Dole, 7 retailers back hugely successful Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign for kids

Seven retailers and one big brand, Dole, are sponsoring this year’s national Eat Them to Defeat marketing blitz which aims to get children to eat more fresh produce.  “This is our second year supporting this incredibly worthwhile campaign,” Vincent Dolan, Head of Corporate Communications in Dole, said. “By bringing fresh produce to primetime, and by […]

Waitrose launches trial with Deliveroo’s Hop for quicker home delivery

Waitrose will be introducing fast delivery service Deliveroo Hop in some of its stores during a trial beginning later this month. The retailer already has a shared partnership with Deliveroo that began in September and does feature on-demand grocery service but could halve the time to get items to customers, arriving in as little as […]

European Market: Turning Isolation Into a Positive Journey

The words, “You have been tested positive for the COVID virus,” still ring in my ears… Thursday 25/11/2022, 23h59. I board flight KL0592 from Johannesburg, South Africa, to travel back to my home in The Hague, The Netherlands. I have just spent 4 amazing days in and around South Africa’s Kruger Park, where my team and […]

Retail roundup: Aldi sees huge spike in vegan sales; Sainsbury’s increases Hub

Aldi UK officials say that plant-based item sales rose by 500% during the last month, affectionately known as Veganuary, as healthy eating trends continue two years after the start of the pandemic. Because of the increase in demand and a 250% boon in plant-based sales during 2021, Aldi stepped up its range of products by […]

Hundreds of jobs at risk as Tesco puts brakes on Jack’s stores, night work

In a stunning press release just a month into the new year and titled “Making Our Business Fit For the Future”, Tesco announced that it was closing seven of its Jack’s stores while converting the other six into Tesco superstores. Some 130 colleagues effectively may be out of jobs or may be offered “alternatives” due […]

UK Growth Strong for South African Raisins

South African growers drive UK campaign to debunk myths on raisins

The South African raisin industry reports continued growth at the end of the 2021 season, despite climatic challenges. Regardless of limitations faced by the industry, export volumes of South African raisins to the UK are up once again vs 2020, which saw a huge increase compared to 2019. The UK imported 1,430,000 kg to the […]

Lidl GB commits to LEAF Marque standards for all produce suppliers

Lidl GB announced it will require all of its British fresh produce suppliers to earn LEAF Marque environmental certification by the end of 2023. “We firmly believe it is our responsibility, through innovation, investment, and active leadership, to build a bright, sustainable future – for our business, our farmer suppliers, the people we interact with […]

Aldi launches trial of checkout-free store in London

Several UK supermarket chains have been trialling checkout-free stores, and Aldi has joined the fray by opening its first on Greenwich High Street in London. The Aldi Shop&Go concept store was unveiled on Tuesday morning, with customers picking up their items and walking out the doors with having to enter a queue. The Shop&Go app […]