Farm fresh: Freshly's quick commerce bet on fruits and vegetables 
Indian quick commerce platforms operate on a two-step supply chain. First, they source fresh produce from farmers directly at mandi, and second, they transfer it to a large centralised warehouse for quality check, labelling, and packing. Established in May 2024, Noida-based Freshly is a specialised quick commerce platform that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables within 10-15 minutes. It gets its stocks from the mandi and directly delivers to consumers from its dark stores.
Source: yourstory.com
Coop Danmark returns to profit in FY 2024
Coop Danmark delivered 'better than expected' results in 2024, as it swung back to profit in its first financial year, after the transaction between Coop amba and the energy company OK. Coop Danmark posted an operating profit (EBIT) before special items of DKK 162mln (€21.1mln), reflecting an underlying improvement of DKK 879mln (€114.3mln), compared to a loss of DKK 717mln (€93.2mln) in 2023.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Watermelon pizza launched as fun way to get kids to eat fruit
Tesco reported: "It's one of the most arduous tasks facing parents - getting kids to eat fruit as part of their five-a-day. But now a simple hack in the form of a watermelon pizza making kit is being launched by Tesco to create a tasty and exciting way for children to do just that. The kit, which is aimed at three to nine year-olds, consists of six wedges of watermelon, a sachet of Greek yoghurt and a sachet of fruit berry coulis which youngsters then go and make as they wish in the style of a pizza".
Source: tescoplc.com
South Africa: Pick n Pay says it expects to break even in 2028
South Africa's Pick n Pay reported a narrower full-year loss before tax, reflecting a lower trading loss in its core business, and said it expects to break even in 2028. The grocery retailer's loss before tax and capital items came in at 237mln rand ($13.3mln) in the 53 weeks ended March 2, from a loss of 1.4bln rand the previous year. Full-year trading loss in its core Pick n Pay business narrowed by 1bln rand to 549mln rand, the company said.
Source: reuters.com
Holland: "Ahold Delhaize sought to acquire Carrefour"
Carrefour and Ahold Delhaize "held preparatory talks at the end of last year with a view to a takeover of the former by the latter", French publication La Lettre writes. However, the Dutch retail group soon threw in the towel.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Casino Group and H&S Invest Holding plan to open 210 convenience stores in Morocco with by 2035
Casino Group reported: "Casino Group and H&S Invest Holding sign a strategic partnership agreement to deploy the French Group's brands in Morocco. The aim of this exclusive partnership is to open more than 210 Franprix and Monoprix brand stores over the next ten years throughout Morocco".
Source: groupe-casino.fr
81% of Brits are making their summer punch wrong, say Aldi experts
Aldi reported: "Summer punch cocktails are a quintessential British experience, yet new research reveals most Brits are mixing summer drinks all wrong. Cucumber, often considered the hero of the jug for its crisp, cooling freshness, is rejected by 18% of drinkers. Even strawberries - a seasonal staple - are shunned by 12%. To help Brits 'garnish like a pro', Aldi is cutting the price of cucumbers by 22% nationwide (from 89p to 69p) from 22nd May - 4th June, making it even easier to serve the perfect 'summer punch' on a budget".
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
Germany: METRO strengthens its position in system gastronomy with the acquisition of GVS Group
METRO has acquired GVS Group, a foodservice player in Germany specialising in system gastronomy. The acquisition strengthens METRO's strategic access to the system gastronomy sector to further boost its food service distribution (FSD) growth. In addition, GVS is set to benefit from METRO's existing infrastructure to further accelerate its future expansion within Germany and other European countries.
Source: newsroom.metroag.de
Tesco announces executive team shake-up as UK CEO steps downTesco has confirmed changes to its executive team as Matthew Barnes has stepped down as UK CEO to "pursue other opportunities". Barnes will be replaced by Ashwin Prasad, Tesco Group's current chief commercial officer, effective from 30 June. Natasha Adams, currently Tesco Ireland & NI CEO, has been appointed to a newly created role on the executive committee as chief strategy & transformation officer, effective from 9 June. Geoff Byrne, currently chief operating officer in Ireland, is promoted to Tesco Ireland & NI CEO. All executive roles continue to report to group CEO Ken Murphy.
Source: talkingretail.com
Supporting communities and reducing food waste: Interview with The Global FoodBanking NetworkAhold Delhaize reported: "Ahold Delhaize has been partnering with The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) since July 2024 to help address food insecurity and provide support to local communities to access essential food. To explore the role of food banks and the power of strategic partnerships, Ahold Delhaize interviewed Ignacio Gavilan, GFN's Food Systems Partnerships Senior Director".
Source: newsroom.aholddelhaize.com
US: UNFI workers in Florida join Teamsters
United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) workers continue a trend of unionization for the wholesale distributor, with the announcement that some 230 Florida warehouse employees had joined Teamsters Local 769.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: FreshDirect opens first physical store
FreshDirect announced the opening of its first physical retail location, FreshDirect on Main, in Southampton, New York. This milestone marked an exciting new chapter for the company as it expanded beyond its digital roots for the first time in nearly 25 years. The new FreshDirect on Main is located on bustling Main Street in Southampton, right in the heart of the East End village.
Source: supermarketnews.co.nz
US: Northeast Grocery, Inc. is now on DoorDash
DoorDash announced a new partnership with Northeast Grocery, Inc., the parent company of Market 32, Price Chopper, and Tops Friendly Markets, for on-demand grocery delivery at nearly 260 stores across the Northeast. Customers can now order over 150,000 items - including fresh groceries, household essentials, and prepared meals - delivered on-demand through the DoorDash app or website.
Source: about.doordash.com
US: Trader Joe's eyes New York distribution center
Trader Joe's is working to expand its presence on New York's Long Island with plans to build a new warehouse and distribution center in the community of Islandia. News of the project was first reported by Long Island Business News.
Source: storebrands.com
US: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says tariffs haven't dented consumer spending
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that the company hasn't seen any signs of consumers tightening their wallets in the face of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. "We have not seen any attenuation of demand at this point", Jassy said during a question and answer portion of the company's annual shareholder meeting.
Source: cnbc.com