France: Carrefour announces the signing of agreements for the sale of 9 stores in France, valued at c. €70 millionFollowing the decisions of the French Competition Authority, approving Carrefour's acquisition of the Cora and Match banners in France, the Provera purchasing group, and 27 Casino stores, and in line with its commitments to the ADLC, the Group announces the signing of two agreements for the sale of 9 stores located in areas identified by the ADLC. These include 5 Carrefour hypermarkets (of which 3 former Cora stores and 1 a former Casino store), 2 Carrefour Market stores, 1 Carrefour City store, and 1 Match store.
Seven stores will be taken over by Coopérative U: the Carrefour hypermarkets in Publier, Villers-Semeuse, and Hérouville; the Carrefour Market supermarkets in Mercin-et-Vaux and Crouy; the Match supermarket in Nancy XXème Corps; and the Carrefour City in Paris Poissonnière. The stores in Argenteuil and Pavillons-sous-Bois will be taken over by Intermarché.
Source: Carrefour
The Netherlands: Ahold Delhaize appoints new CTODutch-Belgian food retail group Ahold Delhaize has announced the appointment of Jan Brecht as chief technology officer (CTO) and member of the executive committee. He will succeed Ben Wishart in September, who has decided to step down as a member of the executive committee and leave the company after 12 years in the role of CTO. Brecht joins the company from Nissan Motor, where he served as chief digital information officer.
In his new role, Brecht will lead Ahold Delhaize's technology functions, overseeing enterprise tech strategy, digital innovation and cybersecurity. He will also work with local brands, allowing them to leverage Ahold Delhaize's scale to accelerate the development of scalable, customer-centric platforms.
Source: Retail-system
UK: Morrisons makes major shopping change which could make finding items easierMorrisons has launched a new change in its stores which could make it easier for customers to find products in their stores. It can be a common occurrence for customers to struggle locating items admist the vast number of supermarket aisles when doing their weekly shop, with many needing to ask for assistance from shop employees on where the product they are looking for might be.
In a bid to tackle this, Morrisons have have added a new product finder to their store app which will help to guide shoppers to the products they are searching for in-store. Speaking to City AM, Peter Laflin, director of data at Morrisons said: "The most common question that our colleagues in store get is: 'Where can I find X?' So if we can help customers answer that themselves through the app, that's a win for them — and for our colleagues too."
Source: Manchester Evening News
Japan: Seven & i reports sales decline at 7-Eleven stores in JapanJapanese retail giant Seven & i Holdings says its profit for the three months through May more than doubled from a year earlier. But its domestic convenience store business saw sales and profit decline as rising prices made consumers budget-conscious. The operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain reported earnings for the March-to-May quarter on Thursday.
Revenue rose 1.6 percent and net income jumped 129 percent to 49 billion yen, or about 335 million dollars. The increase was mainly due to the sale of assets owned by the group's Ito Yokado supermarket chain. But operating profit at 7-Eleven stores dropped 11 percent as sales slid 0.7 percent to the equivalent of about 1.5 billion dollars. Seven & i is focusing on its domestic and international convenience store operations to fend off a takeover bid from Canadian convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Source: NHK World
UK: Arrests in investigation into cyber attacks on Mark & SpencerFour young suspects have been arrested in connection with the recent cyber attacks on Marks & Spencer and luxury department store Harrods. The British National Crime Agency has arrested four suspects: two men aged 19, a boy aged 17 and a woman aged 20. They are charged with violation of the Computer Misuse Act, extortion, money laundering and participation in organised crime, British media report. All four were arrested at their homes, with their electronic devices confiscated for analysis. They remain in custody for questioning.
The cyber attack caused major damage to retailers: Marks & Spencer even had to completely shut down online operations for weeks and saw valuable stock lost. The retailer also risks a claim from customers: in total, the affair could have an impact of 350 million euros on the retailer's profits. More retail companies did fall victim to cyber attacks recently: LVMH, Adidas and Ahold Delhaize, among others.
Source: Retail Detail
China: Supermarket chains on recovery track as major players post uptick in sales
China's top 100 supermarket chains recorded sales of 900 billion yuan ($125.38 billion) in 2024, up 0.3 percent year-on-year, with the total number of stores reaching 25,200, according to the latest report by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association (CCFA). China's supermarket sector is showing signs of recovery, with membership-based and discount formats emerging as key drivers of growth, the "2024 China Supermarket Top 100" report showed on Wednesday.
The annual report found that 42 companies reported year-on-year sales growth, while 25 expanded their store footprint. Notably, 14 companies managed to grow both their revenue as well as store numbers — a sign of resilience amid shifting consumer habits and cost pressures. Mid-sized chains with annual sales of between 3 billion yuan and 10 billion yuan were particularly successful, recording the highest percentage of operational improvement, the report said.
Source: China Daily
US: More Kroger workers threaten to strikeThe negotiating table appears to be showing signs of wear for Kroger, as the grocer continues its talks with labor groups across the U.S. this summer. The latest group threatening to walk out is Teamsters Local 528, whose members will hold a practice picket on Thursday in Forest Park, Ga., while they work to finalize their first contract with Kroger. In June, the union voted to authorize a strike, citing the grocer's failure to offer what it described as a fair contract. The workers are demanding fair wages, strong benefits, and enforceable job protections.
Last week, Kroger reached a tentative agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) in Southern California. The agreement includes higher wages, increased pension contributions, improved health benefits, and more staffing, among other changes.
Source: Supermarketnews
US: Costco sales boosted by e-commerce and international growth in JuneCostco Wholesale Corporation reported an 8% year-over-year jump in sales to $26.44 billion for the month of June, driven by membership loyalty, its e-Commerce expansion and international growth. Comparable sales were up 5.8% from the same month in 2024, including 4.7% growth in the US, 6.7% growth in Canada and a 10.9% jump in other international markets. E-commerce sales surged by 11.5% when compared to June last year.
Source: Proactive Investors
US: Grocery Outlet releases 'Impact Report' following a rough yearGrocery Outlet released its "2024 Impact Report" Tuesday, highlighting its performance successes in a year that posed some substantial setbacks and major leadership changes for the retailer. The Emeryville, Calif.-based discount grocery chain of 533 stores across 16 states saw $4.37 billion in sales of its 6,0000-plus SKUs, and saved shoppers an average of approximately 40% over conventional grocery prices. The grocer's so-called WOW! items offered deeper discounts of 40% to 70% off, the report noted.
Grocery Outlet's purchase of United Grocery Outlet in April 2024 added 40 stores to its brick-and-mortar footprint and expanded its reach into Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia. In all, the supermarket chain added 67 stores in 2024.
Source: Supermarketnews
US/India: Albertsons to hire 1,000 in India as part of tech pushBoise-based Albertsons plans to hire as many as 1,000 people in India, the company told an English-language news outlet in the country. The move follows layoffs that started in January, with employees at sites in Arizona, California and Idaho losing their jobs. At the time, Albertsons wouldn't detail how many people it cut in the US, but filings obtained by BoiseDev indicated it impacted 381 workers. The company did tell us that it would "offshore" some positions.
Albertsons' Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Anuj Dhanda, told the Times of India that Albertsons would scale up its "global capability centre" in Bengaluru. The city in the southern portion of the country has 8.4 million people in its metro area, and is also known as Bangalore. Three hundred people currently work for Albertsons in India, but that could reach 1,000 in the next 18 months.
Source: BoiseDev