New Zealand: Strike action for Woolworths
Staff at Woolworths stores across New Zealand have taken strike action over pay and staffing issues. First Union members voted to take action following dead-end negotiations.
Source: supermarketnews.co.nz
Les Mousquetaires to invest €100mln in Portuguese expansion
French retail group Les Mousquetaires, parent company of Intermarché, Bricomarché, and Roady, plans to invest €100mln over the next five years to open 80 new stores across Portugal. In an interview with Jornal Economico, Pedro Subtil, president of Portuguese unit Grupo Os Mosqueteiros, emphasised that the focus will be on smaller and medium-sized supermarkets - in other words, Intermarché stores ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 square metres.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: SGF's Healthy Living Programme teams with Snappy Shopper to deliver free bananas during summer holidays
Snappy Shopper has partnered with Scottish Grocers Federation's Healthy Living Programme (HLP). The aim here is to boost community engagement by enabling local retailers to actively participate in promoting well-being. To kick off the partnership, the pair will offer free bananas every Wednesday throughout August.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
South African grocer Pick n Pay's rights offer oversubscribed
South Africa's Pick n Pay has raised 4bln rand ($217mln) through a rights offer that was 106% oversubscribed, it said as the country's third biggest grocery group looks to reduce its debt.
Source: reuters.com
Australia: Coles unveils state-of-the-art distribution centre in Western Sydney
Coles has opened its second Automated Distribution Centre (ADC) using global leading Witron technology as part of its more than $1bln investment in technology led innovation. The Kemps Creek ADC was officially opened by Coles Group Chairman James Graham and Coles Group CEO Leah Weckert.
Source: colesgroup.com.au
UK: Warm Septembers lead Iceland to delay launch of autumn foods
The budget grocery chain Iceland is to delay launching its autumn range, including an expanded choice of pies and pastries, this year in response to increasingly warm September weather. Waitrose said it used a "dynamic ordering system", which adjusted store supply orders using weather forecasts. It is expecting sales of fresh British berries, which are benefiting from the warm spell, to continue into the later months of 2024 if the good weather continues.
Source: theguardian.com
UK: Supermarket loyalty scheme pushes fail to stop rise in discounter switching, new Pricer research finds
Despite aggressive discounting and competitive 'members only' offers for loyalty programme customers, traditional supermarkets continue to lose market share to discounter rivals, Aldi and Lidl, according to the latest research by Pricer. A survey of over 1,000 UK shoppers showed that discounter switching remains rife, with 65% now having switched some or all of their food shop to Aldi or Lidl, a rise of +4 percentage points year-on-year. 51% had moved some of their food spend to the discounters, while 13% said they now do their entire food shop with either Lidl or Aldi.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
UK: M&S announces food hall expansion
Retail giant Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced plans to expand one of its food halls amid confirmed store closures across the country. The size of its branch in St Michael's Retail Park in Ripon is set to increase by 40% to 12,300 sq ft (1,420 sq m), according to the company. The changes will mean a larger in-store bakery and fresh produce selection and a bigger flower and enhanced wine shop offering.
Source: bbc.com
Sixth REWE Pick & Go checkout-free store ready to go as retailer preps another launch in Hamburg, Germany
A sixth REWE Pick & Go will soon open in Hamburg, Germany. In a LinkedIn post, Prof. Dr. Stephan Rüschen of Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University, said: "My business students from the DHBW Heilbronn were allowed to help with the testing on the excursion to Hamburg. We tried out many shopping scenarios...And that's more than you think". He added: "Many thanks to Alina Klüger from the REWE team for this insight 'Behind the Scenes'. Note: Actually, it's already the seventh, but the store at Cologne's Heumarkt was closed a few months ago".
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
US: Food Lion opens new location in Florence, South Carolina
Food Lion has nourished the Florence, South Carolina, community for more than three decades, and on August 7, it will open its new location at 1945 W. Palmetto St., Florence, SC 29501. The store is proud to also offer a wide variety of local offerings, including in-season produce grown at Senn Brothers Produce in nearby West Columbia, South Carolina.
Source: globenewswire.com
Profits soar 75% at Chile's Cencosud in second quarter
Chilean retailer Cencosud has announced a 75.1% increase in profits, to $117mln, (€108mln) for the second quarter of 2024. The company's revenue climbed 7.5%, to reach $4.16bln (€3.83bln), with the highest growth registered in Colombia (+22.2%), followed by the United States (+19.0%), Brazil (+15.2%), Peru (+10.3%), Argentina (+2.7%), and Chile (+2.6%).
Source: esmmagazine.com
US: Wegmans begins hiring full-time employees for first Connecticut location
Wegmans Food Markets, the family company that ranks #6 on the FORTUNE list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, is now hiring and training full-time employees for its first store in Connecticut. Located at 675 Connecticut Ave. in Norwalk, the store is scheduled to open in summer 2025.
Source: wegmans.com
US: Save A Lot partners with DoorDash for delivery
Low-price grocery retailer Save A Lot has begun partnering with DoorDash to deliver groceries to consumers, the two companies said. The partnership has already rolled out to 400 of Save A Lot's 750-plus locations, which are independently owned and operated.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Target set to leave California city
Target will close its only location in East Palo Alto, California, reports KGO-TV in San Francisco. The store will be powered down in September, leaving the city with just one pharmacy and a few grocery options to serve a population of 28,000.
Source: supermarketnews.com