Automation is necessary now
Automation will reshape retail business models and the broader value chain, creating organizations with fewer layers and a better trained and trusted workforce empowered by real-time data and analytics.
Food News
News articles from the FOOD research project.
Aldi and Lidl take the lead
2019 was the year when Aldi passed Europe’s big box flagships, Carrefour and Tesco, taking the second place in the European Grocery Retail Ranking, only behind its rival, Schwarz Group (Lidl and Kaufland).
Walmart sacks staff in India as part of restructuring
Walmart Inc., the world’s largest retailer, has fired 60 or more of its executives in India. The move underscores the challenges Walmart has faced in expanding its wholesale business in the country. More job cuts are expected soon.
The 5 top stores you must visit in 2020
IGD, a British think tank, visited 1,000 food retail stores in over 45 different countries in 2019. Here you can read of some of the best stores to be on your must-see list in 2020.
Global grocery retail to add $2.2 trillion in sales in five years
The global grocery retail market will generate an additional US$2.2 trillion in sales by 2024, growing by 24%, according to the latest forecast from international research organisation IGD.
Downsizing in Tesco
The history of Tesco has some parallels to UK. The supermarket chain has grown from a modest foundation to an admired world power with arguably the best stores in the world. Now it is withdrawal and downsizing that applies. If the trends continue, Tesco is soon reduced to ‘UK only’.
UK Grocery shoppers are more environmentally conscious
77% of UK grocery shoppers have, in the last 12 months, switched, avoided or boycotted buying certain products, or would consider doing so in the future, based on brands’ environmental policies, shows data from Kantar, a consultancy. That is serious for many old brands.
Alibaba celebrates successful stock market debut in Hong Kong
Alibaba, the Internet retailer, raised $ 11.3 billion in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Just a few minutes after the start of trading, the stock rose by almost 8 percent, rising from the initial price of 176 Hong Kong dollars to 189.50 Hong Kong dollars.
Ocado shakes up grocery retailing
Tim Steiner, the co-founder of Ocado Ltd., has ambitions to shake up the British and international retail sector with the online company Ocado.
Huge possibilities for brick and mortar stores
In these columns we have discussed a great deal about digitalization and e-commerce - a mega trend. Of course, that doesn't mean it's “the end” for traditional stores. A good example is probably that the “online ruler,” Amazon, is stepping up its focus on brick & mortar grocery stores in USA.
Coles launches grocery subscription service
Coles is taking its online grocery offering a step further with the launch of a new subscription service that allows customers to make unlimited orders for a flat monthly fee.
4222 stores in Sweden closed last year
E-commerce is knocking out the physical stores. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of retail stores decreased by 6 percent from 35,953 stores to 33,688 in Sweden.
ICA makes great investment in ecommerce
That the grocery giant ICA, in Sweden, does not take market shares, but retains its position as a strong market leader in Sweden is not unexpected, but nonetheless a fact. Good purchasing conditions and efficient operations are the background, but the ICA boss is probably more concerned about market shares than he might like to stress.
Føtex will soon be launching an online store
Online grocery sales are still not a particularly large market compared to physical grocery sales, but the area is growing, and several large chains such as Coop, Bilka and Netto are already “on the ball”.
French Picard enters Scandinavia
French frozen specialist, Picard, wants to grow in Sweden after several years of closures and losses. The owner of Picard Scandinavia, Knut Faremo, draws inspiration from Picard's first store in Norway and will spice up the concept in Sweden shortly. Denmark and Finland are in the cast in 2020. Faremo has ambitions. No doubt.
Lidl best on prize
Lidl wins the newspaper B.T.'s large price check of supermarkets, the chain says in a press release. B.T. has checked the prices of everything from pasta to chocolate biscuits and milk - a total of 97 different products, divided into five product categories, have been tested in 11 grocery chains, and here Lidl was the cheapest in all five categories.
Sainsbury’s mean business
Mike Coupe, CEO from 2014, has been under hard pressure since Britain’s competition regulator in April blocked Sainsbury’s 7.3-billion-pound agreed bid for Walmart daughter Asda. That pressure has cost shareholders 33 percent in reduced shareholder value so far in 2019.
