businessnewsthisweek.com
THACO determined to turn Emart into leading supermarket chain in Việt Nam
Emart Vietnam plans to open two hypermarkets in HCM City this year, one in Thủ Đức City’s Thủ Thiêm area in October and the other in Gò Vấp District in December. Chun Byung Ki, general director of THISO Retail, revealed this information at the 2022 Emart Partners Day in HCM City, which was attended by more than 500 suppliers, saying the chain aims to have 20 stores across the country and revenues of US$1bln by 2026 to become the hypermarket chain with a largest market share.
Source: vietnamnews.vn
Food delivery’s next gig is software-as-a-service
Sugar is a quick fix to balancing salt and sour. Food delivery companies are similarly looking for ways to square their need for more customers with their investors’ need for profits. The secret ingredient could be selling their delivery technology as a service to retailers. London-listed grocery delivery outfit Ocado offers a note of caution. It has been outsourcing its robotic-warehouse technology for years but is yet to turn an operating profit. For the secret sauce to yield the desired outcome, retailers will need to have better luck with the mode of delivery.
Source: reuters.com
UK: Iceland opens new Swift c-store in London
Iceland has opened its fifth Swift convenience store, and fourth in London, at a 3,000 sq ft site in London’s Finsbury Park that was previously occupied by Poundland. Iceland described Swift as an entirely new concept that was designed to provide an easy-to-shop grocery store with the watchwords “Fast. Fresh. Local”.
Source: talkingretail.com
Germany: Metro AG posts double-digit sales growth in third quarter
Wholesale giant Metro has posted year-on-year sales growth of 27.2% on a local currency basis to €7.9bln in the third quarter of its financial year. The company attributed its performance to the implementation of the sCore strategy, as well as rising inflation and growth in the HoReCa segment.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Will Ahold Delhaize buy US supermarket competitor Albertsons?
Ahold Delhaize is rumoured to be in talks with Albertsons, the tenth largest retailer in the US. The reason for the rumours? Two Albertsons planes that were spotted last week at Bedford’s airport, Ahold Delhaize’s US base in Massachusetts. So reported investment research advisers at Gordon Haskett to Seeking Alpha, based on plane spotters.
Source: retaildetail.eu
US: PlantX debuts plant-based retail concept in Chicago
PlantX Life Inc. recently celebrated the official opening of its XMarket Uptown in Chicago. The plant-based retail location is the company's second store in the United States and sixth store globally. Located at 804 West Montrose Avenue in the Uptown residential neighborhood, the newest XMarket store debuted with a flurry of festivities, including booths and sampling stations from plant-based brands such as Dreampops, Kitchen 17, Good2Go Veggie and Up-N-Down Burger.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: SpartanNash unveils remodeled Knapp’s Corner D&W Fresh Market
Food solutions company SpartanNash (the “Company”) celebrated the opening of its newly remodeled Knapp’s Corner D&W Fresh Market. Located at 2022 Apple Orchard Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan the D&W Fresh Market grocery store has been upgraded to feature a modern new look and provide both a functional and memorable shopping experience. The newly renovated store also features more than 160 local brands, offering everything from Michigan-grown mushrooms to Bell’s Brewery products. D&W Fresh Market is already known for being a leader in fresh and organic produce, deli items and convenience meal options for shoppers.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Walmart opens high-tech consolidation center in Pennsylvania, creating 1,000 new jobs
This month, Walmart will open a high-tech consolidation center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The new 400,000 square-foot facility, located at 1625 Heilmandale Road, will bring nearly 1,000 additional jobs to the area, 500 of which were hired in advance.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Grocery Outlet’s Q2 shows ‘continued momentum’
Reporting its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 ended July 2, Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. revealed a net sales increase of 15.7% to $897.7mln versus the year-ago period, comparable-store sales increases of 11.2% from last year and 17.9% on a three-year stacked basis, and the opening of seven new stores, for a total of 425 locations in eight states at the end of the quarter.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Sweetgreen’s stock falls after salad chain lowers forecast, announces layoffs and office downsizing
Sweetgreen lowered its 2022 forecast, citing weaker sales that began around Memorial Day. The chain said it laid off 5% of its support center workforce and will downsize to a smaller office building to lower its operating expenses. Shares of the company fell amid a broader market rally.
Source: cnbc.com
Canada: METRO reports 2022 third quarter results
METRO INC. announced its results for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 ended July 2, 2022. 2022 Third quarter highlights: Sales of $5,865.5mln, up 2.5%. Food same-store sales up 1.1%. Net earnings of $275.0mln, up 9.0% and adjusted net earnings of $283.8mln, up 8.7%
Source: corpo.metro.ca
Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. net sales climb 7.7% in Q2Global food retailer Ahold Delhaize built on a solid start to fiscal 2022 in its U.S. business with strong net, comparable and online sales growth for the second quarter. For the quarter ended July 3, net sales at Ahold Delhaize USA totaled $14.43bln, up 7.7% (constant exchange rates) from $13.4bln a year earlier, lifted about 0.9% from calendar shifts, Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Brazil's GPA is in preliminary studies to separate Exito businesses
Reuters reported: "Retailer GPA said it is carrying out preliminary studies on a possible separation of its Colombian Exito businesses from the Brazilian parent company. In a securities filing, the company added that the studies were aimed at unlocking Exito's value".
Source: nasdaq.com