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☆ UK grocery price inflation rises to record 16.7% -Kantar
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation hit a record 16.7% in the four weeks to Jan. 22, dealing another blow to consumers battling an escalating cost-of-living crisis, industry data showed on Tuesday. Market researcher Kantar said grocery inflation was at its highest since it started tracking the figure in 2008, with prices rising fastest in markets such as milk, eggs and dog food. Kantar said sales of supermarkets' own-label lines grew 9.3% in January, while sales of branded products, which are generally more expensive, were up by just 1.0%. It said that over the 12 weeks to Jan. 22, UK grocery sales rose 7.6% year-on-year, masking a drop in volumes when accounting for inflation. UK grocers' market share and sales growth (%)Source: Kantar($1 = 0.8093 pounds)Reporting by James Davey Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Britain's Tesco to target value offers after strong Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Clubcard branding is seen inside a branch of a Tesco Extra Supermarket in London, Britain, February 10, 2022. Tesco, like Sainsbury's, is absorbing some of its cost inflation rather than passing it all on to consumers. The group maintained its forecast for 2022-23 retail adjusted operating profit of between 2.4 billion pounds and 2.5 billion pounds ($2.9-$3.0 billion), down from the 2.65 billion pounds earned in 2021-22. It expects retail free cash flow of at least 1.8 billion pounds and profit from Tesco Bank of 120-160 million pounds. Shares in Tesco have fallen 17% over the last year, but are up 7% over the last month.

☆ Britain's Tesco sticks with profit outlook after strong Christmas sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies UK Q3 like-for-like sales up 4.3%Six weeks to Jan 7 UK like-for-like sales up 7.2%Expects full year profit of 2.4-2.5 bln stgHas "good momentum" going into 2023LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Tesco (TSCO.L), Britain's biggest retailer, kept its full-year profit guidance after it joined rivals in reporting stronger than expected Christmas sales despite an escalating cost-of-living crisis. The supermarket group, which has a 27.5% share of Britain's grocery market, said on Thursday UK like-for-like sales rose 4.3% in its third quarter to Nov. 26 and were up 7.2% in the six weeks to Jan. 7. 2 supermarket group Sainsbury's reported a 5.9% rise in underlying sales for its Christmas quarter, while discounters Aldi UK and Lidl GB have also reported bumper Christmas sales. The group maintained its forecast for 2022-23 retail adjusted operating profit of between 2.4 billion pounds and 2.5 billion pounds ($2.9-$3.0 billion), down from the 2.65 billion pounds made in 2021-22. It expects retail free cash flow of at least 1.8 billion pounds and profit from Tesco Bank of 120-160 million pounds.

☆ Britain's Sainsbury's raises profit sights after Christmas sales rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The UK's second largest supermarket chain after Tesco (TSCO.L) had previously forecast 2022-23 underlying pre-tax profit of between 630 million and 690 million pounds ($767-$840 million). It made 730 million pounds in 2021-22. Prior to the update analysts were on average forecasting 644 million pounds, according to a company compiled consensus. Grocery sales rose 5.6%, while general merchandise sales increased by a better-than-expected 4.6%. Sainsbury's owns the Argos general merchandise business.

☆ After Christmas relief UK retailers face 2023 reality check
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ahead of Christmas, European retailers fretted that the key trading period could be the worst in at least a decade. Next, often acclaimed as a bellwether for the UK consumer economy, said it expected sales and profit to fall in 2023. The strain on Britons' household budgets is likely to begin to tell this month as Christmas credit card bills arrive. UK consumers will this year face persistent inflation in essential goods, particularly food and energy. M&S's apparel business will likely have benefited from Britain's severe cold snap in December which Next said dramatically boosted sales.

