Supermarket chain cancels ‘buy more to save’ promotions in Ontario and beyond
No Frills announced today (July 3) that offers like “buy two for $5 or buy one for $2.99” will no longer be part of the store’s promotions effective immediately. Instead, the low prices will be extended to individual items, according to a press release from No Frills.
“We pride ourselves on always keeping our customers’ needs in mind and listening to their feedback,” said Melanie Singh, president of No Frills. “Our customers have told us loud and clear that they don’t want to buy more to save.” Singh said the savings will continue, but shoppers won’t have to buy multiple items. “By eliminating multi-buy pricing, we’re making it even easier for our customers to manage their budgets every day,” Singh said.
Source: Insauga
Walmart Canada celebrates $750 million in charitable donations since 1994
Walmart Canada has announced that it has raised $750 million in charitable donations since 1994. Notable donations include its commitment to supporting disaster relief and disaster relief efforts. The company has provided support during ice storms, wildfires and the pandemic, raising a total of $70 million for the Canadian Red Cross since 2003.
Since 2003, it has also raised $67 million for the Breakfast Club of Canada and contributed more than 107 million meals through the annual Fight Hunger. Change campaign since 2017. Partnerships with children’s hospitals have resulted in $215 million in donations to the Children’s Miracle Network since 1994 and several educational grants have been provided.
Source: Grocery Business
Consumers return to physical supermarkets before summer
As grocery shoppers settle into the warmer months, many are switching from e-commerce to brick-and-mortar stores with more time to shop. Melissa Myres, director of insights at the retail data science, insights and media subsidiary of supermarket giant The Kroger Co. 84.51°, said many grocery shoppers are spending more time in physical stores during the warmer months.
“There could be a number of reasons for that,” Myres said. “It’s longer daylight. They may be on a schedule where they can find time more easily. They may not have to worry about weird weather conditions. … We have more foot traffic to the brick-and-mortar side of the (grocery) world.”
Source: Pymnts
Whole Foods is no longer a ‘whole paycheck,’ co-founder says
Whole Foods has long had a reputation as an expensive place to buy groceries. According to co-founder John Mackey, that’s no longer the case. Since Amazon acquired the grocery chain in 2017, it has cut prices multiple times. The cuts appeared to target Whole Foods’ above-average prices, something that had long prompted critics to dub the chain “Whole Paycheck.”
“Amazon made us drop our prices four times,” Mackey said in an interview with Fortune last month. “I almost never hear the ‘whole salary’ story anymore—that’s Amazon.”
Source: Business Insider
UK: Tesco workers to get $38mln in share profits
More than 20,000 Tesco TSCO.L workers will share a windfall of more than 30 million pounds ($38 million) from expiring share plans, the British supermarket group said on Wednesday. The retailer said the employees, who mainly work in stores and distribution centres, have benefited from strong growth in Tesco’s share price, which has risen 23% in the past year.
Economic think tanks have historically described Britain as a laggard when it comes to minimum benefits. But a tight post-Brexit labour market and the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted businesses to up their game. Tesco, which is also Britain’s largest private employer, raised the pay of store workers by 9.1% in March.
Source: Zawya
Hungary: First Russian discount store Mere opens in Hungary, possibly cheaper than competitors
Russian discount chain Mere will soon open its first store in Hungary. According to the latest reports, the exact location of this first store has been confirmed. On April 1, it was announced that Mere was planning to enter the local market with detailed investment plans. The ambitious goal was to open twenty stores in Budapest within a year and expand to 200 stores within three years. These goals seemed optimistic, as it took Lidl about 15 years to reach a similar size in Hungary. Mere’s plans also raised doubts, as the company had not previously had any contact with the government or industry stakeholders. Now, the Russian chain is preparing to open its first store, as confirmed by Újpesti Szemle, which reported that the store will open in Újpest, specifically in Káposztásmegyer.
Source: Daily News Hungary
UK: Cheapest supermarket named even with loyalty card prices taken into account
Consumer watchdog Which? has crowned Aldi the UK’s cheapest supermarket, beating more expensive rivals Waitrose by a whopping £32.60. The research also found that Aldi was £19.10 cheaper than Sainsbury’s and £15.89 cheaper than Tesco for a similar shopping list. In its monthly price comparison for the cheapest supermarket, Which? took into account Nectar and Clubcard loyalty awards, examining the cost of groceries and household essentials. The findings revealed that Sainsbury’s was £14.49 more expensive, while Tesco was £12.49 more expensive.
Source: Mirror
Portugal: Mercadona celebrates its fifth anniversary in Portugal
Mercadona is celebrating its fifth anniversary in Portugal, where it opened its first store on 2 July 2019 in Vila Nova de Gaia, in Canidelo (Porto). That same year, the company opened another nine stores, located in the districts of Porto, Aveiro and Braga. In the last five years, the company has invested a total of 1 billion euros in Portugal, which has allowed it to open 50 supermarkets (with a turnover of more than 2.77 billion euros) and 2 logistics centres, one in Póvoa de Varzim (Porto) and the other in Almeirim (Santarém). The latter will come online this year after an investment of more than 250 million euros. In terms of employment, the company has created 6,000 stable, quality jobs.
Source: Mercadona
UK: Marks & Spencer recruits former Aldi MD for CCO role
Marks & Spencer has bolstered its team by appointing a new chief commercial officer, as well as a new supply chain and commercial operations director. Sharing the news on LinkedIn, the retailer said: “We are delighted to announce our new chief commercial officer, Kara Greatorex, who will take over from Paul Friston who leaves us in October 2024 after 28 years. And we introduce our new supply chain and commercial operations director, Jon Downes. “We are at the beginning of a new M&S and an exciting time for M&S Food.” The duo will help to strengthen M&S’s food business.
Source: Drapers
Australia to make grocery code mandatory
Australia could impose billions in fines on major supermarket chains that fail to adhere to an industry code of conduct, the federal government said late last month, in a bid to ease concerns that suppliers are being unfairly squeezed on prices. Grocers with annual sales of more than $3.3 billion — currently Woolworths, Coles, Germany’s ALDI and wholesaler Metcash — will have to adhere to the code of conduct that has been voluntary until now, the federal government said. The move comes after a report by former competition minister Craig Emerson concluded that the current code “failed to address the imbalance in bargaining power between supermarkets and their suppliers, including farmers”, the federal government said.
Source: Producer
Kenya: Quickmart CEO shares lessons from retailer’s rapid growth
The supermarket industry is incredibly fast-paced. There are tens of thousands of products, many stay and countless shoppers. For owners, there are many variables to manage on a daily basis. Peter Kang’iri is the CEO of Kenyan supermarket chain Quickmart. For him, there is no substitute for local knowledge and experience in the ever-changing industry. “As Kenyans, we understand the opportunities better. We know the population, the number of people in an area and where to go for new locations,” he said in an interview.
Source: Bizna
South Africa: Shoprite introduces online shopping for small businesses
Shoprite has launched an online shopping and bulk delivery service for small businesses and spaza or tuck shops in South Africa. The development, which marks the first foray into e-commerce by Shoprite-owned Cash & Carry, a wholesaler, will allow customers to browse and purchase a wide range of goods at highly competitive prices through a fully automated online shopping system, with free delivery within a 50km radius.
According to a statement, spaza shops and smaller retail businesses face significant challenges, including high transportation and fuel costs, difficulty meeting demand within the informal sector, overstocking resulting in high transportation costs, increased risk of theft and cash flow challenges.
Source: Techpoint
