Tag Archives: supermarkets

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Sainsbury’s trials new coffee bar in its supermarkets

Sainsbury’s trials new coffee bar in its supermarkets

 

Sainsbury’s is branching into the coffee-to-go market by trialling a new coffee bar at the front of six of its supermarkets. 

London, 2017-Dec-04 — /EPR Retail News/ — The bars, called ‘1869 Coffee’ in reference to the year that Sainsbury’s opened its first shop, enable customers to order Sainsbury’s Own Brand coffees and teas, as well as pastries and cakes (hot panini’s will be available in selected coffee bars) to take away.

Run by a Sainsbury’s colleague with specialist barista training, the menu offers a wide range of hot drinks with each store spicing it up and adding their own seasonal specials throughout the year. In the run up to Christmas customers can get their hands on new blends including a honeycomb latte, black forest hot chocolate and gingerbread latte. Mince pies will also be on offer for those looking for a festive treat.

Mintel’s latest reports reveal that the UK coffee shop market has risen by 37% over the last five years[1] and coffee-to-go is high in demand. Sainsbury’s new coffee bar format will look to tap into this market by giving customers their instant caffeine hit while on the move.

Customers in Sainsbury’s West Green, Cambridge Eddington, Slough, Watford and Alton can already pay a visit to the bars, with Sainsbury’s Armada Way store in Plymouth due to kick off the service this week. The bars will be open seven days a week with opening times varying from store to store.

Adrian Cook, Director of Fresh Foods at Sainsbury’s commented, “We want to help all of our customers to live well for less and as part of this we’re continually looking at new ways to be there for our customers, providing a range of convenient and high quality services at their fingertips.

“By giving our customers the chance to grab and go a range of hot drinks and snacks at the front of the store, we are differentiating our in-store offer and delivering a great value takeaway experience. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to listen and understand how our customers respond to a new trial like this.”

Media contact:
press_office@sainsburys.co.uk
0207 695 7295

Source: Sainsbury’s

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RUSSIA: Lenta announces the opening of two new supermarkets in Yekaterinburg

St. Petersburg, Russia, 2017-Dec-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Lenta, (LSE, MOEX: LNTA) one of the largest retail chains in Russia, is pleased to announce the opening of two new supermarkets in Yekaterinburg.

The first store is located at 200 Moskovskaya street. The store has a total area of 1,494 sq.m with 983 sq.m of selling space. The store has 72 parking spaces and 8 cash registers.

The second supermarket is at 3 Kuznetsova street. The store has a total area of 934 sq.m with 389 sq.m. The store has 21 parking spaces and 4 cash registers.

Stores offer a broad product assortment of 7,800 and 3,600 SKUs which has been selected specifically for residents of Yekaterinburg and includes Lenta’s private labels and federal product ranges alongside local produce. Both stores operate from 8 am to 11 pm, seven days a week.The properties are leased by Lenta.

The new openings are Lenta’s twenty seventh and twenty eights supermarket launches in 2017 and bring the total number of Lenta stores to 217 hypermarkets in 79 cities across Russia and 77 supermarkets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and the Central region.

About Lenta
Lenta is the largest hypermarket chain in Russia and the country’s fourth largest retail chain. The Company was founded in 1993 in St. Petersburg. Lenta operates 217 hypermarkets in 79 cities across Russia and 77 supermarkets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and the Central region with a total of approximately 1,298,457 sq.m of selling space. The average Lenta hypermarket store has selling space of approximately 5,700 sq.m. The average Lenta supermarket store has selling space of approximately 900 sq.m. The Company operates seven owned distribution centres.

The Company’s price-led hypermarket formats are differentiated in terms of their promotion and pricing strategies as well as their local product assortment. The Company employed approximately 40,400 people as of 30 June 20171.

The Company’s management team combines a mix of local knowledge and international expertise coupled with extensive operational experience in Russia. Lenta’s largest shareholders include TPG Capital and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, both of which are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance. Lenta is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on the Moscow Exchange and trades under the ticker: ‘LNTA’.

A brief video summary on Lenta’s business and its Big Data initiative can be seen here.

For further information please visit www.lentainvestor.com

Contact:

Lenta 
E-mail: pr@lenta.com

NW Advisors
Russian Media
Anton Karpov & Victoria Afonina
Тel:+7 495 795 06 23
E-mail: lenta@nwadvisors.com

FTI Consulting
International Media:
Leonid Fink & Victor Pomichal

Тel: +44 7497 783 705
E-mail: Leonid.Fink@fticonsulting.com
victor.pomichal@fticonsulting.com

Source: Lenta

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NGA urges Senate to pass comprehensive tax reform to create a more level playing field for supermarkets operating as pass-through businesses

ARLINGTON, Va., 2017-Nov-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, and 152 state trade associations and food retailers today urged the U.S. Senate to pass comprehensive tax reform that creates a more level playing field for supermarkets operating as pass-through businesses.

In a letter to Senators, the grocers expressed support for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but contend that the bill falls short of achieving rate parity between C-corporations and pass-through entities, which make up nearly half of NGA’s member companies. The proposed effective tax rate on qualifying pass-through businesses would be approximately 32 percent, or 12 percent above that of C-corporations.