☆ Inflation drives Britain's record Christmas grocery sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kantar said grocery price inflation was 14.4% in December, down from 14.6% in November, with prices rising fastest in markets such as milk, dog food and frozen potato products. “This is the second month in a row that grocery price inflation has fallen, raising hopes that the worst has now passed," McKevitt said. Online grocery sales rose 4%, though its share of the market fell 0.6 percentage points to 11.6%. Overall UK inflation is running at 10.7% and consumers face the prospect of a tighter squeeze in 2023, with higher taxes and mortgage rates and scaled-back government support on household energy bills. UK grocers' market share and sales growth (%)Source: Kantar($1 = 0.8345 pounds)Reporting by James Davey Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Flights to Europe for Less Than $500? 5 Under-the-Radar, Temptingly Affordable Airlines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Barbara Peterson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS A fleet of new or newly expanded airlines are flying from U.S. cities to top travel destinations in Europe and promoting fares for as little as $135 one-way. TOYING WITH THE idea of a European vacation next year but haven’t booked your trip? Experts, forecasting a travel boom across the pond in 2023, say affordable fares could become increasingly scarce. Mike Arnot, a spokesman for aviation analytics firm Cirium, said shoppers could reap savings of around 25% by booking on these under-the-radar carriers. From Iceland, Play offers connecting flights to Paris, Berlin, Prague, Barcelona and other European cities.

☆ Dollar General's new Popshelf stores chase inflation-weary shoppers in the suburbs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this article DG Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTwatch nowHigher incomes, higher profitsPopshelf is designed to drive higher sales and higher profits than the Dollar General store banner. Each Popshelf store is projected to hit between $1.7 million and $2 million in sales annually with an average gross margin rate that exceeds 40%. Inside of Popshelf stores, the brands and items on shelves reflect that customer. Dollar General is the fastest-growing retailer in the country by store count, according to Coresight Research, a retail-focused advisory firm. The company plans to open about 1,050 new stores in the U.S. in the coming fiscal year — including the Popshelf locations.

☆ Britain's grocery inflation falls for first time in 21 months -Kantar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation edged lower in November, a first decline in nearly two years, but remained near record highs, providing little relief for consumers ahead of the key Christmas trading period, industry data showed on Tuesday. Market researcher Kantar said grocery inflation in the four weeks to Nov. 27 was 14.6%, down 0.1 percentage points from October's record high, marking the first fall in 21 months. Prices are rising fastest in markets such as milk, dog food and butter, said Kantar. It said grocery sales rose 5.9% year-on-year in the 12 weeks to Nov. 27, masking a drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for. Kantar said its data did not indicate a significant boost to sales from the soccer World Cup, which started Nov. 20.

☆ November job growth slowed but will still show strength despite layoffs, hiring freezes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Job growth in November was expected to have slowed while remaining strong, even in the face of layoffs and job freezes at major companies. The economy is expected to have added 200,000 jobs, less than the 261,000 in October, according to Dow Jones. Economists forecast the unemployment rate was steady at 3.7%, and average wage growth slowed to 0.3% month-over-month, from 0.4% in October. She said the number of workers out for illness could continue to be a factor, and there have been more announcements of hiring freezes. But big tech and venture capital backed firms are not hiring as much, or are reducing workforces, he added.

☆ Black Friday was better than feared for retail stocks — Two potential big winners
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Black Friday was better than expected for retailers this year, with discount names Walmart and Costco poised to be among the season's winners, according to Bank of America. The big-box retailer made significant price investments to offer deeper discounts and traffic appeared very strong in stores, Ohmes noted. "Specialty retailers appeared to be relative winners while we observed decent trends across the discounters and department stores," said analyst Krisztina Katai. Morgan Stanley also called out strong traffic results for Lululemon and American Eagle, as well as Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria's Secret. "These strong traffic results were achieved despite 1) similar or lower y/y discounting levels, & /or 2) discounting activity below total sector averages.

