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☆ Seven out of ten UK households fear cost-of-living hit -NielsenIQ
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Scales to weigh loose fresh produce are seen in the UK supermarket Asda in Leeds, Britain, October 19, 2020. NielsenIQ said UK grocery sales on a value basis rose 7.6% in the four weeks to Jan. 28, due to an increase in food price inflation to 13.8%. However, volume sales fell 6.9% - the lowest volume growth recorded in over nine months, which reflects the concern shoppers have about cost-of-living increases, it said. It said Lidl overtook Morrisons to become the UK's fifth largest grocer with a market share of 8.9%. NielsenIQ said online's share of all FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sales was 11.1% - similar to its share in the latter part of 2022.

☆ 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 Morrisons puts faith in better pricing to win back customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Morrisons, owned since 2021 by U.S. private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, was overtaken as Britain's fourth-largest grocer by market share by German-owned discounter Aldi last September, according to researcher Kantar. Monthly industry data has consistently shown the group underperforming rivals including market leader Tesco (TSCO.L) and No. Sales in the three weeks before Christmas were up 2.5% year on year, said Morrisons, which has a UK grocery market share of 9.1%. In the financial year to end-October, Morrisons reported a 15% drop in core earnings (EBITDA) to 828 million pounds ($1.03 billion) while underlying sales fell 4.2%. Analysts had suggested that Morrisons' debt burden following CD&R's 7 billion pound purchase has impacted its ability to maintain price competitiveness.

My $40,000 salary was barely enough to get by, but when I got a $5,000 bonus, I suddenly felt rich. Even living in Birmingham, Alabama, I quickly realized how little my $40,000 a year paycheck actually was. When bonus time rolled around, usually toward the end of summer and right before the winter holidays, it felt like I'd won the lottery. All of which is to say, it was a big expense — one that a $5,000 bonus could have knocked out with money to spare. My bonus wasn't really a bonus, but a necessityI realized the company was using bonuses to pay us a living wage, when that's not what a bonus is supposed to be.

☆ Abandoned shopping carts cost taxpayers thousands of dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Abandoned shopping carts are a scourge to neighborhoods, as wayward carts block intersections, sidewalks and bus stops. There is no national data on shopping cart losses, but US retailers lose an estimated tens of millions of dollars every year replacing lost and damaged carts, say shopping cart experts. They pay vendors to rescue stray carts and fork over fines to municipalities for violating laws on shopping carts. “It is the shopping cart.” Another New York Times article in 1957 called the trend “Cart-Napping.”There’s even a book, “The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification,” dedicated to the phenomenon and a system of identification for stray shopping carts, much like guides for bird-watching. Coin-lock shopping cart systems are popular in Europe, and Poulos said more US companies are requesting coin-lock systems in response to the costs of runaway shopping carts.

☆ 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.

☆ Walmart bans single-use bags in more stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Walmart will eliminate single-use paper and plastic carryout bags at the register from stores in New York, Connecticut and Colorado this month. The company previously stopped giving out single-use plastic bags in New York and Connecticut and in some areas in Colorado. Plastic-bag bans reduce the number of these bags in stores and encourage customers to bring reusable bags or pay a small fee for paper bags. In New Jersey, a ban on single-use plastic and paper bags has meant grocery delivery services have switched to heavy-duty bags. Reusable bags — cloth totes or thicker, more durable plastic bags — aren’t a perfect solution, either, unless they are actually reused.

☆ 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.

☆ Lidl GB expects more customers to switch from rivals after bumper Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lidl GB, part of Germany's Schwarz retail group, said on Monday over 1.3 million more customers shopped at its stores in the seven days to Christmas Eve. Also unlike their traditional rivals, Aldi and Lidl are still opening lots of new stores. Last week Aldi UK reported a 26% increase in December sales. However, investment to keep a lid on prices has held back profit at both Aldi and Lidl. Lidl GB highlighted strong sales of Christmas vegetables sold for 19 pence a pack, Christmas puddings, prosecco, mulled wine and cheese.