“America’s pass-through independent supermarkets are a large and vital part of the economy and the new lower business tax rate needs to reflect their importance by being broadly applied and effectively enforced,” the group wrote to senators. “We urge Congress to support reforms that create a more level playing field for Main Street supermarkets so they can grow their businesses and create local jobs.”

In September, House and Senate leaders released a Unified Framework that pledged to treat pass-through businesses fairly in relation to their corporate competitors and called for a rate differential of five percentage points. The Senate bill ignores this promise and sunsets the pass-through deduction in seven years.

“Independent supermarkets are driving innovation in the marketplace. From implementing e-commerce strategies to developing new formats that enhance the customer experience, independent grocers are truly leading the way. We know tax reform can help these entrepreneurs to continue to invest in their communities, employees, and communities. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues to grow this important sector of the economy,” the letter concludes.

Contact:

Tel: (703) 516-0700
Fax: (703) 516-0115

Source: NGA

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Russian retailer Lenta to purchase 22 supermarkets in Siberia from Holiday Group

St. Petersburg, Russia, 2017-Nov-11 — /EPR Retail News/ — Lenta Ltd, (LSE, MOEX: LNTA / “Lenta” or the “Company”), one of the largest retail chains in Russia, is pleased to announce an agreement has been reached with the Holiday Group to purchase 22 supermarkets in the Siberia region.

Assets
The assets to be acquired consist of 22 owned supermarkets currently operated under the “Holiday Classic”, “Kora” and “Holdy” brands. 11 of the stores are located in Novosibirsk, 7 in Kemerovo and 4 Barnaul. The average selling space per store is around 800 square meters, giving total selling space of approximately 18 thousand square meters. The stores are compatible with Lenta’s supermarket format in terms of size and layout, and the locations are complementary to Lenta’s existing stores.

Lenta’s Chief Executive Officer, Jan Dunning said:
“Lenta is pleased to announce an agreement to acquire 22 supermarkets in Siberia from the Holiday Group. This transaction will significantly strengthen our network in Siberia, giving many more customers the opportunity to shop at a Lenta store close to their homes. The stores all have good urban locations and are complementary to Lenta’s existing network.

Siberia is an important region for Lenta. The company opened its first hypermarket in Novosibirsk in 2006 and its first supermarket in the city earlier this year. We currently operate 36 hypermarkets and 4 supermarkets across Siberia, served by our distribution centre in Novosibirsk.

While Lenta remains primarily focused on organic expansion, we are happy to supplement this by acquiring high quality existing stores when suitable opportunities arise. We have a strong track record of successful integration and look forward to welcoming former Holiday store employees into the Lenta family. The stores will be refurbished and rebranded over the next few months.”

Approvals and integration
All the stores are expected to transfer to Lenta ownership before year end 2017. The transaction does not require any regulatory approvals.

The stores will be closed temporarily for refurbishment and rebranding as Lenta stores, with all works expected to be completed by end March 2018.

Lenta 2017 Guidance
Lenta’s existing guidance of about 50 supermarket openings in 2017 with capital expenditure in the range of RUB 30-35bn remains unchanged.

About Lenta
Lenta is the largest hypermarket chain in Russia and the country’s fourth largest retail chain. The Company was founded in 1993 in St. Petersburg. Lenta operates 204 hypermarkets in 79 cities across Russia and 69 supermarkets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and the Central region with a total of approximately 1,223,933 sq.m of selling space. The average Lenta hypermarket store has selling space of approximately 5,700 sq.m. The average Lenta supermarket store has selling space of approximately 900 sq.m. The Company operates seven owned distribution centres.

The Company’s price-led hypermarket formats are differentiated in terms of their promotion and pricing strategies as well as their local product assortment. The Company employed approximately 40,400 people as of 30 June 2017.

The Company’s management team combines a mix of local knowledge and international expertise coupled with extensive operational experience in Russia. Lenta’s largest shareholders include TPG Capital and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, both of which are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance. Lenta is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on the Moscow Exchange and trades under the ticker: ‘LNTA’.

A brief video summary on Lenta’s business and its Big Data initiative can be seen here.

Forward looking statements:
This announcement includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not only relate to historical or current events. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “anticipate”, “target”, “expect”, “estimate”, “intend”, “expected”, “plan”, “goal”, “believe”, or other words of similar meaning.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances, a number of which are beyond Lenta’s control. As a result, actual future results may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set out in these forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of Lenta speak only as at the date of this announcement. Save as required by any applicable laws or regulations, Lenta undertakes no obligation publicly to release the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements in this document that may occur due to any change in its expectations or to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document.

For further information please visit www.lentainvestor.com

Contact:

Lenta
E-mail: pr@lenta.com Russian media:
NW Advisors
Anton Karpov & Victoria Afonina
Тel:+7 (495) 795 06 23
E-mail: lenta@nwadvisors.com

International media:
FTI Consulting
Леонид Финк
Тел.: +44 7497 783 705
E-mail: Leonid.Fink@fticonsulting.com

Source: Lenta

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Godiva chocolates makes debut in Sainsbury’s supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide

Godiva chocolates makes debut in Sainsbury’s supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide

LONDON, 2017-Sep-06 — /EPR Retail News/ — Sainsbury’s customers across the country can now treat themselves to delicious Belgian chocolates with the premium Godiva chocolate brand going on sale in 500 stores. This is the first time the Godiva brand has ever been sold in a UK supermarket.

