News

Retail and consumer goods industry news

04 July 2013
Tesco has partnered with budget gym operate Xercise4Less to open a number of large value-orientated facilities in some of its UK stores. Gym to take on mezzanine space in-store The major space sharing deal will see the first gym open on the 32,000 sq ft mezzanine floor in the retailer's Stockton-to-Tees Extra store. Xercise4Less currently has 10 gyms throughout the north of England but is p...
03 July 2013
As Walmart unveils plans to open more Sam’s Club stores in China, we update on how this important part of Walmart plans to grow. Building on a successful format in China Andrew Miles, chief operating officer for Sam’s Club in China , has said that the retailer will open seven more of its membership-only cash and carry stores in China over the next 2-3 years.  This move will expand i...
03 July 2013
Mark Wilson, former Waitrose director is to move to Midcounties Co-op to take up the role of Group General Manager for the societies food stores. Responsibility for 240 food stores Wilson, who was Director, Retail Operations (North) for Waitrose will take on responsibility for Midcounties 240 food stores from Deputy Chief Executive Andy Creswell, who will continue in his role, focusing on d...
03 July 2013
DIA has opened its first DIA Fresh in France, according to reports in Linéaires, while it has also completed the sale of its operations in Turkey. DIA Fresh opens in Nice Linéaires reports that the first DIA Fresh has opened in Nice. The store is focused on fresh and perishable, with 70% of SKUs within the category, spread across fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Launched in Spain in early ...
03 July 2013
Supermarket News reports that Ahold-owned US-based Peapod has unveiled QR-enabled billboards on the sides of delivery trucks. Delivery trucks to be taken to ‘summer gathering spots’ The roll out of QR-enabled delivery trucks will enable shoppers to use their smartphones to order products from a select number of suppliers, once they have downloaded the free PeapodMobile app . The retailer w...
03 July 2013
We review the top five grocery retailers in Europe – Carrefour, Tesco, Schwarz, Auchan and Aldi - and the tactics they are employing to drive growth and stay at the top of their game. Although Europe’s leading retailers operate across a range of channels and markets, their short-term strategies are seeing them focus increasingly on the region’s shoppers and in order to help differentiate thems...
03 July 2013
Latest figures from data agency Nielsen indicates that in the the four week period to 22 June the UK grocery retail market grew by 2.3%, as against 2.8% in the previous period, ending 25 May.  Market volume sales were up just 0.1%, running up against the celebratory spending for the Diamond Jubilee seen in 2012. Seasonal produce performing well Amongst the key product categories, fresh produc...
03 July 2013
US pharmacy Walgreens has debuted the Boots No7 for men skincare range marking the first nationwide Boots product launch for the retailer since the formation of a strategic partnership with Alliance Boots last summer. Expanding product offering The men’s skincare range will be available exclusively and Walgreens at Duane Reade drugstores nationwide and will also be available online at Walgre...
02 July 2013
Carrefour has signed franchise agreements with two new chains in Romania, a step that will see it add 20 Carrefour Express to its network in the country. Two new deals signed Carrefour said that it had signed deals with Rost Com, which operates 15 stores in the county of Brasov, in central Romania, and Traditional Ecologic, which runs five outlets in Bucharest’s Ilfov region. Expansion ...
02 July 2013
Ocado has reported gross sales of £382.7m for the first half of 2013, growth of 15.2%. The increased growth reflects ongoing new customer sales. In addition, improvements to the range and customer service metrics remain key drivers of online grocery shopping. Customer numbers and average basket growing Ocado grew both customer numbers and average basket over the first half of the year, with ...