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U.K. department store Selfridges is operating a rooftop pop-up food waste restaurant for a month featuring “reinterpretations” of classic British foods like cabbage cores, cover crop sprouts and pork from waste-fed pigs. The restaurant, sponsored by U.S. consumer electronics firm Sonos and digital music provider Spotify, follows a format created by Manhattan chef Dan Barber. The temporary eatery will take surplus foods from farmers, fishermen, distributors, butchers, artisanal producers and retailers to create a full menu with daily specials. It will also serve special cocktails and offer a “tea experience” created by pastry chefs.
"Selfridges to Launch Pop-Up Food Waste Restaurant Wasted", The Grocer, January 24, 2017
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A grocery store that sells only ugly or surplus food products, from vegetables to beer, has opened in the German city of Köln (Cologne). The founders of The Good Food grocery store are dedicated to the idea of eliminating food waste in the world. It is the first such store to open in Germany, and the third in the EU. The store is unusual for a couple of reasons. The food it sells was otherwise bound for landfills because it may be misshapen, or too large or too small, or past its sell-by date. This includes non-perishable products from big manufacturers. And there are no fixed prices: consumers decide how much the products are worth.
"First German Supermarket Sells Waste Food Only", Deutsche Welle, February 06, 2017
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British supermarket chain Tesco is testing a program to donate unmarketable split bags of sugar from stores in Cornwall and Devon to a beekeepers group. The stores are also donating surplus sugar from in-store bakeries. Since 2007, the bee population has declined by 33 percent in the U.K. because of pests, diseases and fewer wild flowers. Bees have a difficult time making enough honey to feed themselves during the fall and winter. Commercial beekeepers supplement the bees’ diet with a feed made from dissolved sugar. The waste sugar donated by Tesco stores will be used to help feed bees bred and reared by a bee improvement program based in Cornwall.
"Tesco's Plan Bee: Spilt Supermarket Sugar to Help Feed Hungry Honey Bees", The Guardian, February 09, 2017
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British supermarket chain Waitrose has been a pioneer in preventing and repurposing food waste. Five years ago it stopped sending waste to landfills. Surplus food that can’t be donated to charities is used to generate electricity. And it sells wonky (misshapen or ugly) produce at a discount. The chain has taken the program another step forward: its new fleet of delivery trucks runs on fuel made from food leftovers. The company’s ten eco-friendly trucks can travel 500 miles on the food-waste fuel, which is cheaper than diesel and emits about 70 percent less carbon dioxide. Waitrose chose waste-based gas after researching biodiesel (too expensive) and electricity (batteries too heavy, recharge time too long)
"These Grocery Delivery Trucks Are Powered By Food Waste", Fast Company, February 17, 2017
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In-store bakeries in supermarkets have one key advantage over other food channels like c-stores and quick service restaurants: their products are baked fresh each morning. Freshness is what attracts foodies and others looking for a unique breakfast experience. Norwalk, Conn.-based Stew Leonard’s bakers, for example, turn on the ovens at its five stores at 3 a.m. every day to make French butter croissants, apple cider doughnuts, and hand-shaped bagels that are boiled and hearth-baked. Currently trendy is anything mini-sized, including mini-croissants and mini-muffins, but also higher grain products like bran muffins and trail mix muffins. In-store breakfast bakery revenue, including sales of bagels, muffins, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls and coffee cake, were up 2.8 percent during the 52 weeks ending December 31, 2016, according to Nielsen.
"In-Store Bakeries Compete for Morning Share", Supermarket News, February 21, 2017
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Food delivery startup Thistle is launching meal kits for busy parents who want to make nutritious baby foods at home. The founders say available baby and toddler foods are not particularly nutritious, and even the healthier options are over-processed, pureed, watery, and don’t taste like real fruits or veggies. The vacuum-sealed, flash-frozen Thistle meal kits are steamed, pureed and spiced at home. The company specializes in organic, gluten-free plant-based ingredients, but also offers omnivore meals. The main competition is baby foods sold in boxes, pouches, and jars by grocery stores. But a few e-commerce companies deliver kid-friendly meals or meal kits to the home. Though 14 percent of consumers are buying food online (Nielsen), it remains to be seen what portion of the $30 billion baby foods and formula market will shift to e-commerce models.
"Thistle Launches Meal Kits to Make Nutritious Baby Food at Home", Tech Crunch, February 23, 2017
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A U.S. District Judge recently dismissed a lawsuit accusing Walmart of committing fraud against shareholders of its Walmart de Mexico unit. According to the ruling, holders of the Mexican unit's American depository shares cannot claim that former Wal-Mex Chairman Ernesto Vega and CEO Scot Rank knew or failed their duty for not knowing about the bribery allegations against the company. The judge also ruled against shareholder claims that the defendants were liable for the executives' activity.
"U.S. Judge Dismisses Case against Walmart over Mexico Bribery", Reuters, February 27, 2017
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Thanks to a disappointing holiday season and other pressures, Target’s 4th quarter and fiscal 2016 sales and earnings fell short of Wall Street forecasts. The company also lowered its outlook for fiscal 2017. One bright sign was that, despite the quarterly drop in same-store sales (1.5 percent), compared to the 1.4 percent expected, digital channel sales rose a robust 34 percent. EPS was $1.45 for the quarter -- $4.58 for the year -- versus $1.51 expected by the Thomson Reuters analyst consensus. Fourth quarter revenue was $20.69 billion versus $20.7 billion expected by analysts. CEO Brian Cornell said the dismal 4th quarter was due to “the impact of rapidly-changing consumer behavior, which drove very strong digital growth but unexpected softness in our stores.”