From Sunday 3rd September, Godiva chocolates will be available in 500 Sainsbury’s supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide. Before this, the Belgian brand was only available in 11 locations in the UK, including Harrods and its own Godiva boutiques.

The new range includes the exclusive Godiva Masterpiece Collection, including filled chocolate tablets and individually wrapped pieces, as well as gifting and sharing boxes and tablets from Godiva’s core range, all expertly crafted with premium Belgian chocolate.

To make the Godiva chocolate range really stand out for customers, bespoke display fixtures have also been designed for the majority of stores.

The Godiva launch follows the introduction of a number of food concessions and brand partnerships in Sainsbury’s supermarkets. Patisserie Valerie cakes and gateaux are now available at 18 in-store bakery counters while the retailer is launching 30 more Sushi Gourmet concessions by the end of the financial year, bringing the total number of in-store sushi counters to 50.

In June, Sainsbury’s also opened a Crussh concession in its Pimlico store in London, selling premium ‘fit food’ and freshly made juices, smoothies and coffees.

Sainsbury’s Category Manager for Impulse, Rachel Clark, said: “We’re committed to offering our customers the greatest choice of delicious and differentiated food in our stores. Godiva is a leading, premium chocolate brand and the partnership we’re announcing today is a great example of how we’re innovating in our stores to bring our customers an exciting choice of high-quality products and brands that many won’t be able to find anywhere else.”

Jon Eggleton, Managing Director UK & Ireland, pladis said: “Godiva combines nine decades of traditional Belgian chocolate artistry with the latest innovation to offer a sensory experience that is loved by consumers worldwide. We are hugely excited to be expanding in the UK, working with Sainsbury’s to bring luxurious, premium products and in-store experiences that are brand new to this market. The Masterpiece range will showcase three of Godiva’s best-selling signature flavours crafted in the shape of the original boutique chocolates: The Ganache Heart, Hazelnut Oyster shell and Caramel Lion. We are confident this launch will delight discerning chocolate lovers across the UK.”

SOURCE: Sainsbury’s

MEDIA CONTACT

For corporate press enquiries please contact press_office@sainsburys.co.uk or call 0207 695 7295.

 

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SPAR Hungary completes renewal and renovation of two supermarkets in Budapest as part of its store modernisation program

Hungary, 2017-Aug-04 — /EPR Retail News/ — SPAR Hungary recently renewed two stores in Budapest with a budget of more than 500 million HUF (€1.6 million).

The SPAR Partner is constantly monitoring and meeting customer demands and store modernisation forms an important part of this. During the first half of this year, SPAR Hungary implemented major developments in eight of its stores and has now completed the renewal and renovation of two supermarkets in the capital city. Both stores are located at busy crossroads in districts near residential and office buildings. They provide a modern working environment and a long-term livelihood to 36 employees.

The supermarket located at Rózsa street in District IV of Budapest was renewed with a budget of 399 million HUF (€1.3 million), according to the latest SPAR design concept. The reconstruction included the installation of a new curtain wall structure on the building facade, with the installation of a new canopy. The 851m² retail space was completely renewed, including new cooling equipment and furniture, cashiers and stands. A new bakery was added to the store, offering fresh, locally-made products. An automatic motion-sensor gate welcomes shoppers at the entrance, which leads to the fruit and vegetable department, then to the bakery and delicatessen counters. The building’s energy-efficiency has increased, and LED lighting and closed coolers have also helped to lower energy usage.

Additionally, SPAR Hungary invested 112 million HUF (€366,000) in the development of the SPAR store at Váci street in District XIII of Budapest. This store, located near a busy transport crossing, is popular among employees of the nearby offices. The investment included the renovation of the 168m² retail space with most of the equipment being replaced. New stands, shelves and cashiers were installed and most of the cooling equipment is new.

Contact:

SPAR International
Email: info@spar-international.com
Tel: +3120 626 6749

Source: Spar International

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NRF’s STORES magazine: Supermarkets dominate list of Hot 100 Retailers

WASHINGTON, 2016-Aug-06 — /EPR Retail News/ — Supermarkets dominate the list of Hot 100 Retailers published today by the National Retail Federation’s STORES magazine, reflecting a trend of grocers moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and adopting new practices that focus more on their brands and shoppers.

“The supermarket segment is a model of the dynamic changes in retail. It represents a fast-changing marketplace where legacy banners are reinventing, smaller footprint operators are gaining share and online initiatives from Amazon Prime and subscription services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron are sneaking a few bites of food from the plate,” STORES Media Editor Susan Reda said.

“Not to be underestimated is the dollar store segment’s quest for a greater share of shoppers’ food budgets. These companies make a compelling bid for the value-oriented shopper with national brand name product offerings, convenience and an improved in-store experience,” Reda said.

Nearly a quarter of companies on the list compiled by Kantar Retail are food retailers, including two in the top five and well-known names such as Publix, Aldi and Whole Foods. The magazine said supermarkets are the retail industry’s hottest companies almost by default since consumers continue to buy groceries even as more discretionary spending is directed away from merchandise and toward services and entertainment.