Asda profit & sales rise despite failed merger
Asda, the British supermarket arm of U.S. retail giant Walmart (WMT.N) that is considering a future UK stock market listing, saw its profit increase 9.2% in 2018 - a year when it was unsuccessfully targeted for takeover by rival Sainsbury’s.
Aldi will invest £1 billion
Aldi will double its stores in UK after sales increase of 11%. Aldi says it will step up the pressure on rivals by increasing store numbers in London from 45 to 100 by the end of 2025, by opening more standard-sized Aldi stores and new, smaller-format Local stores on London high streets.
Nemlig.com is Denmark's best online supermarket
RetailNews, a retail business site, in Denmark, have tested four supermarket websites on design, usability, credibility, inspiration and content. The conclusion of RetailNews is that Nemlig.com is the best online supermarket in Denmark.
Lidl warns UK suppliers on nodeal Brexit
The German discounter wrote to suppliers recently asking for their confirmation that they would be “deliver duty paid-ready”. In other words that they were ready to cover extra costs in the event of a “No-deal Brexit.”
Sainsbury's outperforms rivals
Sainsbury’s recorded the smallest sales decline among Britain’s big four grocers in the latest 12-week period, showing tentative signs of improvement after nearly two years of underperformance.
Ica's results are better than expected
Good results in ICA's Q2 sends the market capitalization up by 8 per cent. Online is growing strongly from a low level and is a focus area for ICA in the years to come.
Online grocery in Asia to grow 198% by 2023
Online grocery in Asia is developing at a rapid pace, with the market set to grow from its current value of US$99bn to US$ 295bn by 2023, according to the latest forecasts from international researcher IGD Asia.
Expects excessive growth in online grocery shopping
Those who reject online shopping in groceries as a flop will get a big surprise in a few years, predicts IGD, a British non-profit analysis institute. Three key global markets will see 212% combined online growth over the next five years, according to IGD.
Coop Sweden grows stronger
The Swedish Competition Authority has approved Coop’s purchase of Netto's Swedish stores from the Danish retail giant Salling Group.
Tesco scales down in Poland
Britain’s biggest supermarket chain Tesco has announced the closure of four hypermarkets and a distribution center in Poland.
Aldi Süd to open its first store in China
Aldi Süd has revealed it will open stores in China, with the first one opening on the 7 June in Shanghai, writes IGD.
Aldi Denmark loses money at frightening speed
The money is pouring out of the Danish Aldi stores. Aldi Denmark’s results for 2018 are characterized by declining revenue and a posted loss of DKK 381 million.
Waitrose plans to triple Online Operation
Less than three months after revealing the end of its partnership with Ocado, Waitrose has outlined plans to triple the size of its online grocery operation over the next three years. The upmarket grocer ambitions are to create a £1 billion operation online.
Salling Group sells 163 Netto stores
The Danish supermarket giant Salling Group withdraws from Sweden, which never became a success for the group.
CMA blocks Sainsburys & Asda merger
Britain’s competition regulator has blocked Sainsbury’s proposed 7.3-billion-pound takeover of Walmart owned Asda. It is not unexpected, but nonetheless a huge blow to the supermarket groups who wanted to combine to overtake market leader Tesco.
ICA will halve food waste by 2025
ICA, the Swedish grocery giant with more than 50% market share in its home market, adopts new targets for reduced food waste.
Food companies threatened
Food companies in nine European countries have received threat letters: Transfer 300,000 Euros or get your goods poisoned.
Family drama in Aldi
An old family feud in the German Albrecht family (Aldi) threatens after a testament from the deceased Cäcilie Albrecht excludes Babette Albrecht from any influence in the retail giant valued US$ 40 billion.
Scandinavian takes top position in Russian grocery chain
Danish Rud Pedersen is now CFO in one of Russia's largest supermarket chains; Lenta. There are few, if any, Scandinavians who reach the top in Russian business. This is perhaps an opportunity for Scandinavian suppliers?
Dairy Farm Hypermarkets are struggling
Dairy Farm results in 2018 shows that Health and Beauty segment is strong, but the food business is declining.
Spanish Mercadona and Zara do well
Two of Spain's best-known high street names, both still largely family owned, announced record profits for 2018 last week.
