Leading Russian supermarket Pyaterochka has posted a like-for-like
sales rise of 10 per cent for the second quarter of 2006, as it
moves to expand store space.
Tesco is set to concentrate on international expansion this year -
applying a "local" approach to the six million sq. feet of new
foreign retail space it opens in a bid to boost sales.
Retailers and manufacturers across Europe are losing out to store
and brand switching as consumers substitute products which are
unavailable or difficult to find, says a new survey from the
Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD).
Belgian supermarket Delhaize has announced a 9.1 per cent rise in
first-quarter domestic sales and strong growth in Greece, following
a tough 2005 on the European retail scene.
American-owned Asda has again held the number two spot in Britain's
top retailer chart by a whisker, but looks certain to pass the
mantle to Sainsbury's over the next quarter.
Metro Group's domestic first-quarter sales have fallen 3.8 per cent
in the difficult retail sector, while increased international
earnings continue to prop up overall performance.
Dutch supermarket Laurus has reported a 3.6 per cent drop in
like-for-like sales for the first quarter, but insists the company
is set for recovery this year.
Bharti Enterprises is in talks with several international
supermarkets interested in arranging Indian partnerships to get
around restrictive branded retail laws.
The UK's fifth supermarket has confirmed it will sell the main bulk
of underperforming soft discount chain Kwik-Save to an
entrepreneurial consortium, ending months of speculation.
Declining European food retail performance is set to fall further
in 2006 as retailers get caught between consumer demands for
cheaper prices and manufacturers demands for greater returns.
UK food retailers have been split by the All Party Small Shops
Committee report calling for a new retail watchdog and a halt to
further mergers and acquisitions pending government guidelines.
The last 24 months have seen more of the world's leading food
manufacturers switch to a new type of global supply contract with
international supermarkets, encouraged by clear financial gains.
The Indian government has relaxed outdated foreign direct
investment (FDI) laws to grant limited entry to overseas companies,
but has failed to please domestic policy makers or global
supermarket chains.
Britain's largest off-licence chain Threshers will transform a
third of its stores into franchises and rival Bargain Booze has
been sold to venture capitalists as supermarket dominance takes its
toll.
Foreign retailers eyeing China may be tempted by the alleged sale
of Trust-mart, the country's largest foreign-owned retailer, but
with a $2 billion price tag only global leaders need apply.
Speculation is mounting that Rewe, Europe's fourth largest
retailer, will pull its supermarkets out of Poland following an
influx of foreign retailers.
French retail chain Carrefour has translated overseas success into
a total year-end sales growth of 6.1 per cent - a pattern echoed
across the European food industry.
Tesco CEO Sir Timothy Leahy has ended months of speculation by
revealing expansion plans that rule out the notoriously difficult
US market in favour of the unregulated Far East.
The world's second largest food retailer plans to double its store
numbers in Poland over the next five years by investing between
PLZ250-300million (€65-78m) on an annual basis.
Global retail giant Carrefour has issued €750 million worth of
bonds to refinance debts, suggesting that the company is still
struggling under European market pressure.
Netto will open 50 stores a year in Poland, joining the current
wave of discounters that are realising the potential of Eastern
Europe, as thousands of small towns are crying out for cheap
modernised food retailers.
The UK's leading supermarkets are to create stricter guidelines for
employees selling alcohol in the run up to a government crackdown
on underage drinking.
Britain's 'big four' supermarket chains may face pressure as the
Office of Fair Trading (OFT) withdraws its previous ruling
protecting the grocery sector from investigation by the Competition
Commission (CC).
Britain's biggest retailers are responsible for the indiscriminate
destruction of fish stocks according to Greenpeace's latest report
revealing a list of the top-offending supermarket chains.
International food retailers pile on competitive pressure as they
show interest in an Italian supermarket chain - forcing smaller
local franchises to consolidate their efforts to survive.
Independent High Street shops could be eradicated by 2015 unless
leading supermarkets limit their expansion into the convenience
sector, according to the Forum for Private Businesses (FPB).
Metro Group's innovative radio chip technology has the potential to
changethe face of food retail - but only if major retailers and
suppliers caneffectively work together to homogenise current
labelling standards.
Harrods is set to open a late-night gourmet food and drink outlet
opposite their flagship Knightsbridge store to tap into the booming
convenience food sector.
Ongoing price competition among European retailers has squeezed
prices for international branded foods in recent years, finds new
research from ACNielsen that confirms the pressure will
continue into the near future.
Although Russia's food retail market is set to become the largest
on the continent, it will be a tough market for western European
food processors to crack.
Suppliers to Carrefour will continue to be limited on what they can
charge for their products as the world's second largest retailer
fights to boost flagging sales across most of Europe.
Following up on the company's policy on further international
expansion, Wal-Mart's chief executive Lee Scott, indicated the
world's largest retailer was now ready to go after the market's
currenttop dogs.
British confectionery manufacturer and retailer Thorntons suffered
along with most of the UK's retail sector over the Christmas
period, but its first half results were buoyed by an otherwise
solid performance from products sold...
Britain's biggest food retailer Tesco is being accused of delaying
an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading into the oft-fraught
relationship between food suppliers and their retail customers,
reports Chris Jones.
Dutch retailer Laurus will be glad to see the back of 2004, a year
which saw it struggle with widespread restructuring and a damaging
price war. But 2005 is not guaranteed to be any easier, as the hard
work of rebuilding its business...
Auchan is rumoured to be a prospective tenant at a huge 118,000
square-metre mall to be built near Moscow's third transport ring,
writes Angela Drujinina.
Better-than-expected sales at Carrefour's domestic hypermarket
business have left France's leading food retailer optimistic of an
upturn in 2005 - although further price cuts are likely to make an
impact in the short term,...
Forecourt convenience stores are becoming increasingly important
revenue sources for the leading supermarket groups, either as part
of their own petrol retail business or in partnership with fuel
companies. But maximising the potential...
Growth in the food retail sector across Europe is being driven not
by sales of food but rather by the ever-widening range of non-food
goods, claims a new report. But while Carrefour and its French
compatriots continue to dominate...
The deregulation of the China retail market is set to provide
significant opportunities for international food retailers next
year as restrictions that have limited foreign players to joint
ventures in the major conurbations are lifted....