The Hot 100 list, which is published in the August issue of STORES, is based on sales growth in 2015 over 2014 and ranks both public and privately held retail companies by U.S. domestic sales with a $300 million threshold for inclusion. On average, companies on the list saw growth of 14.7 percent, up from 13.2 percent the year before. The Hot 100 is sponsored by Apex Supply Chain Technologies, Esri, Island Pacific and MagTek.

Topping the list was Haggen, a 30-store Pacific Northwest grocer based in Bellingham, Wash., that grew into a sizeable West Coast chain only to shrink again after complications in its rapid expansion led to bankruptcy. Haggen’s sales grew a dramatic 325 percent to $2 billion in 2015 after the company bought 146 stores that became available when Albertsons acquired Safeway in 2014. But Haggen filed bankruptcy in 2015, saying “a number of Albertsons’ actions” caused the plan to fail. This year, 29 Haggen stores were purchased by Albertsons.

Second on the list was discount variety store Dollar Tree, which moved up from No. 57 on last year’s list after sales grew 138 percent to $19.9 billion following its 2014 takeover of Family Dollar. On the list for the first time at No. 3 was convenience store operator GPM Investments with 119 percent sales growth to $535 million, followed by No. 4 Minyard Food Stores, which saw sales grow 108 percent to $324 million. No. 5 was TV shopping channel Evine Live, which grew 100 percent to $693 million.

The Top 10 also includes No. 6 Torrid, up 100 percent at $410 million; No. 7 Wayfair, up 88 percent at $1.9 billion; No. 8 Bluestem Brands, up 61 percent at $1.7 billion; No. 9 Verizon Wireless, up 54 percent at $16.9 billion, and H&M, up 48 percent at $3.9 billion.

Three of the 10 companies on the list this year have no bricks-and-mortar stores, including Bluestem, Evine Live and Wayfair.

“The themes we see highlighted this year – consolidation, specialization and digitization – are all important ones for all retailers, irrespective of size,” Kantar Retail Chief Knowledge Officer Bryan Gildenberg said.  “Seven of the top 10 grew through significant acquisition, to gain scale and market scope in this dynamic, changing environment.  At the same time, brands like Torrid, H&M and Wayfair have done a wonderful job of understanding their target consumer – helping their customers to be the best version of their specific, distinctive selves,” Gildenberg said.

Fastest-Growing Restaurants
Separately from its Hot 100 Retailers List, STORES examined the fastest-growing quick-service restaurant chains in the country. The top 10 in order of increased market share are Jimmy John’s, Burger King, Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza, Long John Silver’s, Zaxby’s, Bojangles’, Jersey Mike’s Subs, White Castle and WingStop.

About Kantar Retail
Kantar Retail is a leading retail and shopper insight, consulting and analytics and technology business and part of Kantar, the data investment management division of WPP. It works with leading brand manufacturers and retailers to help them sell more effectively and profitably. Kantar Retail tracks and forecasts over 1,200 retailers globally and has purchase data on over 200 million shoppers. Among its market-leading reports are the annual PoweRanking survey and the Digital Power Study. Kantar Retail works with over 400 clients and has 26 offices in 15 markets around the globe.  For further information, please visit www.kantarretail.com, or find it on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About STORES
STORES Media is the publishing group of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. STORES Media offerings include STORES Magazine (print, digital and mobile versions) and STORES Weekly. STORES products report on the broad spectrum of strategic issues facing senior retail executives including retail technology, supply chain and logistics, credit and payment systems, loss prevention, human resources, omnichannel retailing, communications, marketing, merchandising and other vital store operations.

Contact:
Ana Serafin Smith
(202) 626-8189
press@nrf.com
(855) NRF-Press

Source: NRF

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This summer Stater Bros. Markets will reduce its lighting energy use by 50% in all its supermarkets

San Bernardino, California, 2016-Jul-14 — /EPR Retail News/ — For over 80 years, Stater Bros. Markets has remained committed to giving back to the communities it serves and is furthering its commitment to those valued communities by voluntarily reducing lighting energy use by 50% in all 168 Stater Bros. supermarket locations during summer months.

This reduction will decrease electricity use by 425,000 kWh per month, which is the equivalent of powering 470 homes per month and also reduces the possibility of rotating outages during the summer.

“Every day during summer months, all 168 Stater Bros. supermarket locations will voluntarily reduce lighting energy use by 50%, from 12 noon to 6 p.m.” stated Pete Van Helden, President and CEO of Stater Bros. Markets.   “Energy use peaks during this time and our energy reduction efforts underscore Stater Bros.’ ongoing commitment to the environment, community and our employees,” Van Helden concluded.

