Spain: Mercadona to invest €1.8 billion in 2020
Mercadona, the Spain-based supermarket chain, has announced its intention to invest €1.8 billion in 2020 on a “transformation plan”. The plan will mainly consist of opening new 69 stores in Spain and 10 in Portugal. Similarly, Mercadona will renovate 160 supermarkets, install ready-to-eat food counters in 460 stores, build new logistics facilities and continue to […]
UK: Tesco to sell its Thai and Malaysian operations
Tesco, the UK-based multinational supermarket chain, has announced its intention to sell its business in Malaysia and Thailand to a conglomerate of Charoen Pokphand Group entities, in a deal valued at $10.6 billion. According to sources, the decision has been taken to simplify the Tesco group, enabling a stronger focus on its retail business in […]
Russia: VkusVill to open first store in the Netherlands
VkusVill, a Russian-based supermarket chain, is planning to expand and open a store in the Netherlands in the coming weeks, according to a Reuters report. Having started one decade ago selling fresh dairy products from local producers, the company positions itself as a neighbourhood distributor of affordable fresh food through supermarkets and self-checkout micro markets. […]
UAE: Lulu to expand hypermarket footprint
Lulu, the Middle East grocery retailer, has announced its intention to add 20 new hypermarkets to its store network over the next two years, according to a report in Arabian business. The new stores will reportedly be spread across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, including in Khalifa City, Al Falah, and Riyadh City in Abu Dhabi, […]
Australia: Schwarz Group abandons plan to open Kaufland stores
Schwarz Group, the retail giant behind the Lidl and Kaufland store chains, has announced it is abandoning plans, first reported in 2016, to open Kaufland stores in Australia. “After careful and thorough consideration, Kaufland has decided to undertake an orderly withdrawal from the Australian market”, Kaufland said in a statement, adding that it would be […]
UK: Asda to trial refill stations at “sustainability store”
‘Big Four’ UK supermarket chain Asda has announced plans to address the challenge of reducing plastic waste by opening a “test and learn sustainability store” in Leeds that will allow consumers to bring in their own containers and refill with a variety of dried goods. Launching in May, the store will use dedicated refill stations to […]
USA: Kroger sells stake in Lucky’s Market
Kroger, the leading US grocery retailer, has announced it has divested its stake in Lucky’s Market, a Colorado-based chain of food stores specializing in organic products. The disposal comes less than four years after the two firms announced a “strategic partnership”, with Kroger making a “meaningful investment” that was designed to increase Lucky’s Market’s store […]
UAE: Carrefour to expand to central Asia via Majid Al Futtaim partnership
Carrefour, the global retail giant, has announced its first foray into central Asia with the opening of new stores in Uzbekistan via its partnership with UAE-based conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim. Carrefour said it was planning to open three supermarkets and one hypermarket in the Uzbek capital Tashkent in 2020, followed by another two supermarkets and one hypermarket […]
Egypt: Lulu to expand store footprint
Lulu, the Abu Dhabi based business conglomerate, has announced plans to invest 1.83 billion AED ($500 million) in the Egyptian market after reaching a series of agreements with authorities in the country, according to a report in Arabian Business. The firm’s expansion plans are said to include six new hypermarkets and four mini markets across the country. Lulu is also reportedly in talks […]
USA: Target launches Good & Gather brand
Target, the US grocery retailer, has announced the introduction of Good & Gather, which it described as its largest private label brand for food and drinks. The new flagship brand will offer a wide range of food and beverage products that “prioritise taste, quality ingredients and ease, at a great value”, the company claimed in […]