Lidl launches nationwide search for Scottish voice of new self-checkouts
Supermarket giant Lidl is searching for a Scottish voice for new self-checkouts to be rolled out in all stores across the country this year. Lidl is inviting Scots to submit recordings of themselves reciting familiar phrases from the bagging area. A panel of judges will review the entries, with the winning voice set to become the official sound of Lidl's Scottish self-checkouts.
Source: news.stv.tv
Carrefour, Intermarché, Coopérative U see highest market share gain in France in Q1: Kantar
Carrefour, Intermarché and Coopérative U saw the highest gain in market share in the French grocery sector in the first quarter to 23 March, according to the latest data from Kantar. Carrefour stood out for faster growth in FMCG, while Intermarché excelled in PFT in the latest quarter, Kantar noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Spain: Eroski on track to 6bln sales
Eroski reported sales growth of 2.7% to 5.9bln euros in the financial year ending 31 January 2025. Operating profit remained stable at 259mln euros despite rising costs, net profit fell 24% to 81.7mln euros, due to an increase in corporate tax and the repayment of 59mln euros in debt, strengthening the group's financial structure. 'Despite the current volatility, we have shown remarkable resilience and consolidated our position as a solid and growing group', concludes CEO Rosa Carabel. This year, the retailer expects to take the 6bln euro sales cap.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Iceland Foods is set to open its first ever Asia-Pacific store in China
Iceland Foods is set to open its first ever Asia-Pacific store in China this summer as part of a new strategic partnership with BTG We Link, a retail concept company, looking to bring western cuisine to the Chinese retail market.
Source: retailtimes.co.uk
Madrid - Mercadona opens a new supermarket in the Valdemarín neighbourhood
Mercadona reported: "Mercadona opened a new efficient supermarket at Camino de la Zarzuela, 3, in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Valdemarín in the district of Moncloa. This new store employs 58 people and has required an investment of €9mln".
Source: info.mercadona.es
Why UK retailers' climate commitments are failing to deliver and what can be done to fix it
The Food Foundation reported: "A new report by Feedback, with support from The Food Foundation, analysing a decade of public commitments by the 10 largest UK supermarkets on climate, environment, and health shows that, without strong regulatory frameworks, the retail sector is struggling to deliver on its promises. Data featured in our latest State of the Nation's Food Industry report from six major retailers (Aldi, Asda, Iceland, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco) from March 2024 finds that over one in 10 (13%) of store-wide price promotions are on meat and dairy products, of which 4.6% of offers were on processed meat products. This compares to 7.4% of promotions going towards fruit and vegetables. The picture is worse for multibuy deals: 18% of multibuy deals are on meat and dairy products, with 10.6% of all deals on processed meat, compared to just 5.3% of deals on fruit and vegetables".
Source: foodfoundation.org.uk
Tesco Agri T-Jam is back: start-ups, get ready!
Tesco reported: "Tesco, in partnership with Leading Edge Only (LEO), the global innovation marketplace, has announced the return of its highly acclaimed Tesco Agri T-Jam start-up pitch competition for 2025. Applications for the 2025 Tesco Agri T-Jam are now open and will close on Monday, June 30th, 2025".
Source: tescoplc.com
HappyOrNot inks deal with Lidl Sweden that sees deployment of Smiley Terminals across retailer's storesHappyOrNot, a specialist in customer feedback solutions and creators of those smiley faced feedback buttons you have definitely seen in stores, airports and public spaces, has announced a partnership with Lidl Sweden. This will see the company's terminals being deployed in the retailer's stores.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Co-op cyber attack leaves island shop shelves empty
Some Co-op stores across Scotland's islands have been running low on fresh food supplies following a cyber attack on the company. Co-op is the main retailer in Skye and pictures from its supermarket in Portree show row upon row of empty shelves. Shops in the Western Isles have also been affected.
Source: bbc.com
Amazon to spend $4bln on cloud infrastructure in Chile
Amazon's cloud computing division will invest $4bln to build its first data centers and other cloud infrastructure in Chile, the company's head of South Latin America told Reuters. Amazon Web Services (AWS) expects the cloud region, its third in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico, to be operational by the second half of 2026.
Source: reuters.com
US: Instacart's leadership update
Instacart reported: "In the coming months, Fidji Simo will be leaving Instacart to become CEO of OpenAI Applications, reporting to founder and CEO Sam Altman. Instacart's Board has consistently conducted succession planning exercises and expects that the company's new CEO, who will be announced soon, will be one of its highly talented senior executives".
Source: instacart.com
US: Local becomes a more potent produce department magnet
More produce shoppers are going loco for local. With many consumers perceiving locally grown fruits and vegetables to be fresher and better for the environment, retailers that merchandise and promote selections from nearby growers can gain a powerful competitive advantage, analysts said. Research for The Power of Produce 2025 report found that 60% of consumers in a nationally representative survey want the produce department to carry more locally grown items, with 43% of respondents indicating that knowing where the produce was grown can be a purchase priority. The Power of Produce 2025 is published by Arlington, Virginia-based FMI - The Food Industry Association.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Grocery Outlet delivers solid Q1 amid restructuring
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has turned in Q1 results slightly above its expectations even as it undertakes a restructuring plan to improve its long-term profitability. For Q1 of fiscal 2025, the value retailer saw year-over-year (YoY) net sales increase by 8.5% to $1.13bln, and comparable store sales increase by 0.3%. Grocery Outlet opened 11 new stores and closed one store during the reporting period, ending the quarter with 543 stores in 16 states.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Grocery Outlet enlists iFoodDS for FSMA 204 Traceability Compliance
iFoodDS, a leading provider of food traceability software, announced Grocery Outlet, a leading extreme-value grocery retailer, will implement its traceability software for FSMA 204 compliance. The iFoodDS traceability platform, purpose-built for FSMA 204 compliance, offers multiple options for capturing, storing and sharing required data. By enabling companies like Grocery Outlet and its supplier partners to leverage data from their existing systems, the iFoodDS solution reduces costs and operational complexity.
Source: prnewswire.com
Beyond Meat withdraws annual forecasts as US faux meat demand slides
Beyond Meat withdrew its annual sales target as macroeconomic volatility and high inflation in the United States added further pressure on faux-meat makers already struggling with weak consumer demand. It had earlier forecast annual net revenue of $320mln to $335mln.
Source: reuters.com