Retail and consumer goods industry news

Today, Lekkerland Schweiz has announced its acquisition of Valora Services Switzerland's wholesale business. In line with 'Convenience 2020' strategy  Lekkerland's key focus is to expand its position with independent customers, such as kiosks and convenience stores.  The acquisition is therefore a good fit, as a large number of Valora's customers fall into this category.  In terms of prod...

Ukrainian discounter ATB-Market has published positive results for 2012, with sales up 44%. Sales 44% higher than in 2011 ATB-Market has declared sales of just under UAH 26bn for the 2012 fiscal year which is an impressive increase of 44% compared to 2011. The retailer increased its store portfolio to 686 stores by opening 156 new stores in the year; the majority of which were in the Do...

Dixy announces revenue growth of 43.8% for the 2012 financial year. Encouraging year of growth Dixy’s consolidated full year sales for 2012 showed a 43.8% increase compared to the previous last year at RUB 147bn. Year-on-year sales increased by 20.8% on a pro-forma basis, including revenue from the acquisition of the Victoria Group chain in 2011. Convenience performing well Sales i...

Tesco has appointed George Fischer as its new CEO in Malaysia.  Tesco welcomes George Fischer as its new CEO in Malaysia, from his previous roles as chairman of the management board at Lidl Belgium. The new appointment will be effective this month. Fischer replaces former Malaysia CEO SungHwan Do, who will move from the post to an international bridging programme under Tesco. Malaysia's g...

Spanish co-operative retailer Consum has opened five stores under the Charter franchise since last December, and plans to end January with seven new outlets. Adding more than 2,500 sq m of retail space Of the total openings, four are rebranded stores and three are new builds.  Branded items, and fresh produce, will play key roles in the stores' assortments. Network based along Mediterr...

Following the recent flurry of results from international retailers, we summarise the performances of Carrefour, Tesco, Walmart, Metro and Auchan in the Chinese market. Carrefour - new store openings fuelling growth In the fourth quarter, Carrefour saw sales in China  grow at 0.7% (at constant exchange rate). The addition of new stores offsets negative like-for-like sales of -3.1%. How...

Midlands Co-operative has reported a mixed Christmas trading period with the news of strong sales from its food business tempered by a more subdued performance across its non-food stores that has led to the business announcing the closure of its fashion and home stores. Strong food sales Food sales at the retailer were up 2.2% on a like-for-like basis in the three week period to the 5th Janu...

At the company's recent annual meeting held in Chicago, Walgreens confirmed to shareholders that it will continue to push the envelope of traditional drugstore retailing. Moving forward, the company will focus on three growth areas, one of which is directly related to the strategic partnership with Alliance Boots. Positioned for long term growth The three strategic objectives identified by...

Last week we were given the opportunity of a guided tour around Tesco’s new Extra store in Woolwich, South East London. The store displays many of the impressive initiatives that the retailer has introduced to its business since implementing its £1bn investment plan in the UK last April, but also showcases some new areas of thinking, which we are likely to see develop further in 2013. Ext...

Indonesian convenience retailer Alfamart has raised its stake in competitor Alfamidi to 54.6% in a deal worth IDR 964.4 billion (USD 100m). Alfamart realising the great potential of Indonesia's convenience channel Convenience is the fastest growing channel in the Indonesian market. Alfamart is a leading operator in the channel, alongside Indomaret and PT Hero's Starmart. Alfamart's la...