Holland: Ahold Delhaize announces leadership changes at Albert Heijn and bol
Ahold Delhaize announced that Margaret Versteden-van Duijn, currently Brand President of its online retail platform bol, will be appointed Brand President of Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall. Maite Zubiaurre, currently Chief Product & Technology Officer at bol, will succeed Margaret as Brand President at bol.
Source: newsroom.aholddelhaize.com
Croatia: Fast-growing supermarket chain Studenac nurtures high ambitions
Croatian food retailer Studenac's revenue rose 22% to 816.5mln euros last year. Adjusted EBITDA went up 18% to 78mln euros. On a like-for-like basis, revenue rose 11%. In addition, the company opened 140 new stores and also made its first acquisition in Slovenia. The group now operates 1443 stores in both countries, with 160 store openings planned this year. The ambition is to have 3,400 stores by the end of 2028.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Ireland: Aldi extends partnership with Sunglow in €14mln investment
Aldi and Sunglow Nurseries have announced the extension of their partnership with a new five year contract worth almost €14mln to the Rush, Co Dublin-based business. Sunglow has supplied Aldi since 2008 and 95% of its produce is sold in Aldi's 163 stores nationwide, with the remaining produce supplied to small, local businesses.
Source: rte.ie
North Macedonia's Stokomak opens first store in Serbia
North Macedonia's discount retailer Stokomak said it has opened its first store in neighbouring Serbia. Stokomak's first store in Serbia is located in the southeastern city of Pirot, the retailer said in a Facebook post.
Source: seenews.com
Spain: HiperDino supermarket chain is put up for sale for €1.1bln
In what could become one of Spain's largest corporate deals of the year, the Domínguez brothers have officially put Dinosol, the parent company of supermarket giants HiperDino and SuperDino, up for sale. The company, which dominates the Canary Islands' food retail sector, is valued at over €1.1bln and has enlisted investment bank Arcano to manage the transaction. Dinosol currently operates more than 260 stores across the Canary Islands, holding a 26% market share and generating close to €1.6bln in annual revenue. With an EBITDA of approximately €140mln, the company has established itself as one of Spain's most profitable regional supermarket chains.
Source: canarianweekly.com
Hungary: SPAR invests €14.42mln in new and modernised stores
SPAR Hungary invests €8.84mln in a new supermarket in Szentendre, and €737,400 in a new store in Kecskemét. A total of €4.85mln was spent on modernising five supermarkets: three in Budapest, one in Csorna, and one in Tatabánya. Instore, the Szentendre supermarket offers quality products and an extensive range of convenience items, including a wide selection of fresh food, mostly from domestic suppliers, such as a fruit and vegetables department. The Kecskemét store features attractive fresh food areas, including fruit and vegetables.
Source: spar-international.com
Iceland opens the UK's first prison supermarket
Iceland has opened the UK's first prison supermarket, as it seeks to help inmates adjust to life in the outside world. The frozen food specialist opened a special branch at the UK's largest prison, HMP Oakwood near Wolverhampton, reported The Times. The branch is located inside a new "marketplace" that resembles a high street or shopping centre, and is accompanied by an electrical store, a sweet shop, a coffee shop, a fruit and veg stand and a store dubbed "JP sports", which sells products such as protein powder.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
North Macedonia retailers required to list prices online
Retailers in North Macedonia, excluding those with fewer than 10 employees, are now legally required to list the prices of all their products online, following the introduction of new rules on 18 April. This applies to stores selling basic food products, fruit and vegetables, hygiene products, white goods, toys, textile products, construction materials, tools, and electrical appliances.
Source: esmmagazine.com
US: Opening dates announced for two new Whole Foods Market Daily Shop locations in New York City
Whole Foods Market will open two more locations in New York City of its smaller format store concept, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop. The first location, a 10,000-square-foot store located at 409 East 14th Street in the East Village's StuyTown development, will open at 8:00 a.m. on May 14. The second location, an 8,500-square-foot store located at 301 West 50th Street in Hell's Kitchen, will open at 8:00 a.m. on June 4.
Source: media.wholefoodsmarket.com
US: Wakefern to hold Local Produce Supplier Summit in New Jersey
Retailer-owned supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. is seeking northeastern growers to join its network of suppliers and take part in a Produce Local Supplier Summit on July 9. The application process to join the summit and become a Wakefern supplier is now open through San Francisco-based RangeMe's platform.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Chipotle is seeing a 'slowdown' in consumer spending as 2025 gets off to a rough start
Chipotle missed first-quarter revenue estimates and said same-store sales dropped for the first time since 2020. CEO Scott Boatwright said the burrito chain saw a "slowdown in consumer spending." Chipotle reported first-quarter net income of $386.6mln, or 28 cents per share, up from $359.3mln, or 26 cents per share, a year earlier.
Source: cnbc.com
US: Writer's block? Welch's® Fruit Snacks launches AI-powered tool to make lunchbox notes more meaningful
Welch's® Fruit Snacks launched Welch's® Fruit Snacks Lunchbox Notes Translator, a first-of-its-kind tool, powered by AI, that transforms candid parental sentiments into meaningful, heartfelt messages to make note writing sweeter. The translator is a fruitful pairing for Welch's® Fruit Snacks Lunchbox Notes, a limited-edition box filled with wrappers designed to be written on and make snack time more memorable.
Source: prnewswire.com