Oct 19, 2023

LuLu Group leader proposes opening direct flight from Saudi Arabia to Vietnam Shehim Kottilingal, regional director of LuLu Saudi Hypermarkets L.L.C., has proposed that the Vietnamese Government research opening a direct flight from Saudi Arabia to Vietnam in order to boost the Southeast Asian nation's export of fresh food and fruit and vegetables. E.Leclerc continues to set the pace in France in September Market leader E.Leclerc was the best-performing grocer in France in September, seeing a gain of 1.4 percentage points of market share to account for 24.1% of total spending, new data from Kantar has found. Holland: Schouten launches plant-based snack for kids packed with 46% vegetables As insufficient vegetable intake continues to be a growing problem, especially among children, Schouten , a pioneering Dutch company in plant proteins, has introduced an NPD for the plant-based snack segment: Vegetable Bites. Schouten's new bites, packed with 46% vegetables, include corn, carrot, garden peas, onion, and red bell pepper. According to Kees Van den Heuvel, Trade Marketer at Schouten, the NPD addresses the increasing demand for plant-based snacks and the need to include more vegetables in people's diets. Spinneys opens new store in Obour City as part of its expansion plan in Egypt Spinneys, the leading supermarket chain in Egypt, opened a new store in Obour City. The new store covers an area of 1,100 m2 and provides customers with a wide range of products, including fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, deli and dairy, bakery, as well as non-food and light general merchandise items. European discounter Pepco to slow store openings Pepco Group, the European discount retailer that issued two profit warnings last month, will slow down its rapid store opening program to focus on rebuilding profitability, it said. UK: Bodmin fruit and veg seller Celtic Produce gets zero hygiene rating A Cornwall fresh produce shop, deli, and wholesaler has been given the worst food hygiene rating a place can get. Celtic Produce, in Bodmin , was told to urgently improve after a food hygiene inspector showed up this summer, and it failed on "two big issues." Competing in Germany's high-demanding fresh market German retailers continuously look for sustainable and well-priced fruits and vegetables. This demanding market offers much potential for exporters, but it can be challenging to succeed. Successful suppliers use seasonal strength, pricing, and sustainability standards to their advantage. Ultra convenience for Dunedin and Christchurch: MILKRUN launches in the South Island Shoppers in Dunedin and Christchurch will be able to order more than 10,000 grocery items in under an hour as MILKRUN comes to Te Wai Pounamu for the first time. Woolworths New Zealand's Director of Digital, Mark Wolfenden, says the business is thrilled by how Kiwis have taken to MILKRUN with everything from fresh fruit and milk to tubs of ice cream making their way into shopping carts. UK: Aldi reveals new lorry designs after national competition As part of its Get Set To Eat Fresh education program with Team GB and ParalympicsGB, Britain's fourth-largest supermarket invited school children aged between five and 14 to enter a design that inspired others to eat healthy, sustainable food, with a winner chosen for England, one for Wales and another for Scotland. The winners - Joshua, aged 10 from Greater Manchester, Victoria, aged 13 from Edinburgh, and Sara, aged 13 from Barry - now each have their winning design emblazoned on an Aldi lorry, with the lorries recently visiting the winners' respective schools as part of the celebrations. Australia: Green Connect Illawarra launches new 'Pick Your Produce' Fruit and Veg Boxes Award-winning Warrawong permaculture farm and social enterprise Green Connect has launched new 'Pick Your Produce' Fruit and Veg Boxes to provide the Illawarra community with more choice and flexibility. How spending on food in Greece changed in the last decade Food spending and consumption in Greece have shown significant changes in the last decade, according to a study by the Institute for Research on Consumer Goods Retailing (IELKA). Examples of changes in spending from 2009 to 2022: Fruit and vegetables, a 7% drop in spending for the former and 43% for the latter. Legumes and nuts, a 44% rise in spending for the former and a rise of 48% in the latter. US: Costco operations chief Vachris to become CEO as Jelinek exits Costco Wholesale said CEO Craig Jelinek would step down from his role by the end of the year and be succeeded by operations head Ron Vachris. US: Procurant partners with Agtools Procurant, a cloud-based software company transforming the fresh food supply chain, announced a partnership with Agtools, a provider of data analytics services designed especially for the food supply chain. Agtools serves as a global data platform, aggregating data from official government agencies and education institutions in 113 countries, including the United States, covering more than 500 specialty crops and commodities. Matriark Foods launches the world's first carbon-neutral, shelf-stable meal for food banks Matriark Foods , an upcycled food company creating access to healthy food from excess produce, is introducing Matriark Vegetable Harvest Stew, the world's first carbon-neutral shelf-stable made with navy beans and vegetables sourced from farms in New York State, with Matriark's upcycled broth base. This national launch is the company's first foray into shelf-stable meal offerings. Amazon rolls out robotic system at Houston warehouse to speed up deliveries Amazon.com said it was using a robotic system at one of its Houston warehouses to improve inventory management and speed up deliveries, building on its years-long bet that automation will help boost sales and worker safety. The technology, called "Sequoia," brings together a series of systems, including mobile robots and robotic arms. US: Procurant signs Schnucks for perishables order management and produce inspections Procurant, a cloud-based software company transforming the retail food supply chain, announced the successful implementation of the Procurant One technology platform for perishables purchasing, produce inspections, and source-to-pay order management at Schnuck Markets, Inc. US: Walmart beefs up its third-party marketplace as it challenges bigger online rival Amazon Walmart is banking on its third-party online marketplace to boost holiday sales. While Walmart is the biggest retailer, its e-commerce business is still much smaller than rival Amazon. Online sales for Walmart US rose sharply recently, while other major retailers such as Macy's and Target reported declines. US: Aldi will drop prices by up to 50% on Thanksgiving 2023 meal essentials Aldi said it will drop prices by up to 50% on more than 70 "holiday classics" on November 1, 2023. The store said the discount will continue through the end of the year on seasonal favorites, including gravy, potatoes, green beans, cranberries, and pumpkin pie, as well as staples such as butter and flour.