Other environmentally friendly efforts at Stater Bros. include:

  • Closed-door cases and LED lighting reducing energy by 60% per refrigerated case in 85% of our supermarkets, working towards implementation in all supermarkets by 2018.
  • LED lighting for refrigerated cases in all stores and LED lighting for sales floor in remodels and new stores
  • Energy Management Systems in all stores that control energy usage and demand
  •  “Green Waste” program removed over 34 million pounds of waste to help produce biofuel, animal feed and compost for agriculture
  • Recycling cardboard – over 73 million pounds
  • Recycling plastic bags – over 2.5 million pounds
  • Meat rendering and grease – recycled over 9.5 million pounds to help produce products that are used in agriculture, oleo chemical and biofuels industry
    • Recycling Centers inside each supermarket for customers to recycle paper and plastic grocery bags
    • Printing the company’s weekly ad on recycled paper
    • Donations to local food banks (over 3 million pounds per year)

In addition, Stater Bros. Markets has received the “Best Emissions Rate” Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill Partnership for having the lowest corporate-wide refrigerant emissions rate of all the GreenChill partners.  The company is also the only grocer to have seven stores in California that have received the EPA GreenChill Gold Level certification.

“Stater Bros. has always believed in doing the right thing for the right reason and expanding our environmentally friendly business practices is simply the right thing to do,” stated Jack H. Brown, Executive Chairman of Stater Bros. Markets.   “As we celebrate 80 years of serving Southern California Families, we want to ensure that we are doing our part so that the values and legacy of our founders, Leo and Cleo Stater will be enjoyed for many generations to come,” Brown continued.

Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County.  The Company currently operates 168 Supermarkets, and there are approximately 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family.  For more information, visit staterbros.com.

Press contact:
publicrelations@staterbros.com

Source: Stater Bros

 

 

 

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MERKUR to deploy NCR FastLane SelfServ™ Checkout solutions in 45 of its supermarkets in 2016

MERKUR to deploy NCR FastLane SelfServ™ Checkout solutions in 45 of its supermarkets in 2016, making it the first supermarket chain in the region to fully embrace self-checkout technology

Augsburg, Germany, 2016-Feb-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), the global leader in consumer transaction technologies, announced today that MERKUR, a leading Austrian supermarket chain that is part of the German REWE Group, will deploy 100 innovative NCR self-checkout solutions with associated NCR self-checkout software in about 45 stores in the course of 2016. Based on positive feedback in eight high volume stores earlier in 2015, NCR self-checkouts have now become an integral part of MERKUR’s store strategy. The technology enables a modern shopping experience and reduces waiting times at checkout, helping to improve customer service and build loyalty.

MERKUR is the first supermarket chain in Austria, as well as the greater DACH region, to implement a full-scale self-checkout strategy. This strategy reflects growing customer demand for self-checkout solutions, a trend that was recently highlighted in a surveycommissioned by the German Retail Association, EHI. The findings revealed that 92 percent of customers use self-checkout to reduce waiting time when they check out, while 50 percent use it because they like to experience the latest technology.

“As innovative Austrian grocer we continuously expand our services to deliver a pleasant shopping experience for our customers,” said Manfred Denner, member of the MERKUR executive board. “The acceptance of the systems has been very good. 40 percent of customers in our flagship store in Vienna are using the self-checkouts. We now want to offer this flexibility to customers in further stores.”

After comprehensive usability testing, NCR customized the software of its self-checkouts to the specific requirements of MERKUR and adapted the user interface to reflect the company’s branding. Since MERKUR has a strong focus on fresh produce in its in-store market-place, the fast and accurate identification of more than 600 different fresh fruit and vegetables is especially important. The new NCR RealScan™ 79 Bi-optic Imager, used in the latest generation of NCR self-checkouts, enables the desired levels of identification by capturing images of products as well as being able to scan 1D, 2D and mobile bar codes from six different angles.

“Based on our leadership and experience in rolling out retail solutions for customers around the world, we are able to provide a seamless experience, including software modification, to quickly and efficiently meet our customers’ needs,” said Stefan Clemens, Area Sales Leader for Germany, Austria and Switzerland at NCR Retail Solutions. “However, it is not enough to install new technology. To ensure that investment in self-checkout technology is successful for retailers, such as MERKUR, we have created an extensive business model that assesses the neighborhood, demographics, product range and other local specifics for each store. This enables us to identify and implement the right solution for our retail customers and deliver on the objectives they wish to achieve.”

Careful and accurate planning prior to the actual deployment provided a smooth integration of NCR self-checkouts with MERKUR’s existing point-of-sale (POS) infrastructure. Employees have been able to familiarize themselves with the new self-checkouts during dedicated training sessions that continue to contribute to the success and effective roll out of the technology. MERKUR looks forward to continuing to reduce the amount of time spent in queues and expects their customers to embrace the new technology as they did in the initial deployment.

About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is the global leader in consumer transaction technologies, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, NCR enables more than 550 million transactions daily across retail, financial, travel, hospitality, telecom and technology, and small business. NCR solutions run the everyday transactions that make your life easier.

