Singapore: Grab announces leadership appointments in Singapore and Vietnam
Grab announced leadership appointments in Singapore and Vietnam, effective 1 July 2025. Alejandro Osorio who currently leads Grab Vietnam, has been appointed as Managing Director of Grab Singapore. Ma Tuan Trong, presently the Country Commercial Head in Vietnam, will assume the role of Managing Director of Grab Vietnam.
Source: grab.com
Belgium: Carrefour gears up to deploy StrongPoint Order Picking solution for fulfilment of e-commerce orders
Carrefour Belgium has picked StrongPoint's Order Picking solution for in-store fulfilment. Deployment is expected to begin and be completed in 2025. "We chose StrongPoint's solution to fulfill our scheduled home delivery orders because their order picking system is responding very well to our needs when it comes to in-store grocery order picking. It's purpose built for handling grocery orders with exceptional speed and accuracy," says Jan Pollier, Carrefour Belgium Digital & E-Commerce Director.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Sweden: ICA's new initiative to get young people to eat more fruit
ICA is launching a comprehensive initiative aimed at improving the health of children and young people in Sweden by increasing their consumption of fruit. Starting in May 2025, ICA will implement several strategic efforts to inspire healthy eating habits and reverse the downward trends in fruit consumption. "In a time when children's eating habits face significant challenges, we want to create a movement that inspires healthy choices. Through streamlining, dialogue with our suppliers, and price investments, we have managed to significantly reduce the price of fruit and vegetables over the past year. With approximately 1300 local ICA retailers and our various partners, ICA has a unique opportunity to influence and support children and families across the country to choose more fruit", says Eric Lundberg, CEO of ICA Sweden.
Source: icagruppen.se
Italy: D.it-Distribuzione Italiana achieves 'best turnover' in eight years
Italian food distributor D.it-Distribuzione Italiana has reported a turnover of €1.09bln in its financial year 2024, reflecting a 3% increase over 2023 and the best in eight years. Sales and service revenue saw a 3% increase, production value remained steady at €17.7mln, while net profit amounted to €17,500.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Sainsbury's partnership with Fairtrade
Sainsbury's reported: "For more than 20 years, Sainsbury's and Fairtrade have been working in partnership. As one of Fairtrade's largest retail partners, Sainsbury's champions and supports the communities which pick and grow the food we enjoy every day. We sell Fairtrade-certified products across our range, including tea, coffee, bananas, wine, sugar and nuts, and we contribute more Fairtrade Premium than any other UK retailer".
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
The European Commission has approved ICA Gruppen's divestment of Rimi Baltic to Salling Group
The divestment of ICA Gruppen's operations in the three Baltic countries to Danish Salling Group, which was announced on 5 March, 2025, has now been approved by all relevant authorities. The transaction can therefore be completed and is expected to be executed on 2 June, 2025.
Source: icagruppen.se
New Zealand: Statement regarding Commerce Commission charges
Woolworths New Zealand has been advised that the New Zealand Commerce Commission has filed charges against it under the Fair Trading Act in relation to in-store ticketing issues. Woolworths New Zealand has been cooperating with the NZCC in regard to its investigations into these matters for some time. Woolworths New Zealand will carefully review the charges.
Source: woolworths.co.nz
UK: DIRTEA announces a series of major retail partnerships
DIRTEA announces a series of major retail partnerships, further cementing its position as the go-to brand for high-quality functional mushroom products. Marking a significant milestone in DIRTEA's mission to make the benefits of functional mushrooms more accessible across the UK, a growing range of best-selling products will now be available in Urban Outfitters UK, Harrods, Ocado, Whole Foods, and Boots.
Source: retailtimes.co.uk
Japanese retailer Aeon plans to raise Vietnam store number to 100 by 2030
Leading Japanese retailer Aeon has planned to expand its operations in Vietnam, by increasing the number of its general merchandise stores (GMS) and super supermarkets (SSM) in Vietnam to around 100 by 2030 from 12 at present, reported Japan's newswire Nikkei Asia.
Source: vietbao.vn
Germany: Circus SE and REWE Region West launch pilot partnership involving deployment of CA-1 cooking robots
Circus SE, a specialist in AI software and robotics for the food service industry, has announced an exclusive pilot partnership with REWE Markt, West Regional Branch. This will see the autonomous cooking robot CA-1 being deployed in several REWE supermarkets in Germany, together with the cloud-based Circus Software Suite. "This partnership is a milestone not only for Circus but for the entire retail sector", says Nikolas Bullwinkel, CEO at Circus SE. "For the first time, customers will experience freshly prepared meals in supermarkets that are cooked entirely autonomously by robots. We are proud to bring this world first to life together with REWE and look forward to what lies ahead".
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
US: FreshDirect relaunches service in Pennsylvania, Delaware counties
Pioneering e-grocer FreshDirect has reintroduced service in Pennsylvania's Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, as well as in New Castle County, Delaware, once more delivering produce, meats, prepared meals and more straight to customers' doors in those areas.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: The Fresh Market celebrates successful Mount Pleasant, S.C. launch with grand opening event
The Fresh Market celebrated the grand opening of its new store in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, bringing the total of stores for The Fresh Market to 172. The new 25,000 square foot store is stocked with a carefully curated selection of high-quality meats and seafood, along with fresh produce, local finds, and a unique collection of international products.
Source: businesswire.com
US: Grubhub taps Nash to power faster, smarter delivery nationwide
Grubhub is expanding its delivery offerings through a new partnership with Nash, a leader in digital infrastructure for delivery orchestration and a utomation. "Grubhub is at the very forefront of the delivery customer experience across the country," said Mahmoud Ghulman, Co-Founder and CEO of Nash.
Source: about.grubhub.com
US: SpartanNash opens fourth Hispanic grocery store in Nebraska
SpartanNash has opened its fourth Supermercado Nuestra Familia in Omaha, Nebraska, the grocer announced. Supermercado Nuestra Familia has been rolling out stores in Nebraska and Iowa since 2013. The concept features fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as dried chiles and spices.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Walmart debuts its Store of the Future concept
The Cypress Supercenter, in Cypress, Texas, brings in over 300 new jobs and features redesigned layouts, expanded services, and new technology, according to the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Mercatus launches DXPro, the digital experience platform designed for the modern grocery customer
Mercatus announced the launch of DXPro, a fully connected digital experience platform designed to help grocers grow sales, deepen loyalty, and streamline commerce operations amid intensifying competition.
Source: prnewswire.com