DIA to add 2000 supermarkets in Spain

US: Instacart launches service with Target in San Francisco
Instacart announced today that Target is expanding its Instacart service to San Francisco after a successful pilot in Minneapolis. Starting today, customers in the San Francisco Bay Area can order fresh food, non-perishable food items, health and beauty products, pet and household supplies, and select baby items from Target and have them delivered straight to their doorstep in as little as one hour. (marketwired.com)

DIA targets adding 2,000 supermarkets in Spanish quest for scale
The CEO of DIA says the company will add as many as 2,000 outlets in its home market over the next few years to its current 4,911 stores to increase market share and cut costs. “In food retailing, being bigger is important because the first cost of a food retailer is the cost of goods sold,” Curras said. “We think we have an opportunity to consolidate the market.” DIA wants to boost its market share in Spain to 15% from about 9% now over the next five to six years to eke out economies of scale and increase bargaining power with suppliers, Curras, 53, said. The company can pay for some of the 1,500 to 2,000 stores it wants to add with the cash it expects to generate in coming years instead of deepening its 1.14 billion-Euro ($1.25bn) debt, he said. (Bloomberg)

US: Founders Skype shake-up supermarket delivery market
The founders of Skype plan to shake-up the supermarket delivery market with an armada of self-driving robots that will have the capacity to drop goods on your doorstep within thirty minutes. Starship Technologies, established by Skype’s Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, has developed a robot that can whizz down pathways at a pace of around four miles per hour with up to two shopping bags or packages (20lbs). The start-up cases that as a result of its innovation and methodology; can bring down the expense of local delivery when compared with what is now charged by delivery companies. The Starship robot has built in navigation system, which will help them to stay away from deterrents and even stop to cross the road. Please, click here to read more at internationalsupermarketnews.com.

Auchan faces new regulation in Russia
Consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has imposed the ruling on Auchan, which covers products from tea to confectionery and dried foods. Auchan has long had self-discount or bulk buying aisles in stores, particularly in its French hypermarkets. They are popular as they allow customers to buy exactly the amount they need, saving them money and reducing waste. Auchan has been having a difficult time in Russia this year, having been fined RUB25m (around EUR359,000) following inspections in its stores, although the ban on imported products has had a muted impact on the retailer. (igd.com)

UK: Marks & Spencer raises margin outlook as profit beats estimates
Marks & Spencer reported first- half earnings that beat analyst estimates and increased its profitability forecast as the U.K. retailer procures more products direct from manufacturers to cut costs. Underlying pretax profit rose 6.1% to 284m pounds ($438m), the London-based company said in a statement Wednesday, compared with the 271 million-pound average estimate of 21 analysts in a Bloomberg News survey. Gross margin for the year will widen by 2 to 2.5 percentage points in the general merchandise unit, it said, raising the forecast by 0.5 percentage point. (esmmagazine.com)

Italian Carrefour transfers management of stores in Sicily to CDS
Carrefour Italia has transferred the management of its stores in Sicily to local food distributor Centro Distribuzione Supermercati (CDS), a unit of Caltanisseta-based Romano Group. As of 1 November, the supermarkets in Palermo and Trapani, with 474 employees and the Carini distribution centre, are now formally part of a new entity called Ica Market. According to the new franchise agreement signed with CDS, the Carrefour brand will remain on the front of the stores for at least three years. (esmmagazine.com)

AU: Coles and Woolworths to support farmers
Coles and Woolworths are standing firm in the face of growing support for a Queensland man’s petition calling on the supermarkets to help him raise money for drought-affected farmers. Nearly 90,000 people have signed cattle farmer Jack Neilson’s ‘Dollar For Drought’ Change.org petition since it launched just over a month ago. “The big supermarkets have done media stories about their support for local produce and Aussie growers — but we really need more help,” he wrote. “Us farmers need cash. To put food on the table, and help us hold off the banks from repossessing our properties.” By putting a collection box in front of thousands of shoppers each day, he says the supermarkets could help raise millions. (news.com.au)

Profits drop 18% to £11.3m at Dunnes Stores in UK
Pre-tax profits at the main Northern Ireland and British arm of Irish-owned retail giant, Dunnes Stores last year fell by 18% to £11.3m (€15.9m) after a further slide in revenues. According to accounts just lodged by Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Ltd to Companies House in the UK, revenues fell from £140.52m to £136.9m in the 12 months to the end of January 31 of this year. Revenues at the firm in 2012 had totalled £157m and the dip in revenues comes against the background of reports earlier this year that Dunnes was planning a major UK expansion eyeing the opening of up to 40 new stores there. (independent.ie)

Key Food top bidder for Food Emporium banner
Fresh off the acquisition of 23 stores in the A&P bankruptcy auction, Key Food Stores Co-operative is also after the brand name, banners and intellectual property of A&P’s Food Emporium banner. A&P has asked the court overseeing its bankruptcy case to approve the sale of The Food Emporium banner, trademarks, domain names, e-commerce business and mobile application for $1.75m, and will take the bid to auction should a higher offer arrive. (supermarketnews.com)

Spar Slovenia inaugurates new store concept
Spar Slovenia has introduced a new, modern store concept, focused on natural materials and colours, which will become a permanent feature of future Spar stores in the country. The concept has been implemented in two new stores opened over the past fortnight. At the front of the store is the fresh food department, incorporating a section exclusively dedicated to products from Slovenian producers. (esmmagazine.com)

South Africa: Shoprite nr. 1 retailer in Africa - Report
Shoprite Holdings was named the number one retailer in Africa followed by Massmart and Pick n Pay, according to the Deloitte African Powers of Retailing report 2015. Spar Group claimed fourth place and Woolworths coming in at number five. Twenty of the top 25 retailers are South African. Shoprite achieved the top spot because for the group it is all about price and footprint, Johan Scholtz, an associate director of Deloitte in Southern Africa, told Fin24 at the World Retail Congress Africa on Tuesday. "Shoprite always finds excellent locations which are conveniently located for consumers and it offers a good customer experience for its target market," explained Scholtz. Please, click here to read more at allafrica.com.

AU: Metcash settles with ATO over tax bill
Metcash is believed to have reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the Australian Taxation Office over unpaid fringe benefits tax from its "overseas study tours". It's not clear how much Metcash has agreed to pay, but it's understood to be more than $2m following the conclusion of negotiations with the ATO. (smh.com.au)

US: Sendik's Food Markets has launched online grocery ordering
At seven of its stores, dubbed Sendik's Express, lets customers choose grocery items, pay with a credit or debit card and have their orders assembled by Sendik's staff. Shoppers can call or text the store when they arrive and have the groceries loaded in their car at a designated parking spot. (jsonline.com)