☆ Shoppers lined up outside Aldi stores to buy Logan Paul and KSI's coveted Prime drink. The retailer used a clever strategy to lure customers in.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Aldi confirmed it had sold out of Prime just one day after the drink hit its shelves. Aldi used clever strategy to create a notion of scarcity and lure customers in, experts told Insider. Experts say Aldi used a clever strategy to lure in shoppers by create a feeling of exclusivity and notion of scarcity. Logan Paul has 24.6 million Instagram followers and 23.6 million YouTube subscribers, while for KSI those numbers are 12.4 million and 16.1 million respectively. Aldi sold the drink at £1.99 a bottle, and Prime sold 12-packs for £24.99 ($29.60) on its UK website before they sold out.

☆ Factbox: How British retailers fared over cost-of-living crisis Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - British consumer spending over the Christmas period has so far held up better-than-expected, providing some relief to retailers who had feared an escalating cost-of-living crisis would hit the key holiday sales period. Only a small number of retailers have so far reported their Christmas sales. ALDI UKThe British arm of German discount supermarket group Aldi said its sales in December rose 26% compared to the previous year. B&M (BMEB.L)British discount retailer B&M said comparable sales rose 6.4% in its key Christmas quarter, showing that shoppers sought out value options as they grappled with the cost-of-living crisis. BOOTS UK (WBA.O)Health and beauty products retailer Boots UK said its December retail sales were up around 15% year-on-year, highlighting strong sales in gifting and fragrance categories.

☆ 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.

☆ Investors anxiously await jobs report for clues about Fed rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Traders are betting on a further deceleration in jobs growth because that could lead to a reduction in the size of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Further strength could set off more alarm bells about inflation and Fed rate hikes. Focus on worker payWall Street will also need to dive even deeper into Friday’s jobs report to get a better sense of what’s happening in the economy. Investors cheered the fact that wage growth, measured by average hourly earnings, rose only 4.7% over the previous 12 months in October. Big Tech keeps handing out pink slipsOverall, the jobs market is still in good shape.

☆ Aldi sales soar as UK shoppers battle record food inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Aldi recorded its highest-ever December sales in the United Kingdom, as shoppers squeezed by searing food price inflation flocked to the German discount supermarket chain to save money on groceries. The British Retail Consortium said Wednesday that food inflation accelerated to 13.3% in December, up from 12.4% in November, the highest level recorded since it started tracking the data in 2005. Fresh food inflation accelerated to 15% in December, also an all-time high. Lidl’s sales increased by nearly 24%, its data showed. Tesco (TSCDF) and Sainsbury’s, the largest UK grocers by market share, grew sales by 6% and 6.2% respectively.

☆ 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.

☆ Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree are taking over the US with more new stores than any other retailer — and it reveals a shift in how Americans are shopping
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Dollar General announced more than 1,000 store openings in 2022, per company Coresight Research. Other companies that opened many stores in 2022 include Aldi, Ross Dress For Less, and Five Below. And discount stores have reaped the benefits: Dollar General's stock soared to an all-time high in November 2022, for example. With so many people looking to save money, discount stores led the pack for retailers in opening new locations next year. Dollar General — 1,024 storesDollar General.

☆ Here's everything you need to know about Lidl, the Aldi discount rival that's expanding across the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Lidl opened 450 stores in Germany in just 15 yearsA Lidl store in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1998. Shortly after, it opened stores elsewhere in Europe, including Italy in 1992 and the UK in 1994. In 2006, the retailer launched Lidl Asia, a sourcing arm for the company which has more than 1,000 employees across Hong Kong, China, and Bangladesh. Lidl launched its online store in 2009. Lidl is part of the Schwarz Group, alongside sister company Kaufland, a hypermarket chain launched by Schwarz in the 1980s.

☆ Shoppers scrambled to grab the Prime energy drink promoted by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI at Aldi, leaving shelves bare
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Aldi says it's sold out of Prime just one day after it started selling the energy drink. "It's not a nice drink at all," one shopper who bought the drink for his son told Insider. Leat told Insider he had followed KSI for a long time, "so I wanted to see for myself if his product lived up to the hype." Sam Kinsella, a landscape gardener from Bedfordshire, told Insider that he'd bought it because his son had seen it on TikTok. Jake Dickinson, a motor factory manager from Lincoln, told Insider that some flavors were better than others.

