Austria: SPAR expands with 16 SPAR Express forecourt stores
SPAR Austria, in partnership with petrol station operator SOCAR, is expanding its network of SPAR Express forecourt stores. Two new stores opened in Schwechat (Lower Austria) and Knittelfeld (Styria) just before Christmas 2024, and 14 additional locations are planned for 2025. Shoppers can find SPAR Own Brand items, freshly baked organic pastries, premium fruits and vegetables, and essential everyday products.
Source: spar-international.com
UK: Asda donates 1mln meals as part of new fruit and veg pledge
Asda will donate the equivalent of one million meals during the start of 2025, as part of a brand-new "Winter Fruit and Veg pledge" with FareShare and the Coronation Food Project. Running from January to March, the initiative will see over 420 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables donated to the UK's biggest charity fighting hunger and tackling food waste.
Source: corporate.asda.com
Czech retailer Albert opened 11 new stores last year
Czech grocer Albert, which is part of Ahold Delhaize, opened 11 new outlets across the country last year. Among the new outlets are a store at Prague's main train station, a new store in the historic center of Brno, and a hypermarket in a new shopping center in Jindřichův Hradec.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK's Ocado Retail sales growth accelerates on customer wins
Ocado Retail, a joint venture between Ocado Group and Marks & Spencer, said its retail revenue rose 17.5% to 715.8mln pounds ($874.9mln) in the 13 weeks to December 1, after growth of 15.5% in its previous quarter, as the number of active customers increased 12.1% to 1.12mln and they shopped on the site more often.
Source: reuters.com
Carrefour offloads another 39 French stores
Carrefour is transferring an additional 15 hypermarkets and 24 supermarkets in France to independent operators, involving over 4,000 employees, LSA reports. This marks the eighth wave of such transitions since 2018, with nearly 350 stores, including around 100 hypermarkets, now under the "location-gérance" model.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Avoca-don't miss this: Sainsbury's debuts plastic-free packaging for avocados
Sainsbury's reported: "Sainsbury's introduces paper packaging across its own-brand Ripe & Ready Avocados twin pack, which will save 20.2mln pieces of plastic annually upon full rollout. The trial is underway across 77 Sainsbury's supermarkets with a wider rollout expected to land later this year".
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
Ahold Delhaize announces that its local Belgian brand Delhaize intends to acquire all shares in Delfood NV
Ahold Delhaize announced that its local Belgian brand Delhaize has reached an agreement with the louis delhaize Group to acquire all shares in Delfood NV. This intended acquisition concerns all of louis delhaize's points of sale as well as those supplied by Delfood, logistics services and headquarters in Belgium. Delhaize intends to expand its position in the Belgian retail market, particularly in the convenience segment. With this acquisition, the brand will strengthen its network of existing Delhaize stores. The transaction is subject to the approval of the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA). The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025.
Source: newsroom.aholddelhaize.com
Amazon expands zero-exhaust emission deliveries with the UK's largest-ever order of electric trucks
Amazon is expanding zero-exhaust emission deliveries with the UK's largest-ever order of electric trucks as well as the launch of rail deliveries across the UK and on-foot deliveries in central London.
Source: aboutamazon.co.uk
Record-breaking Christmas for grocery sector in Ireland, with Tesco and Dunnes strongest performers
Latest data from Kantar shows take-home grocery sales in Ireland over the four weeks to 29 December increased by 4.4% to reach nearly €1.4bln, making it the biggest sales month of the year, despite price inflation increasing to 3.6%.
Source: kamcity.com
UK: Aldi launches new vegan gut health smash burgers for Veganuary 
Aldi reported: "With smash burgers becoming a popular trend on TikTok, Aldi has extended its plant-tastic selection with the NEW and high protein Plant Menu No Chicken Smash Burgers (£1.99, 227g), perfect for pan frying, grilling or air frying. The gut-loving burgers are available in three delicious flavours - Tex Mex, with a hearty fresh combination of chunky tomato salsa, black bean and green jalapenos, BBQ, made with a smoky Korean style seasoning and Chargrilled, packed with vegan chicken and freshly cracked black pepper".
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
Portugal: Sensei debuts world's largest autonomous supermarket at NRF 2025
Sensei, a global leader in autonomous retail technology, is proud to announce the official debut of its groundbreaking autonomous supermarket at NRF 2025: Retail's Big Show, taking place in New York City from January 12-14. Sensei's presence at NRF coincides with the launch of its 1,200+ square-meter autonomous supermarket in Portugal, in partnership with MC (Sonae Group), the country's leading grocery retailer. Store features include: Diverse and Comprehensive Assortment: The store offers a range of products similar to a traditional supermarket, including solutions like weighable fruits and vegetables, a fish market with service, and bakery and pastry options sold in bulk. Discrepancy Detection: The technology identifies discrepancies between what the customer picked up (e.g., fruits and vegetables) and what was actually weighted, ensuring greater control and accuracy throughout the shopping journey.
Source: prnewswire.com
Apollo weighs $9.5bln stake in Seven & i buyout
Apollo Global Management Inc. is considering taking a substantial stake in a bid by Seven & i's founding Ito family to take the Japanese convenience store operator private, people familiar with the matter said. The US private equity giant is discussing a commitment of as much as ¥1.5tln ($9.5bln) for an equity stake in the plan, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information isn't public.
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca
US: Import cargo to remain elevated in January
A potential strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports has been avoided with the announcement of a tentative labor agreement, but the nation's major container ports have already seen a surge in imports that is expected to continue because of potential increases in tariffs, according to the Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
Source: nrf.com
US: Instacart partners with leading POS providers to accelerate Caper Cart adoption
Instacart announced new partnerships with two leading point-of-sale (POS) providers: DUMAC Business Systems, a leading POS solutions provider for independent grocery and convenience stores, and TRUNO Retail Technology Solutions, a leading provider powering over 13,000 retail locations across North America. Through these new partnerships, DUMAC and TRUNO will offer Caper Carts - Instacart's AI-powered smart carts - to their grocer networks, providing end-to-end POS integration from sales through implementation.
Source: prnewswire.com