Biedronka has announced the locations of its first 5 stores in Slovakia

Jumbo (finally) ready to open its first Belgian store in 2024
Next week, Jumbo will open its 34th Belgian supermarket: Roeselare is only the first store opening of the year in Belgium for the Dutch supermarket chain, which plans to open five more stores this year.
Source: retaildetail.eu

Norway’s Kiwi cuts prices of popular vegetables to promote healthy eating
Norwegian discounter Kiwi is cutting prices on around 25 of its best-selling vegetables as shoppers see price as the biggest obstacle to healthy eating. Seven in 10 people want to follow the nutritional advice to eat five to eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day, but find it too expensive, according to a survey conducted by Respons Analysis on behalf of Kiwi. A full 94% of respondents believe that fruit and vegetables have become “quite or very expensive”.
Source: esmmagazine.com

East of England Co-op strengthens its commitment to sustainability and tackling food waste
As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and tackling food waste, East of England Co-op has extended its partnership with in-store execution software provider Retail Insight for a further three years.
Source: talkingretail.com

Biedronka announces locations of the first five stores in Slovakia
Polish retailer Biedronka has announced the locations of its first five stores in Slovakia. The grocer, owned by Jerónimo Martins, will open its first stores in the country by the end of this year. The group will open stores in Levice, Nové Zámky, Považská Bystrica, Senica and Zvolen as part of its first opening offensive, Zuzana Baloghova, HR Director for Slovakia at Jerónimo Martins, announced in a post on LinkedIn.
Source: esmmagazine.com

New Zealand: Fines for food are unfair to consumers
The $3.25 million penalty imposed on Foodstuffs for using land agreements to prevent competitors from locating was only a fraction of the $7.3 billion that could have been imposed under the law. However, Justice Radich said the higher sum, which was 10% of Foodstuffs’ North Island turnover multiplied by 17 offences, was disproportionate to the offence.
Source: scoop.co.nz

Irish plant-based brand The Happy Pear announces UK retail launch
The Happy Pear, a plant-based brand based in the Republic of Ireland, has announced an upcoming expansion into UK retail. Founded 20 years ago by twin brothers Dave and Steve Flynn, The Happy Pear is on a mission to help people eat more vegetables.
Source: vegconomist.com

Picnic sweetens huge losses with promising Dutch results
Dutch online supermarket Picnic continues to increase both its sales and losses as investments in growth come before profits. The first (preliminary) profit figures in the Netherlands offer a hopeful perspective. According to the annual report, quoted by Dutch newspaper The FD, Picnic’s sales rose 34% to €1.2 billion last year. However, the retailer is also seeing increasing losses, from €208.7 million in 2022 to €220.6 million in 2023.
Source: retaildetail.eu

SPAR Austria introduces intelligent electronic shelf labels
After extensive testing, SPAR Austria is introducing intelligent electronic shelf labels (ESL) in its stores. The multi-colored ESL units provide a modern and convenient shopping experience for customers and enable store employees to digitally display prices.
Source: spar-international.com

“Roam and Greenspoon launch Kenya’s fastest deliveries”
Roam and Greenspoon have partnered to offer sustainable deliveries and support local farms. Greenspoon customers receive orders with Roam Air in under 99 minutes, up from the previous 3 hours. Thanks to Roam Air’s portable charging feature, Greenspoon drivers can deliver up to 195 orders per day.
Source: roam-electric.com

USA: Aldi opens stores in Ohio and Florida
Discount grocery chain Aldi continued its rapid expansion earlier this month with new stores in Orlando, Florida, and Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The Middleburg Heights store, at 6820 Pearl Road, is a new store, and the Orlando store, at 4607 South Orange Blossom Trail, is a renovated store.
Source: supermarketnews.com

USA: Fred Meyer workers in Portland approve strike
While the union representing thousands of grocery workers is still negotiating a new contract with Fred Meyer this week, a strike is a real possibility in Portland, Oregon. The 4,500 workers voted to strike, accusing the grocer of unfair labor practices.
Source: supermarketnews.com

USA: GrubMarket introduces AI Chatbot, a revolutionary AI-powered chatbot for the food supply chain
GrubMarket is excited to announce the launch of AI Chatbot, an advanced AI-powered tool designed to revolutionize customer, supplier and employee support for businesses in the food delivery industry. This innovative solution leverages cutting-edge artificial intelligence to provide personalized, contextually relevant support tailored to the specific needs of food delivery businesses. Once initialized with relevant data, AI Chatbot provides best-in-class support, delivering high-quality answers to questions on demand, 24/7/365.
Source: prnewswire.com

USA: Food union withdraws support for Kroger-Albertons merger
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 has changed its support for the proposed $24.6 billion merger of Kroger and Albertsons, releasing a statement announcing the withdrawal of its support for the deal.
Source: supermarketnews.com

Alimentation Couche-Tard acquires GetGo Café + Market from Giant Eagle
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT), the parent company of the Circle K convenience store brand, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the GetGo Café + Markets convenience stores from supermarket retailer Giant Eagle Inc.
Source: cspdailynews.com