☆ Stores and restaurants closed on New Year's Day 2023: Costco, Trader Joe's, Chick-fil-A, and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Costco, Aldi, Sam's Club, and Trader Joe's are among the stores closed on New Year's Day. Chick-fil-A will be closed, as New Year's Day is on a Sunday and the chain doesn't operate Sundays. Stores and restaurants open on the holiday include Walmart, Target, Starbucks, and McDonald's. And some stores, such as Costco, Trader Joe's, and Aldi, will be taking the first day of the new year off. Getty ImagesAcademy Sports + OutdoorsAlbertsonsBarnes & NobleBest BuyCVSDick's Sporting GoodsDollar TreeH-E-BHobby LobbyThe Home DepotIKEAKohl'sKrogerLowe'sMacy'sMichaelsOffice DepotPetcoPublixRite AidSproutsTargetUltaWalgreensWalmartWhole FoodsWhat restaurants are open on New Year's Day 2023?

☆ Aldi is the US' fastest-growing grocer. Here's how a small German convenience store run by 2 brothers turned into one of the world's biggest retail chains.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

From the start, Aldi was profit-focusedA photograph from 1930 shows the interior and employees of the Karl Albrecht Spiritousen and Lebensmittel shop at Huestrasse 89 in Essen-Schonnebeck, Germany. Aldi Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG via Getty ImagesIn the aftermath of the war, "scarcity and necessary frugality demanded the avoidance of waste," Dieter and Nils Brandes wrote in their book "Bare Essentials: The Aldi Success Story." Because of its below-average price model, Aldi was able to slowly dominate the market in Germany and its stores spread across Europe. "We wanted our stores to be like other retail outlets, offering a wide range of groceries," Karl said in 1953, as quoted in "Bare Essentials: The Aldi Success Story." This insight became the basic principle of our business."

☆ Aldi is the US's fastest-growing grocery chain and more middle-income households are shopping there. Here are the no-frills tactics that help make it so cheap.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

More middle-income households are shopping there, lured by low prices and Aldi's "treasure hunt" approach. Smaller properties are cheaper to buy and maintain, and Aldi has said that its store layout enables "quick and easy shopping." Monford added that consumers "don't mind" that products aren't taken out of their boxes because they're shopping at Aldi for value. Campbell said the Aldi stores near her generally had just four or five aisles. Vadakkepatt said Aldi's stores have fewer employees and shorter hours than at other chains.

☆ Britain’s broken egg industry shows the price of food inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - In Britain, the damage wrought by rampant inflation can be seen in the fate of the humble egg. With war in Ukraine driving energy and chicken feed costs higher, farmers say what they get paid is no longer enough, upending the economics of a key food staple. Driven by consumer demand, British egg producers have for years focused on free range, which now represents 70% of the market. That, combined with a cost-of-living crisis fuelled by soaring food and energy costs, limits their room for manoeuvre, retailers say. Yet egg producers say that while the supermarkets have raised retail prices and paid farmers more, that increase is not enough to cover exploding costs.

☆ Aldi customers are scrambling to buy a $13 dress. That's the power of its 'treasure hunt' Aldi Deals aisle.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A limited-edition Aldi dress gained traction in a Facebook group of 1.5 million members. The dress was a feature in the Aldi Finds aisle, which is responsible for about 20% of total sales. The wrap-style dress from the brand Serra was featured in Aldi's weekly "Aldi Finds" advertisement for the week of November 9. Aldi's "Aldi Finds" aisle is a grab bag of products that changes throughout the year. Aldi did not respond to Insider's request for comment, but as Aldi plans to continue its rapid expansion, its Aldi Finds aisle likely will remain a key part of future store designs.

☆ Norway's Reitan Retail buys 114 Danish stores from Germany's Aldi
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Norway's Reitan Retail said on Friday it had agreed to buy 114 Danish grocery stores and three distribution centres from German rival Aldi for an undisclosed amount, boosting the Norwegian group's chain of Rema 1000 discount stores. "This will significantly lift our Danish revenue and should make Rema 1000 the largest chain of grocery stores in Denmark," Reitan Retail Chief Executive Ole Robert Reitan told Reuters. Before the transaction, Rema 1000 had around 330 grocery stores in Denmark. German discounter Aldi said in a statement the sale was part of a full exit from the Danish market, where it has a total of 188 stores. Reitan Retail, which has some 42,000 employees across seven countries, earlier this year reported an operating profit (EBIT) of 3.8 billion Norwegian crowns ($381 million) for 2021, down from 4.4 billion in 2020.

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