NCR is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia with over 30,000 employees and does business in 180 countries. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Web site: www.ncr.com
Twitter: @NCRCorporation
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ncrcorp
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ncr-corporation
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ncrcorporation

News Media Contacts

Ortrud Wenzel
NCR Public Relations
+49 821 405 8191
Email: ortrud.wenzel@ncr.com

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British Retail Consortium: food waste in supermarkets during 2014 was 180,000 tonnes, down from 200,000 tonnes in 2013

  • Combined industry food waste is down by 20,000 tonnes
  • Figures published in line with transparency commitment
  • Retailers working with supply chain partners to achieve sustained reduction in food waste

LONDON, 2015-11-02  — /EPR Retail News/  —  A group of leading UK retailers have for the second time published a combined food waste figure, in line with a commitment to increase transparency and report on progress annually in this area. A British Retail Consortium (BRC) report, which details the practical steps supermarkets are taking to reduce waste, reveals the total amount of waste which occurred in supermarkets 2014 was 180,000 tonnes, down from 200,000 tonnes in 2013. This figure was calculated using data from seven major supermarkets* and was independently collated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

While this decrease in food waste is positive, when looking at the supply chain as a whole, retailers still account for just a little over one per cent of the estimated 15 million tonnes of food which is wasted in the UK each year. A considerably higher proportion of this waste occurs at other stages along the supply chain including at the farm and manufacturing stages as well as within the home.

UK retailers can and do use their position at the heart of the supply chain to influence the amount of food wasted both in the supply chain and at home. BRC members have an ongoing commitment in this area and individual retailers are working on a range of projects and initiatives focused on their own operations, on suppliers and on households to prevent food waste from occurring in the first place. These are outlined in greater detail in today’s BRC Report.

Retailers are also working very closely with redistribution organisations across the UK to ensure that where they do have useable surplus food, as much as possible goes to the people who need it most. Where food waste does arise, retailers continue to find the most appropriate way of utilising it effectively, with many retailers now sending zero food waste to landfill.

BRC Director of Food & Sustainability, Andrew Opie, said:

“While we welcome the fact that retail food waste levels are falling, it is nevertheless important to continue to focus attention and efforts on where the biggest reductions in food waste can be made and that is in the supply chain and at home. As an industry, we have a huge contribution to make and we will continue our work with suppliers and customers to build on the progress we have already achieved.”

* The participating retailers are Asda, Co-operative Food, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. In 2013 those retailers agreed a set of common rules and working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) calculated a UK food retail sector waste figure of around 200,000 tonnes (accounting for 86 per cent of the UK market)

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

1. Retail is the first and only UK industry to take the progressive approach of publishing a combined food waste figure in line with a commitment to increase transparency and has committed to report on progress on an annual basis

2. The participating retailers have agreed to voluntary targets on food and packaging waste through the Courtauld Commitments, coordinated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and supported by the four UK governments

3. This figure is non-comparable with figures for food waste from individual retailers. There are a number of significant differences in methodology, scope, timescale and coverage that mean these figures should not be compared directly

4. The figure is based on data reported by retailers to WRAP to measure progress against the Courtauld Commitment 3 manufacture and retail target. This data is audited and relates to 2014

5. Today WRAP is reporting progress made by grocery manufacturers and retailers in 2014 – the second year of the Courtauld Commitment 3. Retail food waste is included in the manufacture and retail target but is published as a combined figure which includes manufacturing and packaging waste

6. It is estimated by WRAP that around 15 million tonnes of food and drink is wasted in the UK each year

7. The supermarket food waste figure forms part of the BRC’s ambitious annual progress report on its A Better Retailing Climate initiative which reports on the retail industry’s progress on sustainability and environmental issues

8. The figure relates to food waste only and does not include primary packaging associated with food waste

9. Food waste arises at retail level for a variety of reasons such as expiry of use by date, product recall, breakages, damages and products taken out of the chill chain

10. The attached infographic to the right shows the amount of food wasted in the food value chain

11. Please also find attached to the right the food waste report

12. Given the large volumes of food waste in the UK grocery supply chain and the lack of detailed data on agricultural food waste, food waste on farm is becoming a focus of attention. We are working with our members on this issue and we are planning to hold a round table event in early 2016.

For media enquiries please contact Laura Blumenthal 020 7854 8924 laura.blumenthal@brc.org.uk

Source : British Retail Consortium

 

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Starbucks® stores will open within REWE-operated hyper and supermarkets in prime city locations across Germany in 2016

GERMANY, 2015-10-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — Today REWE, a leading premium German retailer since 1927 and part of the Cologne-based REWE Group, and Starbucks Coffee Company announce a significant new partnership. The first phase will see Starbucks® stores open within REWE-operated hyper and supermarkets in prime city locations across Germany in 2016, bringing the best coffee and unique Starbucks experience to more customers on the go.

“We know Germany has always appreciated great coffee and is one of the world’s biggest coffee-consuming countries per capita,” said Kris Engskov, president, Starbucks Coffee Company EMEA. “This new partnership with REWE will help us deliver both quality and value for new customers, and ensure great coffee on the go is more convenient than ever. Both of our companies have a great retail business heritage and we share the same values in our commitment to customers and the communities we serve.”

“We are excited about the opportunity of this unique cooperation between our two strong brands,” said Lionel Souque, CEO REWE Markt GmbH. “REWE is able to bring premium Starbucks products to customers in a unique way, by opening stores inside our supermarkets, fitting perfectly with our commitment to offering more convenience to our customers.”

REWE is one of the largest premium retailers in Europe, with more than 3000 stores in Germany. Starbucks currently has 159 stores in Germany and over 2,200 across 35 countries in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. This partnership demonstrates Starbucks continued growth in grocery locations across Europe, delivering greater convenience for customers to enjoy their favorite beverage in a relaxing and welcoming store environment.

About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 22,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit Starbucks stores or online at Starbucks.com andnews.starbucks.com.

