UK: Poundland retail and digital bosses exit in leadership reshuffle
Poundland has restructured its leadership team under new boss Barry Williams as part of his efforts to turnaround the struggling retailer. Around a dozen senior directors in the discount chain's digital, commercial, buying, retail, HR and supply chain teams left the business earlier this month, Retail Gazette has learnt.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
Ireland: M&S Blanchardstown hops into spring with refreshed store and new features
M&S reported: "M&S Blanchardstown has completed a significant investment project to refresh its store, offering customers an enhanced and modern shopping experience. The expanded areas in the Foodhall offer customers to enjoy a wider variety of M&S' delicious products, including more Food On The Move options and more products from Irish suppliers such as fresh muffins from Millish, mushrooms from Monaghan, yoghurts from Wexford-based Killowen, luxurious chocolates from Lir Chocolates in Meath and fabulous Irish Strawberries from Keelings".
Source: corporate.marksandspencer.com
Carrefour Italia exports goods worth over €1bln in 2024
In 2024, Carrefour Italia exported €1.15bln worth of Italian products to other countries within the retail group. The value of Italian fruit and vegetable exports has doubled since 2018, reaching €20mln.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Just Eat Takeaway: orders continue to decline
Just Eat Takeaway is facing a decline in the number of orders, but remains on track thanks to a higher average order value. The meal delivery company maintains its financial outlook for the full year. Just Eat Takeaway expects GTV growth of between 4% and 8%, and adjusted EBITDA of between 360mln and 380mln euros.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Asda Foundation publishes 2024 Impact Report
Asda Foundation has published its 2024 Impact Report, and revealed it gave 2,603 grants totalling £3,229,392 of funding to enable community groups to address the issues that mattered most in their local communities.
Source: corporate.asda.com
NFU Scotland's supermarket research identifies a £500mln opportunity for farmers and crofters 
NFU Scotland has challenged the UK's largest retailers to work with the industry to increase Scottish produce on shelves. This follows the publication of full year results for the Union's ShelfWatch initiative. Results revealed stark variations in Scottish sourcing, with just 17% of all own-label products from Scotland. Aldi was the clear front runner, leading the rankings in every phase of research with an overall average of 40%. In second place was Lidl with a 30% average and Co-op in 3rd with 22%. Meanwhile, M&S Food had the biggest, albeit modest, improvement across the year in its support for Scottish produce. In response to this analysis, NFU Scotland has identified a potential £500mln opportunity for Scottish farmers, crofters and growers if levels of Scottish sourcing was increased by just 12% in the coming years.
Source: nfus.org.uk
UK: A new buying group - UniCo - is launched
A new buying group - UniCo Food Group - has been launched. The members-owned buying group is 'dedicated to revolutionising the fast-food and quick service restaurant (QSR) industry. The UniCo name stands for United Cooperative Food Group. With a collective turnover of £500mln, the membership comprises Giro Foods, The Pentagon Food Group, Fresco Food Service Glasgow, Major Foods, N&B Foods Swindon, Euro Food Group, Eagle Foods, and MS Foods in Luton.
Source: cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk
Asda looks to convenience to boost rejuvenation
Asda plans to double the number of new convenience store openings this year, with 25 new Asda Express stores, as chairman Allan Leighton steps up the Supermarket chain's rejuvenation campaign. The 25 new convenience stores are scheduled to open between the end of June and December this year.
Source: talkingretail.com
From kumquats to lime caviar: UK foodies embrace a whole new world of citrus
British chefs and home cooks are increasingly embracing new and unusual varieties of citrus in recipes, with supermarkets and greengrocers offering a rising number of speciality fruits. Retailers like M&S now offer punnets of kumquats, while Waitrose has reported a 27% rise in sales of yuzu juice. Riverford, which offers boxes of organic produce for home delivery, has noticed a similar trend. The company has seen steady sales of kumquats, with sub-varieties and hybrids like Tacle mandarins (a cross between a clementine and a Tarocco orange) and Ruby Valencias (which have the sweetness of orange but the flavour of grapefruit) performing especially well.
Source: theguardian.com
URM Stores names new CEO
Roger F. White has been chosen as the next CEO and president of Spokane, Washington-based URM Stores Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Rosauers Supermarkets and Peirone Produce. Effective June 1, White will succeed Ray Sprinkle, who is retiring this summer, at URM's helm.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: A multi-tasking approach to produce merchandising
Maintaining a high-performing retail produce department requires a juggling act. It also is vital that retailers maintain top-quality products, said Chris Costagli, vice president and food insights lead for NielsenIQ, a New York-based consumer intelligence firm. "It is more than just having produce in-stock and available to shoppers; it is about having produce that is fresh", he said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: World Wide Farms partners with ReposiTrak to strengthen food safety and supply chain transparency with end-to-end traceability
World Wide Farms, a leading grower, packer, and distributor of fresh culinary herbs and greens, has announced its use of the ReposiTrak Traceability Network® for inbound and outbound traceability data sharing. This collaboration amplifies World Wide Farms' commitment to food safety, regulatory compliance, and supply chain transparency by leveraging ReposiTrak's advanced traceability solution for the exchange of accurate traceability data.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Salad and Go names Mike Tattersfield as new CEO
Salad and Go, the one-of-a-kind salad chain on a mission to make nutritious food accessible for everyone, has appointed Mike Tattersfield as its new CEO, effective immediately.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: NRF reveals 2025 Top 50 Global Retailers
The National Retail Federation announced the 2025 Top 50 Global Retailers. Conducted by Kantar, the list ranks the leading international retailers based on their revenue throughout 2024. Walmart retained its spot as the largest retailer globally, in large part for significant commitments to a new online marketplace and fulfillment model. The other companies in the Top 10 remain unchanged from 2023. Amazon continues as the second largest retailer globally, followed by Schwarz Group, Aldi, Costco Wholesale, Ahold Delhaize, Carrefour, Seven & I, IKEA and The Home Depot.
Source: nrf.com
US: Earthbound Farm ties product innovation back to Earth Month with Instacart partnership
Instacart reported: "This Earth Month, Instacart and Earthbound Farm will bring sustainability to the table. To help kick off their new campaign, the brand is partnering with Instacart to inspire customers to make greener choices by showcasing how simple and to make greener choices" .
Source: instacart.com