Europe news & analysis

X5 Retail Group intends to increase sales by 11% in 2013. 11% is realistic, says Ducharme The group CEO, Stephan DuCharme, announced today that the Russian retailer is expecting an increase of 11% in sales this year and believes that, following on from 8% growth in 2012, this expectation is realistic. Organic growth Although sales growth has struggled somewhat following a strategy...

Following the release of its 2012/13 results, we assess Morrisons strategic priorities for the year ahead and what they mean for suppliers. Promotional innovation at the heart of refocused marketing strategy Under new group marketing director Nick Collard, a new approach is already evident with the signing of Ant and Dec to front Morrisons new campaign to highlight its provenance and craft ...

Spanish discounter DIA has launched its loyalty programme, ClubDIA, in China today. Will be in all Shanghai stores by end June DIA began testing its loyalty scheme in selected Shanghai stores in December 2012.  ClubDIA will be gradually rolled out to all stores in the city by the end of June.  Customers can find out more at www.diatiantian.com .  Key features of the scheme The pr...

Latest figures released by Nielsen, covering the 12 week period up to the 2nd March show shoppers are still relying on the discounters to help cut back on their food expenses. Events driving discretionary spend Aggregate sales value growth for the UK's leading supermarkets during the four weeks ending 2nd March 2013 was up 3.2% year on year. This is an increase of 1% on the previous four ...

Rewe Group has reported revenue growth of 2.7% in 2012, to €49.7bn, and revealed plans to invest €1.5bn in 2013. Modernisation will provide additional impetus this year Alain Caparros, group CEO, said Rewe again plans to invest more than €1.5bn to modernise up to 400 stores in Germany and abroad in 2013. This will include speeding up the conversion of Penny discount stores.  The 2013 ...

Tesco’s UK managing director, Chris Bush, joins the line up at the IGD Tesco Trade Briefing, taking place in London on April 25. An important time for Tesco Chris Bush, who was promoted to UK managing director in January, is overseeing much development in the UK business, not least the recent launch of Tesco’s coupon-at-till Price Promise initiative. Chris has stated that the intenti...

Tesco has announced the acquisition of Giraffe, an award winning restaurant group for £48.6m. It is the latest in a series of acquisitions by the retailer in the UK designed to develop revenue streams beyond its core business. Using space better at large format stores Commenting on the rationale for the acquisition, Kevin Grace, group commercial director at Tesco said, “We invest in business...

Musgrave's SuperValu  supermarket network, comprising independently owned stores across Ireland, has recorded total retail sales of €2.1bn for 2012, ahead of the overall rate of market growth. Focus on 'local' SuperValu's key point of difference continues to be the strength of the local affiliations stores are able to develop with their specific communities, supported by Musgrave .  In 201...

Coop Italia is divesting a number of Dico discount stores to Gruppo Tuo, a member of Despar Italia, according to local press reports. Store swap with Gruppo Tuo The move will involve a store swap and will see Coop Italia take on stores from Gruppo Tuo in return for those divested.  It is not yet definitively known how Coop Italia will brand these new stores.  Press reports suggest the m...

Costco’s second quarter sales, for the 12 weeks to February 17, increased by 8.2% to $24.3bn, with comparable store sales (excluding the impact of fuel and currency), up 5%. Net income attributable to Costco increased by 38.8% to $547m. A resilient model despite economic headwinds Costco delivered a strong set of results for the quarter, despite the headwinds of higher payroll taxes and ...