"Target Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2016 Earnings", Earnings release, Target Corporation, February 28, 2017
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Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani said the Indian retailer will focus next on the personal care market, following its signing of a joint venture deal with organic products company Hain Celestial. To better focus on its core fashion and food businesses, and to ensure the success of the Hain venture, the company plans to sell its home furnishings unit HomeTown and close sportswear retail unit Planet Sports.
"Future Group will Target Personal Care Next: Kishore Biyani", Money Control, February 28, 2017
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Amazon Fresh, a growing competitor of supermarkets in the U.S., U.K., and Europe, is waiting for foreign direct investment approval from the Indian government before launching a grocery delivery operation there. The company expects to be delivering produce, lentils, milk, and other staples sourced from local farmers. Amazon already sells fresh produce and dairy products through its Amazon Now venture in four Indian cities, though the food is sourced from local supermarkets.
"Amazon Awaits FDI Approval to Deliver Groceries at Doorstep ", Economic Times, March 01, 2017
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Are poor diets and obesity the direct result of the unaffordability of healthful food? According to one analyst, the answer is no, though many people believe it. One reason for that is that some studies have looked at food prices on a price-per-calorie basis, which makes many high-calorie foods seem inexpensive. For example, a low-calorie yogurt would appear more expensive than an identical high-calorie yogurt even though their retail prices are the same. Christopher Snowdon says his report compares directly the prices of healthy and less healthy food substitutes and also compares them by “edible weight.” He found almost no difference between the price of regular food products and their healthier substitutes. Analyzing by edible weight, healthier supermarket food tends to be cheaper than less healthy food.
"Cheap As Chips", Report, The Institute of Economic Affairs, March 01, 2017
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Kroger posted a disappointing 4th quarter profit of $506 million (53¢ a share), down from $559 million (57¢ a share) last year. Sales were $27.6 billion, up 5.5 percent ($26.2 billion) from a year ago. Net earnings for fiscal 2016 totaled $1.98 billion, or $2.05 a share. Excluding the restructuring of some multi-employer pension obligations, adjusted net earnings for the year were $2.05 billion, or $2.12 a share (up from 2015’s $2.04 billion, or $2.06 a share. The company said it created 12,000 new supermarket jobs in 2016. CEO Rodney McMullen, noting that the company was “obviously disappointed” with 4th quarter profit, said further cost cutting would allow the company to reach its long-term EPS growth rate target of 8 to 11 percent.
"Kroger Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2016 Results", Earnings release, Kroger, March 02, 2017
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Germany’s fast-growing discount grocery chain Aldi hopes to interest Chinese consumers in German food and beverage brands, especially wine, snacks and breakfast foods. With that goal in mind, the company will "soft launch" an online presence on Alibaba’s Tmall Global platform, followed by a full launch event in Shanghai on April 25. The Chinese venture is being managed by Aldi South, owner of Aldi U.S. and manager of the British chain. An Alibaba manager said the Chinese middle-class is increasingly interested in German products.
"German discounter Aldi to start online sales in China", Reuters, March 03, 2017
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Despite continued softness in the French market, retailer Carrefour SA posted full-year earnings of $1.01 billion, close to the $1.15 billion that Wall Street analysts had expected. Full-year net sales were $80.7 billion, 2.7 percent higher than last year. The company did not change its full-year dividend. The group had said earlier this year that fourth quarter sales were 3.9 percent higher at $24.9 billion. Operating profits in France, which represents about 25 percent of its total profit, fell 13.4 percent to $1.1 billion. The company said performance in the food sector was good in all countries; sales growth was “excellent” in Brazil and “continued positive momentum” in Europe, “reflecting the relevance of the predominantly food-based multiformat model.”
"Carrefour 2016 Full-Year Results", Earnings release, Carrefour, March 09, 2017
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U.S. beauty retailer Ulta reported earnings per share of $2.24 (up 32,5 percent) on $4.85 billion in fiscal 2016 sales, an increase of $854.7 million (24.6 percent). Net sales in the fourth quarter increased 24.6 percent to $1.58 billion from $1.27 billion last year. Same-store sales (including e-commerce sales) for the fiscal year were up 15.8 percent compared to 11.8 percent in fiscal 2015. Net income for the year increased 28 percent to $409.8 million compared to $320 million in fiscal 2015; and income per diluted share rose increased 30.9 percent to $6.52 compared to $4.98 in fiscal 2015. For fiscal 2017, the company expects to grow sales by eight to 10 percent (including e-commerce) and open 100 new stores.
"Ulta Beauty Announces Fourth Quarter 2016 Results", Earnings release, Ulta Beauty, March 09, 2017
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Beauty brand MAC Cosmetics plans to sell its products through retailer Ulta Beauty. Part of the brand’s efforts to revive slowing sales, MAC Cosmetics products will first be sold via the retailer’s online store starting in May 2017 then through 25 Ulta Beauty branches in June 2017. By the end of 2017, MAC Cosmetics products will be available in more than 100 Ulta stores, MAC global brand president Karen Buglisi Weiler said.
"MAC Cosmetics to Enter Ulta Beauty in Bid for New Audience", Women’s Wear Daily, March 09, 2017
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Online retailer Amazon plans to create 10,000 full-time jobs across Europe in 2017, including 5,000 in the U.K. Also, Amazon's plan to open fulfillment centers in Daventry, Doncaster, and Tilbury confirms the company's growing commitment to the British market despite the Brexit decision to leave the European Union. Amazon is also increasing the number of employees at its development centers in London, Cambridge, and Edinburgh.
"Amazon Plans To Create 5,000 U.K.Jobs", Retail Analysis, March 21, 2017
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