☆ Here's what Black Friday sales tell us about the retail sector — and our top pick
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The holiday shopping season got off to a solid start over the weekend, as Black Friday's online sales beat expectations and started to build some much-needed momentum for the retail sector. According to Adobe's online sales tracker, consumers shelled out a record $9.12 billion shopping online on Black Friday. In another early look report, traffic on Black Friday at brick-and-mortar retail stores rose about 3% over 2021, according to retail tracker Sensormatic, which attributed the rise to increased promotional activity and "favorable in-store experiences." The analysts point out that this year's holiday shopping calendar is one day longer than in 2021. Bottom line With holiday shopping underway, we continue to like off-price retailers in these trying times.

☆ Holiday shoppers aren’t in a rush. What that means for retail stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

If you're a retailer, and it's the holiday season, the thing you most want consumers to feel is a sense of urgency. Unlike last year, holiday shoppers don't need to fear empty shelves at the store. Walmart said it saw more shoppers with incomes above $100,000 ring up items in its stores, drawn in by less expensive groceries. He suggests investors position themselves in discounters like Walmart or Family Dollar or in luxury stocks like RH or Lululemon . She explained that many shoppers perceive Target as a place where "you go in for two items and come out $150 later."

In Germany, the HDE retail association is forecasting the strongest slump in Christmas sales since 2007, with retail sales in the crucial November-December period seen dropping by 4% year on year on a price-adjusted basis. In the United Kingdom, a raft of surveys indicate half or more Britons plan to spend less this Christmas. Should September's sharp drop in retail sales be repeated in December, it would be the worst outcome since comparable annual records began in 1989. Official data showed UK retail sales volumes, excluding fuel, dropped 6.2% year on year in September. Another association Acotex expects retailers to offer slight discounts during the holiday season as consumer demand slows.

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Some European retailers this week forecast or reported better full-year sales after working to keep prices low to attract cash-strapped shoppers although others, including Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) and Adidas (ADSGn.DE) warned on profit. Many consumers have turned to cheaper private-label products, boosting sales for retailers like Dutch grocer Ahold Delhaize and Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF.L), as they face a prolonged cost-of-living crisis. On Wednesday, Ahold raised its annual outlook for the third time this year, expecting low-double-digit earnings per share growth versus a prior mid-single-digit guidance. Carrefour said it would step up its expansion in e-commerce, open more discount stores and cut costs as it detailed its new turnaround strategy, . LUXURY GAPHaving less disposable income has meant many shoppers are holding back on buying mid-market clothes and other discretionary items.

☆ British grocery inflation hit record 14.7% in October -Kantar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( James Davey | Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Too early to call peak of inflation, Kantar saysBritons face 682-pound jump in annual grocery billSales of cheapest-value own-label ranges soarDiscounters Aldi, Lidl are fastest growing grocersLONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation hit 14.7% in October, another new record, and it is still too early to call the ceiling, market researcher Kantar said on Tuesday. It said UK consumers would face a 682-pound ($785) jump in their annual grocery bill if they continued to buy the same items. Kantar said 27% of UK households reported that they are struggling financially - double the proportion it recorded last November. Kantar said grocery sales rose by 5.2% on a value basis in the 12 weeks to Oct. 30 year-on-year - masking a drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for. Sales of own-label goods, which are generally cheaper than branded goods, jumped 10.3% over the four weeks to Oct. 30, while sales of branded goods rose 0.4%.

☆ Discounters Thrive as Cost-of-Living Crisis Hits European Households
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Trefor Moss | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Discount stores like Poundland are thriving in the U.K.LONDON—Cash-strapped European consumers are flocking to discount stores, company executives say, as the prices of many goods, from food and clothing to electricity and gasoline, keep rising. Discount stores across the region have reported rising sales in recent months and say they plan to open more stores to lure middle-class consumers who are suddenly eager to economize.

☆ Caraway to sell cookware in Target stores in its biggest brick-and-mortar push yet
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Some of Caraway's pots and pans are now sold by Target stores. Online cookware company Caraway is making its biggest push yet into brick-and-mortar stores, with its pots and pans debuting in 350 Target stores this week. Target will become the largest retailer to sell the brand in stores. Select Caraway products also are sold in 80 Crate & Barrel stores, 80 Bed Bath & Beyond stores and 20 Nordstrom outlets. Over time, he said he expects Caraway to get about half of sales from other retailers' websites or stores.