WM Morrison from survival to profit
Morrisons, Britain’s fourth largest supermarket group reported a rise in quarterly underlying sales on 12 March, though its rate of growth slowed somewhat from a warm weather boost in the second quarter.
Costco grows in both channels
Costco Wholesale Corp speeded past analysts’ estimates for quarterly profit on 7 March as the warehouse club operator’s margins were lifted by lower gas prices and a shift to lower-cost sourcing, sending its shares up 5 percent. The company also said pricing pressure on its groceries business had decreased, adding to the optimistic sentiment.
No Asda and Sainsburys deal, says CMA
The proposed £12 billion merger of Sainsbury’s (J Sainsbury plc), and Asda (Walmart) could lead to higher prices, a poorer shopping experience and reductions in the range and quality of products offered, fears The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) in UK.
Walmarts Best 4th quarter in ten years
Walmart Inc posted its strongest holiday quarter in ten years, improved by higher grocery and e-commerce sales. Online sales jumped 43 percent, helped in particular by the expansion of Walmart’s online grocery pickup program to more than 2,100 stores.
German Lidl is investing heavily in Denmark
Lidl tried to enter Norway several years ago with a likely, but undisclosed loss of several hundred million NOK. In Denmark, however, Lidl succeeds very well.
Strong development in ICA
The Swedish giant ICA continues to deliver. The chain takes market shares from Coop and Axfood, and profitability is good, even though earnings per share is down from last year.
Ocado plans one-hour delivery
Ocado’s new service Ocado Zoom is set to be tested in West London in March. It will offer customers on-demand “small batch delivery” in one hour or less! One hour, of course, is a formidable logistical challenge.
Russian hard discounter fights Aldi and Lidl
Hard discounting is founded in Germany, by Aldi and Lidl in a poor and degraded country after World war II. The Russian discounter, Mere, now tries in the lion's cave. Can it work?
Tesco cost cuts 15000 jobs
Britain’s biggest retailer may cut 15.000 jobs in its UK stores and head office with its latest move to simplify operations and achieve targeted cost savings.
Retail cooperatives loose market shares
Grocery retail cooperatives are losing market share in Europe. They will account for 27% of retail sales in 2024, a 3-percentage point drop versus 2014, according to LZ Retailytics.
Chinese e-tailer Alibaba tightens grip over 600 million lives
China's e-commerce giant, Alibaba Group Holding, is quietly building a whole economic sphere based on the smartphone payments and services it provides.
British economy hit by Brexit
Negotiations between the EU and the UK on Brexit are confusing. However, there is no doubt that the uncertain situation is damaging the UK economy. Now several top executives in the grocery industry warn that the uncertainty about Brexit can create chaos.
Sainsburys Worst Christmas sales ever
Sainsbury’s says sales dropped during Christmas after general merchandise trading was hit by consumer caution and rigid competition from hard discounters like Lidl and Aldi.
Fætter BR and Toys “R” Us employees are popular
Grocery stores in Denmark lacks employees and calls on redundant employees from Fætter BR and Toys "R" Us to seek positions in grocery retailing.
No Santa Claus in Sweden
Norwegian merchants want less border trade, but do not receive any Christmas presents from Swedish investors. On the contrary, in Sweden they plan for more and more cross border trade.
ICA invests 4 billion in 2019
The Swedish grocery giant, ICA, will increase total investments by 500 million SEK next year, to 4 billion SEK, compared to 2018.
Aldi Denmark has received 2.7 billion DKK in six years
Aldi Nord continues capital injection to Aldi Denmark with a new supply of 200 million DKK in November. So far this year the Danish daughter has been given 400 million.
Global online grocery up 15 percent in two years
Global online purchasing of packaged and fresh groceries has surged by 15 percent in the past two years, leading to an estimated increase of US$ 70 billion in online sales of FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods).
The grocery industry is increasingly politicized
Power struggle between chains and suppliers is no new phenomenon, but it's growing. Therefore, the business is more politicized throughout the EU than just a few years back. In Denmark, the retailers fight all they can against new EU rules that, according to their view, threatens the free right of negotiation between seller and buyer.