About REWE
With revenue of 16.9 billion euros (2014), more than 90,000 employees and well over 3,000 REWE stores, REWE Markt GmbH is a leading company in the German food retail sector. REWE stores are operated as branches or by independent REWE retailers.REWE is part of the cooperatively organized REWE Group, one of the leading trade and tourism companies in Germany and Europe. In 2014, the company generated a total of external revenue of more than 51 billion euros. Founded in 1927, REWE Group operates 15,000 stores with 330,000 employees in 12 European countries. In 2014, around 228,000 employees generated revenue totaling 37 billion euros in approximately 10,000 stores in Germany.

For more information on this news release, contact us.

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Morrisons brings back staffed express checkouts to its supermarkets to offer customers a quick and personal service

Morrisons is bringing back staffed express checkouts to its supermarkets this week to offer customers a quick and personal service, and more choice at checkouts.

Bradford, England, 2015-4-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — The express lanes will serve customers who wish to buy ten items or less. They will mean customers with a small shop who want personal service will not have to queue behind those with a trolley full of groceries and have an alternative to self-scanning.

The average basket size for a UK supermarket customer is now 11 items costing £15, with shoppers visiting stores approximately five times a week[i].

David Potts, CEO of Morrisons said: “We’re listening hard to our customers and responding quickly wherever possible. If customers from time to time do smaller shops, they want to get in and out of our stores quickly.

“We are responding by introducing express checkouts which shoppers with ten items or less can use. These checkouts – and our very helpful staff – will offer a quick and personal service, helping to keep queues low and improving thousands of shopping trips.”

Two express lanes will be introduced at each of Morrisons 504 supermarkets nationwide. They will be run from existing checkout units within each store. One will be operational from 8am to 8pm and both during daily peak shopping periods of 12-2pm and 4-6pm.

Their addition means Morrisons will offer customers three payment options in store. Standard checkouts will cater for larger trolley shops, whilst self checkouts and manned express checkouts will give customers more choice for smaller shops.

The development comes after Morrisons retail team and CEO David Potts asked colleagues and customers how to make the shopping at Morrisons better. Another recent change has been the removal of Morrisons Intelligent Queue Management system in March 2015. Staff now use their own judgement to decide how many checkouts to open rather than being guided by a computer system.

Media contact

For all media enquiries call
0845 611 5111
Available 24 hours

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X5 Retail Group N.V., further expands its Perekrestok chain of supermarkets with the opening of seven new stores in March

Moscow, 2015-4-1 — /EPR Retail News/ — X5 Retail Group N.V., (‘X5’ or the ‘Company’) a leading Russian food retailer (LSE ticker: ‘FIVE’), is pleased to announce the further expansion of its Perekrestok chain of supermarkets. Today, five new stores were opened, three of them located in Moscow, one in Kazan and one in Nizhny Novgorod, while on 25 March, Perekrestok opened the format’s second supermarket in the city of Tula. In total, X5’s supermarket format opened seven new stores and reopened one refurbished store during the month of March. All of the stores fully comply with the format’s new “Perekrestok – Choose the Best!” concept, which was launched in October 2014.

The new Perekrestok concept is the culmination of the experience and know-how acquired by the chain over the past 20 years of operations with a focus on modern equipment, efficient layout of floor space, as well as interior and exterior improvements. The new look, location of promotional offers and interior colors are all designed to provide a better shopping experience for our customers.

The selling space of the new supermarkets varies between 800 to 1,500 square meters, with an assortment of up to 12,000 products. The assortment is focused on fresh and ultra-fresh products (up to 55% of total products) and an extended offering of bread and bakery, ownproduction of culinary items, fish and seafood. The format is actively targeting cooperation with regional suppliers, with their share of the total assortment varying between 20% and 40% (depending on the region) and reaching 60% to 70% in the fresh and ultra-fresh categories.

In addition to the enhanced promotional offers and loyalty program, this year Perekrestok extended the pensioner program that provides a 10% discount on the top thirty essential products for these shoppers.

The opening of the new supermarkets has resulted in the creation of approximately 400 new jobs.

Note to Editors:
X5 Retail Group N.V. (LSE: FIVE, Fitch – ‘BB’, Moody’s – ‘B2’, S&P – ‘B+’) is a leading Russian food retailer. The Company operates several retail formats: the chain of proximity stores under the Pyaterochka brand, the supermarket chain under the Perekrestok brand, the hypermarket chain under the Karusel brand and Express convenience stores under various brands.

At 31 December 2014, X5 had 5,483 Company-operated stores. It has the leading market position in both Moscow and St. Petersburg and a significant presence in the European part of Russia. Its store base includes 4,789 Pyaterochka proximity stores, 403 Perekrestok supermarkets, 82 Karusel hypermarkets and 209 convenience stores. The Company operates 34 DCs and 1,438 Company-owned trucks across the Russian Federation.

For the full year 2014, revenue totaled RUB 633,873 mln (USD 16,498 mln), EBITDA reached RUB 45,860 mln (USD 1,194 mln), and profit for the period amounted to RUB 12,691 mln (USD 330 mln).

X5’s Shareholder structure is as follows: Alfa Group – 47.86%, founders of Pyaterochka – 14.43%, X5 Directors – 0.04%, treasury shares – 0.04%, free float – 37.63%.

