Shaking up the produce aisle: New Mojito cocktail flavoured grapes coming to Co-op
Co-op reported: "New to the fruit aisle, Mojito tasting grapes are coming to the UK and will land at Co-op stores from early next week. Perfect for fans of the popular summer cocktail. In Co-op stores from Wednesday 23 July, the new unique variety is named 'Mojito Fresh' after growers noticed its flavour resembled the classic cocktail. The flavour of the grapes - sweet with a hint of lime - is a result of the way they have been developed in Spain by naturally selecting and breeding one flavour of grape with another. The grapes will join the convenience retailer's premium Irresistible Limited-Edition range at £2.90 for just three weeks".
Source: co-operative.coop
Iceland Foods fails again to trademark 'Iceland' across EU
Iceland Foods has failed in its latest legal attempt to retain exclusive EU trademark rights to the word 'Iceland', after the General Court of the European Union rejected the retailer's appeal. The court upheld previous decisions which found that the word 'Iceland' is descriptive of the country's export activity - including fish, meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, beverages, and even household appliances - and therefore cannot be monopolised by a single company. The supermarket has not yet commented on the outcome.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
Uzbek retailer Korzinka reports sales growth in a difficult year
Uzbekistan-based retailer Korzinka has reported like-for-like sales growth of 9.3% to UZS 9.4tln (€630mln) in its financial year 2024. The retailer attributed its growth in sales in the second half to the implementation of its First Price initiative. The retailer's supermarkets and Mahalla proximity stores both recorded 9.3% like-for-like growth. Online supermarket Korzinka Go recorded exponential growth of 188%.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Auchan to sell 19 French supermarkets to Lidl
French supermarket group Auchan will sell 19 stores in its home market to Germany's Lidl as it seeks to improve its financial position and avoid further job cuts, the two businesses said. Battered by a decline in customer traffic for over ten years, Auchan said last November that it would cut over 2,000 jobs in France and in May announced the closure of 25 stores and over 700 job cuts in Spain.
Source: reuters.com
M&S champions Welsh farmers and food at the Royal Welsh Show
Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture & Fisheries at M&S, commented: "The Royal Welsh Show is a brilliant opportunity for M&S to celebrate the people, produce, and passion for quality food that make Wales unique. Each year, we work closely with more than 2,500 Welsh farms and suppliers, and this event allows us to showcase the outstanding lamb, beef, and fresh produce that are at the heart of so many M&S products".
Source: corporate.marksandspencer.com
UK: Ocado delivers strong growth as technology solutions powers EBITDA surge
Ocado Group has posted robust first-half results driven by its Technology Solutions division, which more than doubled EBITDA to £72.8mln whilst expanding margins from 14.4% to 26.3%. Group revenue climbed 13.2% to £674.0mln, with Technology Solutions up 14.9% and Ocado Logistics advancing 12.1%. "Ocado Group has delivered a strong first half and we have reached important milestones both in our UK business, as well as across our international partnerships", said Tim Steiner, CEO of Ocado Group.
Source: ukinvestormagazine.co.uk
Third compact city store for Aldi in Belgium
After Ixelles and Antwerp, Uccle also welcomes an Aldi compact city store. On a smaller surface, the supermarket still offers the full range. The new Aldi in the rue de Stalle is the second in the Brussels municipality of Uccle and the 25th in the Brussels region for the discounter. The store is part of the mixed building project "Emerald Garden" which includes 84 flats and office space.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Holland: Fresh capital offers Crisp investment space
ABN Amro grants Crisp a loan of 28mln euros. That money serves partly to repay an earlier 2022 loan of 23.9mln euros to US venture investor Triple Point Capita, but it also allows the online supermarket to enter the next phase, says founder and CEO Tom Peeters to NRC: "In addition to replacing that loan, we now have more room to invest in software, our assortment and in our logistics."
Source: retaildetail.eu
Couche-Tard scraps $46bln bid for Japan's Seven & i
Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard pulled its $46bln bid to buy Seven & i Holdings, saying the retailer refused to engage constructively on the deal, which would have been Japan's largest ever foreign buyout. Couche-Tard, which operates Circle K, spent a year trying to create a global convenience store giant by acquiring the company behind 7-Eleven.
Source: reuters.com
How Amazon and Maui pineapples could help diversify Hawaii's economy
"This is a really big game changer for us", Maui Gold Pineapple CEO John White said. The big change? More Maui Gold Pineapples are making their way to the mainland. Amazon cargo planes are transporting about 1,800 pineapples in bulk each week from Maui to the mainland. Sen. Glenn Wakai thought of the idea when he heard the company's cargo planes that drop goods to Hawaii leave empty. "So I approached Amazon saying nothing is unacceptable. Let's fill them with locally made products", Wakai said.
Source: hawaiinewsnow.com
US: Uber welcomes new retailers to its SNAP EBT program
Uber Eats announced the arrival of even more grocery and convenience selection for consumers shopping with SNAP benefits across the country. Wegmans, Gopuff and Family Dollar join a growing list of grocery merchants and convenience retailers accepting SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) payment for purchases made on Uber Eats.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Consumer Price Index - June 2025
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis in June, after rising 0.1% in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The fruits and vegetables index rose 0.9% over the month, as the citrus fruits index increased 2.3%.
Source: bls.gov
Walmart Mexico's profit dips 10% after tepid consumption growth
Walmart's Mexico and Central America unit reported a 10% decrease in its second-quarter net profit, below analysts' forecasts, citing a slower-than-anticipated recovery in consumer spending even as its sales rose 8%. Net profit was 11.23bln pesos ($598mln) in the three months through June, below the nearly 13bln-peso forecast of analysts polled by LSEG, while revenues rose 8% year-on-year to reach 246.25bln pesos - slightly above analysts' estimate of 246.07bln pesos.
Source: reuters.com
US: Miner's to buy three supermarkets from S&R Quisberg in Minnesota
Miner's Inc., which operates 31 supermarkets in the Upper Midwest, has agreed to buy all three grocery store locations operated by S&R Quisberg, including two Cub Foods and one Supervalu store. Hermantown, Minnesota-based Miner's is a fourth generation, family-owned grocery retailer that operates under the Super One Foods and Woodland Marketplace Foods banners in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Source: supermarketnews.com