Netto dreams of the Løve effect
The Danish Netto stores have been known to be ugly, boring and outdated, but cheap. Cheap is no longer enough for the Danish consumer.
Good top line growth weak bottom line for Sainsbury's
Interim results on Thursday 11 November show sales across the Sainsbury group rose 3.1 per cent to £15.1 billion in the 28 weeks to 23 September 2018.
Strong report by Ica
The Swedish grocery giant, Ica, delivers a report where both earnings and revenues surprised positively in third quarter, ending 31. September.
Smaller formats and proximity shopping are ultramodern
LZ Retailytics forecasts that the smaller the format, the faster it will grow. Thus, small minimarkets are set to grow faster than large minimarkets, followed by small supermarkets, medium sized supermarkets and large supermarkets.
Sears is bankrupt
The American icon in retailing, Sears, is (almost) bankrupt after 125 years of business. It is e-commerce that has broken the company.
Tesco calls for Amazon tax
Tesco’s chief executive, Dave Lewis, has called for the introduction of an “Amazon tax” on online sales to prevent more high street stores going bust.
ICA declares war on plastic
ICA, the Swedish grocery giant, has declared war on plastics. ICA phases out all plastic disposables throughout the group by 2020!
Metro AG sells Real hypermarkets
“Our decision to put Real for sale is met with interest,” so we are optimistic, says CEO Olaf Koch. Metro announced late last week that it wants to sell Real, with 282 stores and 34,000 staff, to focus on its wholesale business.
Tesco takes on Aldi and Lidl with new Jack's chain
The British supermarket chain has for long been haunted by German low-price warriors, Lidl and Aldi in their home market. Hence CEO Dave Lewis opened the new low-price chain, Jack’s, in Chatteris on Wednesday. Lewis claims it will be the cheapest in town.
Nestlé in political trouble at The Philippines
The global food giant, Nestlé, threatens the authorities to withdraw from The Philippines if the company does not receive tax privileges.
Coca Cola invests in coffee
Coca-Cola Co has agreed to buy coffee chain Costa for $5.1 billion including debt to extend its push into healthier drinks.
Huge investment awaits Aldi in Denmark
Aldi Denmark has been in Denmark for years but is still losing money every year. That, however, doesn’t stop the discount giant from having offensive investment plans, building new stores this year and further ahead.
2 billion metric tons of food are wasted
Up to a third of fresh food grown on British farms — including 2,500 metric tons of Scottish strawberries is rejected each year because its appearance does not meet standards expected by supermarket chains and the EU.
Walmart beat expectations
The world’s biggest retailer, Walmart, beat analysts’ expectations, sending shares rising with more than 10 percent on New York Stock Exchange (Thursday morning 16 August). If the gains hold, the stock is on course for its biggest intraday increase since 2008.
Tesco plans hard discount chain
Tesco is preparing to launch a new discount chain as early as September, as the supermarket ramps up its battle with the hard discounters Aldi and Lidl, writes The Guardian.
Walmart out of Japan
US giant, Walmart, is not satisfied with its Japanese business and is selling its wholly owned grocery chain; Seiuy. Out of Brazil, out of Great Britain and maybe out of Japan. Globalization is not easy, not even for Walmart.
Carrefour in alliance with Tesco!
British Tesco broadcasted a "long-term strategic alliance” with the French supermarket giant Carrefour this week! That is shocking news for the entire industry, retailers, suppliers and analysts.
Unfair trading methods exists, but are not serious
There are unfair trading methods in the Swedish food market, but there is no clear evidence that they occur to such an extent that it seriously distorts competition in the food market, concludes the Swedish Competition Authority in its new report "Competition in the Food Chain".
Fix the food, and we fix the planet
Professor Johan Rockström in this chronicle shares views of vital interest globally and locally. What is most important for the world economy and future welfare; that we avoid steel tariffs or that we have a sugar tax, he asks?
Sainsburys & Asda in political calamity
The CEOs of Sainsbury’s and Asda are set to be grilled by MPs on questions regarding the grocers’ proposed merger, writes Elias Jahshan.
Walmart out of Brazil
Walmart Inc said on Monday that it has sold an 80 percent stake in its Brazilian operations to private equity firm Advent International. For Walmart, Brazil has been a nightmare.