Contacts:
Gregory Madick
Executive IR Director
Tel.: +7 (495) 502-9783
e-mail: Gregory.Madick@x5.ru

Anastasiya Kvon
IR Director
Tel.: +7 (495) 792-3511
e-mail: Anastasiya.Kvon@x5.ru

 

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Price Chopper Supermarkets Recalls Chocolate Ice Cream

Schenectady, NY, US,  2014-1-10 — /EPR Retail News/ — Price Chopper Supermarkets is issuing a recall on Central Market Classics Chocolate Ice Cream, UPC number 4173507233. The product may contain strawberries. The product is safe for consumption for those not allergic to strawberries.

The ice cream was sold beginning December 15, 2013.

Products should be returned to a local Price Chopper for a full refund. For more information visit pricechopper.com or call 800-666-7667, option 3, Monday through Friday, 8:30am -7pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am – 4pm.

In addition to alerting the media, Price Chopper has initiated its Smart Reply notification program, which uses purchase data and consumer phone numbers on file in connection with the company’s AdvantEdge (loyalty) card to alert those households that may have purchased the product in question. All customers who purchased the product except for one have already been contacted using Smart Reply.

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About Price Chopper
Based in Schenectady, NY, the Golub Corporation owns and operates 132 Price Chopper grocery stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The American owned, family-managed company prides itself on longstanding traditions of innovative food merchandising, leadership in community service, and cooperative employee relations. Golub’s 22,000 teammates collectively own more than 51% of the company’s privately held stock, making it one of the nation’s largest privately held corporations that is predominantly employee-owned. For additional information, visit www.pricechopper.com .

Contact:
Mona Golub
Price Chopper
518.379.1480

Jon Pierce, APR
Pierce Communications
518.221.1186
jon@albanypr.com

Price Chopper Supermarkets

Price Chopper Supermarkets

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New Research Reveals That 31 Million (73%) Shoppers Are Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands By Opting For Supermarket Own Brand Labels In Order to Save Money

As food price increases start to slow down, it’s not just the supermarkets that are busy battling the pricing war. New research from uSwitch.com reveals that 31 million (73%) shoppers are taking matters into their own hands by opting for supermarket own brand labels in a bid to save money on the weekly shop. This figure has tripled since August 2008 when just a quarter (25%) of shoppers were ditching premium labels to lighten the financial load of the weekly trolley dash.

Much of this increase can be attributed to supermarkets expanding their own brand products in a bid to stop consumers switching to cheaper chains. This includes the launch of the Waitrose ‘Essentials’ own label range, Tesco’s ‘Discounter’ range and Sainsbury’s ‘switch and save campaign’ which calculates own brand savings. Not only has this activity secured repeat visits from existing customers, according to the recent TNS Worldpanel report it has also slowed the rapid growth of overseas competitors such as Aldi, Iceland and Lidl over the past few months.

Overall, this research has revealed that nine out of ten (90%) UK adults now use recession-busting shopping strategies when they do the weekly shop. Money off vouchers have also reached the top of the shopping list with the number of frugal consumers’ regularly using these has also shot up to 74%, compared with 26% last year. In addition, a fifth of shoppers (20%) now compare prices online before taking a trip down the aisles, this has more than tripled from just 6% in August 2008.

When it comes to shopping online 6.4 million consumers now claim to avoid the hustle bustle of their local supermarket by carrying out their weekly food shop online. Again, this has tripled from just 5% of consumers in August 2008. In fact, this is becoming so popular with consumers, industry commentators predict that the value of online food sales could hit £8 billion by 2011.

These recessionary cut backs could also have positive lifestyle implications for many savvy shoppers as they revert to the good life. Almost a fifth of consumers have now taken to growing their own fruit and vegetables, up from just 8% in August 2008. This has created a waiting list for allotments across the country amongst those who do not have the option at home. Just this week, Tesco has applied for planning permission to create allotments for rent at its Dobbies Garden Centre – they also plan to sell allotment starter kits.

As a result of ‘pinching the pennies’ becoming very much the new ‘splashing the cash’, figures suggest supermarkets may turn out to be one of the few winners in the recession. For example, Morrisons has just surprised the market with an unscheduled trading update indicating full year profits would be £70 million ahead of expectations. Share prices in Sainsbury’s and Tesco have also experienced a rise.

Rumina Hassam, personal finance expert at uSwitch.com, says: “In the face of uncertain economic forecasts, continued volatility in the housing market, and worrying increases in national unemployment, Brits are making savvy cutbacks to their fundamental spending routine to beat the recession at its own game.

“The number of Brits making basic changes to their weekly food shopping patterns has increased dramatically since last year, as the effects of the recession continue to amplify. However, despite the economic outlook remaining uncertain, consumers may find they have the last laugh – as the lessons learnt from the schooling in savviness they are currently experiencing as a result of the recession will remain vital, even long after the economy recovers.”

About uSwitch:
 uSwitch.com is a free, impartial online and telephone-based comparison and switching service, helping consumers compare prices on gas, electricity, water, heating cover, home telephone, broadband, digital television, mobile phones, personal finance products and car insurance.

Via EPR Network
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