Belgium: Renewed Spar Alken to reopen on 22 May
On Thursday, May 22, the Spar Colruyt Group store in Alken will reopen after a thorough renovation and expansion. As a store in the heart of the fruit-growing region, Spar Alken focuses on offering delicious local products, such as strawberries and cherries.
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
Italy: Esselunga sees revenue growth as net profit halves in FY 2024
Italian supermarket chain Esselunga experienced a marginal year-on-year sales increase of 1.3% in 2024, reaching €9.45bln. Net profit fell by a half compared to full-year 2023 to €55.9mln, partly due to a €38.5mln payment related to a since-closed investigation.
Source: esmmagazine.com
SPAR Albania grows with three new store openings
The city of Fier welcomed its first INTERSPAR Hypermarket, growing the SPAR brand presence in the area. In addition to the new opening in Fier, SPAR Albania's expansion has been further extended through opening of two stores in Tirana.
Source: spar-international.com
Co-op first to switch to 100% British strawberries
From 19th April, all of Co-op's own brand strawberries will be exclusively sourced from UK farms - a move which delivers a fresh boost to the leading convenience retailer's commitment to supporting British agriculture and is expected to drive sales during the Easter holidays. Grown in Kent, Herefordshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire, these strawberries are arriving in Co-op stores four days ahead of the move last year. The retailer predicts to sell around 1.2mln punnets of its strawberries between 19th April - 6th May, as Brits are expected to embrace the brighter days and the late Easter break.
Source: farming.co.uk
German retailer Edeka reports 'stable growth' in FY 2024
German cooperative retailer Edeka continued to witness stable growth in its financial year 2024 as sales increased 6.5% year on year to €75.3bln. Edeka's approximately 3,200 independent retailers generated €40.8bln in sales in 2024, representing a 3.9% increase compared to the previous year. Operating profit for the year increased by 13.9% to €616mln.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Iceland Foods opens 'game-changing' £100m warehouse
Iceland Foods has opened its new £100mln, 500,000 square foot distribution centre, marking a major investment in the retailer's supply chain. The facility at Omega Park in Warrington, developed in partnership with pure-play contract logistics provider GXO Logistics, will employ more than 750 people. The new site will be Iceland's largest warehouse to date and will serve as a hub for distributing products to over 350 stores nationwide, with the potential to expand its reach to 500 locations in the future.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
UK's Sainsbury's expects flat profit this year as competition heats up
Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket group after Tesco, reported a 7.2% rise in annual profit but forecast little or no growth in its new financial year as it faces a step up in competition. The group, which has a UK grocery market share of 15%, forecast retail underlying operating profit, its preferred metric, of "around" 1bln pounds ($1.32bln) for its 2025/26 year, versus 1.036bln pounds made in the year to March 1, 2025, which was in line with expectations.
Source: reuters.com
UK's Ocado CEO Steiner temporarily takes helm of tech division
British online supermarket and technology firm Ocado said that CEO Tim Steiner will temporarily lead Ocado Solutions, the company's sub-unit which focuses on an all-encompassing technology platform for retailers. The move comes as John Martin, the current boss of Ocado Solutions, steps down after 18 months in the role, the company said in a statement.
Source: reuters.com
What do Easter 8p veg deals mean for British farmers?
While several supermarkets are offering discounts on vegetables this Easter, Farmers Guide has investigated the consequences of this trend for British farmers. NFU said that British fruit and vegetable producers are already under the cosh from workforce availability, employment costs and extreme weather impacts - now compounded by National Insurance and National Living Wage increases announced in the Budget. While promotional activity can have some positive impacts for growers to help drive sales volumes and attract new shoppers, growers have long held concerns about the impact heavy discounting can have on consumer expectations about the real value of British produce.
Source: farmersguide.co.uk
Canada: T&T Supermarket continues expansion with new Ontario location
T&T Supermarket Inc. is adding another store to its network. The fast-growing Asian grocery chain announced plans to open a second location in Mississauga, Ontario. Located at 3055 Vega Boulevard in the Erin Mills Power Centre, the 40,000 square-foot store will open in summer 2026. Shoppers can expect to find T&T's full assortment, including snacks, fresh produce, live seafood, bakery items, skincare products, gifts and in-store prepared foods.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Proposed SNAP cuts could pressure low-income shoppers - and retailers that serve them
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which covers some grocery costs for low-income Americans, could be slashed by as much as $230bln over the next 10 years. If implemented, those changes would impact millions of U.S. shoppers and the retailers and food and beverage companies that sell to them.
Source: cnbc.com
US: New Whole Foods Market in Las Vegas, Nevada, to open May 15
Whole Foods Market will open a new 46,500-square-foot store located at 2475 S. Town Center Drive in the Summerlin community of Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 15. Features of the new Summerlin store include: an array of certified organic, conventional and Sourced for Good produce.
Source: media.wholefoodsmarket.com
Canada: METRO reports 2025 second quarter results
METRO INC. announced its results for the second quarter of Fiscal 2025 ended March 15, 2025. Sales in the second quarter of Fiscal 2025 ended on March 15, 2025 were $4,909.9mln, up 5.5% versus the second quarter of the prior year which ended on March 16, 2024. Operating income before depreciation and amortization and impairments of assets for the second quarter of Fiscal 2025 totalled $461.0mln, or 9.4% of sales, an increase of 5.0% versus the corresponding quarter of Fiscal 2024.
Source: newswire.ca
US: Laurel Grocery Co. said to shutter wholesale operations
Laurel Grocery Co., which supplies independent grocers in the Southeast and Midwest, is shutting down its wholesale operations, according to local reports. In statements to local media, the 103-year-old, family-owned company, based in London, Kentucky, cited competition from big-box discounters and e-commerce operators. Laurel Grocery Co. was one of the approved suppliers for the IGA network of stores, and it supplied more than 200 retail locations in total across seven states.
Source: supermarketnews.com