Half of Walmart's workforce are part-time workers
Part-time workers account for half of Walmart’s workforce, up from 20 percent in 2005, according to Reuters.
Micro trading and experiences shape the future's consumption
Despite increased e-commerce, future consumers will continue to trade in physical stores. But in the stores, they want to see more “happenings” and unique micro produced goods and services.
Consolidation is the name of the game
The Schwarz Gruppen, which owns Lidl and Kaufland, exceeded 106 billion euro in turnover in 2017, and is by far the biggest player on the European market for grocery retailers.
ICA invests 600 million SEK on e commerce
Ica Sweden will invest approximately 600 million SEK in a fully automated e-commerce solution from UK Ocado in 2018-2022.
Sainsbury's merges with Walmart's Asda
Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L) and Asda, the UK arm of Walmart (WMT.N), confirmed on Monday they had agreed a 13.3 billion pounds merger to create Britain’s biggest supermarket group by market share, surpassing current leader Tesco (TSCO.L).
Axfood operating profit beats forecasts
The Swedish grocery retailer beats forecasts in Q1 according to Reuters. CEO in Axfood, Klas Balkow, is also very satisfied, not least because Axfood takes market shares, beyond doubt, one of the most important performance indicators in food retailing.
Lithuanian Competition Authority stops Rimi Baltics acquisition of UAB Palink
Doubts the buyers' competitiveness and long-term commitment to each store.
The Swedish government will imprison food cheaters
Karin Brynell, CEO for the trade association Svensk Dagligvarehandel, supports a proposal for imprisonment for food cheating, but she believes that food control should have more resources. A new law will have minimal effect if it is not followed up by more resources, she believes.
European supermarkets boycott Nestle
Nestle, which in February reported its weakest annual sales growth in at least two decades, is under heavy shareholder pressure to boost sales and profit margins.
Alibaba bets billions on Ele me
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said second of April it would buy the remaining shares of Ele.me, a major platform in China’s food delivery market, according to Reuters.
Shares in French Casino rise on an agreement with Amazon
Shares in the French retailer Casino surged Tuesday 27 March 27 after a deal with the internet giant Amazon was known.
Strong European Grocery Growth
The European grocery retail market will add €377.6 billion in sales to reach €2,289 billion by 2022, with growth in the region driven by the dynamic economies of Central and Eastern Europe, according to new forecasts from international grocery research organization, IGD.
Aldi breaks with fixed low prices
For the first time in 40 years, customers can now find offers in Aldi on selected days in Denmark, according to Dansk Handelsblad.
Eight stores to visit in the Nordics in 2018
Harriet Cohen, Senior Retail Analyst leads IGD’s research in the Nordics. Here she highlights eight of the best stores to visit across Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki.
NorgesGruppen wants to take more responsibility for public health
"Our top boss is the customers. They want a slightly healthier and slightly greener shopping cart. We will make that happen," promises CEO Runar Hollevik of NorgesGruppen.
Import protection and its consequences
Do we know enough about the import protection and its consequences? Enough to say that we protect not only Norwegian industry but also Norwegian consumer interests?
Retailers need to recalibrate their approach to reach millennials
Retailers should re-assess their business strategy and technological prowess by benchmarking their store layouts, systems and processes against shopping preferences of millennials and post-millennials, who are going to redefine the future of retail, argues GlobalData.
Ingvar Kamprad passed away Sunday 28 January
Ingvard Kamprad, founder of IKEA and Sweden's most famous entrepreneur died Sunday 91 years old. "I started making furniture because I was too lazy to become a farmer," he said to this writer some years ago, and he meant it.
Norway is a smuggler's paradise
The Norwegian customs made record seizure of smuggler beer in 2017. It worries the beer industry, and it should worry the government.
Rema 1000 overtakes Lego
For the first time, Rema 1000 takes the position as the best-known brand in Denmark, according to YouGov BrandIndex.
Big risk for a price war
2017 has been a busy year for food & grocery – we have seen mass consolidation, the continuation of supermarket diversification into new areas, and a change in consumer eating and spending habits, writes GlobalData.
Homemade food popular again
Homemade food has been losing ground in USA for years. The trend seems to turn now. That is good news for food retailers.