Grocery chain OK Zimbabwe’s majority shareholders back $30mln rights issue, CEO says
Grocery retailer OK Zimbabwe Ltd’s majority shareholders have agreed to back a $30mln rights issue to cover a “funding gap” and stabilise the company’s financial position, its chief executive said. “Most of the top five shareholders have indicated interest in following their rights”, CEO Willard Zireva told Reuters.
Source: reuters.com

EUROSPAR Supermarket opens in Hokksund, Norway
In the town of Hokksund, Norway, about an hour from the capital Oslo, local residents celebrated the opening of a EUROSPAR Supermarket, located at the Eiker Senter shopping complex. An enhanced assortment instore brings customers’ various grocery needs under one roof. This assortment includes a range of fresh produce, including fruit and vegetables, butchery, ready meals to-go, frozen produce and ambient products.
Source: spar-international.com

Portugal: Jerónimo Martins reports 31% profit growth in Q1, beating expectations
Portuguese retailer Jerónimo Martins has posted a 31% rise in first-quarter net profit that beat analysts’ expectations as sales remained strong despite fierce competition in its key market, Poland, and it kept its margin stable. The company booked a net profit of €127mln ($144mln) between January and March – a quarter that this year did not include the Easter holiday season, unlike in 2024 – above the 106mln average forecast by analysts polled by LSEG.
Source: esmmagazine.com

Poland: EBRD backs Żabka Group’s debut local currency sustainability-linked bond issuance
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has subscribed for PLN 140mln in a PLN 1bln issuance of the first sustainability-linked bond by the Polish modern convenience retailer Żabka Group.
Source: ebrd.com

French supermarket group Auchan to cut over 700 jobs in Spain
French privately-owned supermarket group Auchan plans to cut 710 jobs and close 25 stores in Spain as it seeks to adapt to changing habits of shoppers who now shun large supermarkets for smaller stores and online shopping, it said. Auchan, which operates in Spain under the Alcampo brand, said it would rather focus on smaller stores and its e-commerce platform.
Source: reuters.com

UK: Plans submitted for £1mln apple store at fruit farm
A farm in Herefordshire is set to receive £1mln funding to build fruit stores. EC Drummond has already invested £1.5mln in new apple orchards and infrastructure at its Tillington fruit farm, near Burghill, northwest of Hereford. The firm, which is based near Ross-on-Wye, is now seeking planning permission to build a new store for the fruit, instead of its present method of using third-party storage.
Source: bbc.com

Report shows key trends expected to grow convenience retail sales
The IGD Global Convenience Trends Report 2025, which provides actionable insights for retailers and suppliers to inform business plans over the next five years, reveals significant changes ahead for the convenience retail sector.
Source: talkingretail.com

DUG Foodtech secures listings with 770 Kaufland stores in Germany
DUG Foodtech reported: “DUG Foodtech announces that its potato-based drinks, DUG Barista and DUG Unsweetened, will soon be available in 770 Kaufland stores across Germany. Kaufland, a leading German hypermarket chain and part of the Schwarz Group, operates 770 stores nationwide. With a strong presence throughout the country, Kaufland offers a wide range of food and everyday essentials to millions of customers”.
Source: ir.dugdrinks.com

US: Costco Wholesale Corporation reports April sales results
Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) reported net sales of $21.18bln for the retail month of April, the four weeks ended May 4, 2025, an increase of 7.0% from $19.80bln last year. Net sales for the first 35 weeks were $180.05bln, an increase of 8.2% from $166.44bln last year.
Source: globenewswire.com

US: Sprouts Farmers Market celebrates new store opening in Lutz, Florida
Sprouts Farmers Market has announced it will open a new store in Lutz, Florida on Friday, May 16, located at 23046 State Road 54. From Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 18, a variety of activities will celebrate the grand opening. A “pop-up party” out front will give guests the chance to taste seasonal produce from the tasting bar, participate in a “guess the weight” contest of an oversized piece of produce and more.
Source: sprouts.com

US: Weis Markets ramps up store development
Weis Markets said it plans to open three new stores in 2025 and one in early 2026, marking its first new-store construction since 2022. The Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based company unveiled the plans as it reported an 11.6% decrease in net income for the first quarter, to $20.5mln, compared with the first quarter of a year ago. Revenues were up 1.6%, to $1.2bln, and comparable-store sales rose 1%. The company said all four of the new stores in construction will measure more than 60,000 square feet, well above the 49,000 average square footage for a Weis supermarket. The planned openings for this year are in Lake Linganore and Charlotte Hall, Maryland, and Middletown, Delaware. The fourth store is slated to open early next year in Waldorf, Maryland, the Weis spokesman told Supermarket News.
Source: supermarketnews.com

US: Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage announces second quarter fiscal 2025 results
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. announced results for its second quarter of fiscal 2025 ended March 31, 2025. Highlights for second quarter fiscal 2025 compared to second quarter fiscal 2024: net sales increased 9.0% to $335.8mln; daily average comparable store sales increased 8.9%, and accelerated to 16.4% on a two-year basis; net income increased 64.6% to $13.1mln, with diluted earnings per share of $0.56; adjusted EBITDA increased 33.3% to $26.3mln.
Source: prnewswire.com

US: Meijer opens new supercenters in Austintown, Medina, and Richmond Heights
Meijer reported: “Meijer opened three new 159,000-square-foot supercenters in Northeast Ohio, bringing value and one-stop shopping to customers in Austintown, Medina, and Richmond Heights. Known for its fresh grocery selection and unbeatable value, Meijer offers an expansive farm-fresh produce section featuring hundreds of USDA-certified organic items as well as a great deli and meat department”.
Source: prnewswire.com

US: FMI unveils key trends shaping the future of food shopping: consumer tradeoffs, grocery sentiment and the future of SNAP
American consumers continue to enjoy grocery shopping and have kept their shopping habits remarkably consistent despite persistent economic challenges, according to the latest annual survey by FMI – The Food Industry Association, conducted by The Hartman Group. The analysis, which kicks off FMI’s 2025 series, U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends: The Logic of Food Shopping, offers timely insights into consumer grocery shopping behaviors and shoppers’ logic behind food budgets and shopping decisions.
Source: fmi.org

US: Ingles’ Q2 results get battered by storm-damaged stores
Ingles Markets reported declines in sales and net income for its fiscal second quarter, compared with a year ago, but the results showed some improvement from the first quarter as the company seeks to recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene. Net income fell about 52.7% in the second quarter, which ended March 29, to $15.1mln, compared with the year-ago second quarter. Sales were down 2.7%, to $1.33bln.
Source: supermarketnews.com