☆ What would a Kroger-Albertsons merger mean for grocery prices?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A Kroger-Albertsons merger could reshape the grocery industry. The companies say they will divest hundreds of stores in areas where they overlap to win regulatory approval. Albertsons has higher prices than Kroger and other grocers, analysts say, and they predict Kroger will try to reduce Albertsons prices to be more competitive against discount chains like Aldi. Antitrust advocates say the merger would force out competition and concentrate power among the largest chains, driving up prices. A Kroger-Albertsons merger would spark a fresh wave of mergers and acquisitions as companies seek to keep up, analysts predict.

☆ A merger with Albertsons could bring Kroger's tech initiatives, like automated warehouses and smart carts, to over 5,000 locations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Kroger is building its own tech infrastructure, including automated warehouses for delivery orders. Here are Kroger's biggest e-commerce and technology initiatives:A ClusterTruck ghost kitchen inside a Kroger in the Midwest. The delivery-focused ghost kitchen touts a Cheesecake Factory-inspired menu of 80 to 100 food items. Over the last few years, ClusterTruck opened locations inside Kroger stores in Indiana and Ohio. Another partnership, this one with the autonomous-car startup Nuro, has stationed self-driving vehicles to deliver grocery orders in certain cities since 2018.

The companies said Kroger agreed to buy Albertsons for $34.10 a share in a deal valued at $24.6 billion. The tie-up comes during a challenging time in the grocery industry. The grocery industry is highly fragmented. Albertsons’ share was about 5%. Consolidation in the grocery industry has not historically paid off in the form of higher profits, he said.

☆ Low-price grocers like Aldi are winning as consumers trade down
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN Business —With grocery prices soaring, consumers are changing the way they shop for food. “Inflation is hitting everyone.”More consumers are additionally switching over to store brands, also called “private label,” which are often comparable in quality and lower in price. “I don’t think you can underestimate the strength of all these private label offerings,” said Heather Lalley, editor in chief of Winsight Grocery Business, a trade publication. “Now we’re seeing other retailers trying to emulate them.”In September, for example, Kroger (KR) announced a new budget private label brand called Smartway, which consolidates some of its other private label brands under one umbrella. Aldi, for one, is rolling out a new tagline to explain what it’s all about: It’s An Aldi Thing.

☆ Aldi UK's trading accelerates as shoppers seek savings
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAn Aldi superstore is seen in London, Britain, September 29, 2018. Privately owned Aldi (ALDIEI.UL), which earlier this month overtook Morrisons to become Britain's fourth-biggest supermarket group, said operating profit fell to 60.2 million pounds ($63.8 million) in 2021 from 287.7 million pounds in 2020. The profit fall was blamed on investment to keep prices low, higher staff costs and COVID-19 related expenses. read moreHurley said the cost of living crisis is a time "when Aldi comes into its own". ($1 = 0.9433 pounds)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by James Davey; Editing by Jason Neely and Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kroger is doubling down on its subscription delivery business as it weans itself off of Instacart. Here's a rundown of its other initiatives, from ghost kitchens to smart carts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here are Kroger's biggest e-commerce and technology initiatives:A ClusterTruck ghost kitchen inside a Kroger in the Midwest. ClusterTruckGhost kitchensIn December 2019, Kroger began improving its prepared meals offering by partnering with ghost kitchen startup ClusterTruck. The delivery-focused ghost kitchen touts a Cheesecake Factory-inspired menu of 80 to 100 food items. Over the last few years, ClusterTruck opened locations inside Kroger stores in Indiana and Ohio. But the firm, which tracks where consumers shop, said Kroger stores with the ghost kitchens are seeing an uptick in visits compared to neighboring Kroger branches.

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