ASDA has announced that it will stop the production of its ‘Asda Direct’ catalogue. The retailer stated that it would now focus on digital promotions by introducing category-specific magalogues. According to ASDA’s spokesperson, it printed its last catalogue in September 2009.

ASDA has launched a promotional campaign for two discount vouchers it is offering through national newspapers and its website.

• The vouchers are for GBP 5 and GBP 10 off purchases of GBP 50 and GBP 100 respectively, and will be valid until 31 January 2010.
• Shoppers will be able to redeem the vouchers across most product categories including the retailers George clothing brand.

Competing against the specialists Darty, Alice and Bouygues, Auchan has announced that it is launching Auchan Box, an internet access service, in February in the French market.

• Using the Numericable-Completel network, Auchan has now become a FAI (Fournisseur Accès Internet, “Internet Access Provider”), complementing its mobile phone offer.
• With a starting offer at EUR 16.99, Auchan will provide services comprising internet access, landline telephone (limited or unlimited in the number of calls) and TV.
• Auchan Box will be launched 15 February in the greater Paris area and on the 24th in the rest of France.

Auchan started its refurbishment program of its Auchan City format in Russia at the end of 2009.

• Auchan City selling space has been rearranged to make it visibly more spacious. The shelves are set at one meter high to make it possible to see across the whole store.
•  The assortment of 15,000 SKUs has been rationalized, with the share of food products increased from 60% to 80%.
• The apparel and consumer electronics assortment has been cut while the fresh fruit and vegetables as well as frozen sections have been expanded.
• The fruit and vegetables section is positioned at the entrance.  Fresh product storage has been positioned in the visible section of the store, so that shoppers can see how the products are stored through glass covers.

 

• Auchan plans to refurbish all of its Auchan City stores in Russia.

 

John Lewis has entered into an agreement with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to become the Tier Three Provider and 26th domestic sponsor for the London 2012 Olympics Games.

• As part of the deal, the retailer will work with LOCOG to furnish lounge and reception areas at games venues and will also provide warehouse space.
• John Lewis will be the official distributor for approximately 10,000 licensed products of London Olympics.
  • Two John Lewis stores, one at Oxford Street and the other slated to open in 2011 next to Olympic Park, Stratford, will serve as retail outlets for selling games merchandise.
  • For any merchandise sold, John Lewis will give back the net profit to London 2012.

   

 

Sainsbury’s has launched a recycling facility across its UK stores for the co-collection of energy-saving light bulbs and portable batteries.

• The retailer has partnered with Recolight, a UK based lamp recycling company, to provide co-collection facilities for low-energy light bulbs.
• Post a successful pilot in late 2009; the facilities have been launched across 200 of Sainsbury’s larger stores nationwide.

The move follows the government regulation making it mandatory for retailers to provide portable battery recycling facilities from 1 February 2010.

According to a weekly newspaper reporting on the British farming industry, Farmers Guardian, Sainsbury’s has announced that it will invest approximately GBP 40 million in Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group (SDDG), UK in the next three years.

• The retailer has entered into partnership with Arla Foods Milk, a Denmark-based cooperative with operations in the UK to increase its milk supplier base.
  • Arla will distribute milk to around 70 Sainsbury’s stores mostly in the eastern region of the UK.
  • Upon the finalization of the expanded structure of SDDG in October 2010, Sainsbury’s plans to hire 25 new farmers.
• The move is in line with the retailer’s plans to expand its store space by 15% by March 2011.

Tesco has opened its first zero carbon store at Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. The store includes in-store operational features such as skylights and sun pipes to reduce lighting along with heat and power plants powered by renewable bio-fuels. The move forms a part of the retailer’s strategy to become a carbon neutral company by 2050.

Tesco has launched a campaign with the tagline, "Enjoy the taste of…," across its stores in the UK, to highlight products sourced from local and regional suppliers.

• As a part of the campaign, Tesco has introduced in-store signage for customers to identify and locate Scottish products in its stores.
• The move forms a part of the retailer’s target to sell local products worth GBP 1 billion by 2011.

As part of Walmart’s recent restructuring efforts to become more efficient, the retailer has eliminated 300 home office positions.  The roles are described as concentrated in the “corporate support areas.”

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X5 Group has started a franchising program for its supermarket banner Perekrestok.

• Previously, X5 franchised only Pyaterochka discount stores, but is now interested in launching franchised Perekrestok supermarket stores in the regions where there are currently no company owned Perekrestok stores.
• X5 will offer only standard Perekrestok franchising and will keep ‘green’ premium formats as own stores.
• The maximum fee for a Perekrestok franchise will be 1.5% from turnover, plus a fee for product supply.
• Currently, Perekrestok Express stores are operating under franchise agreement.

 

X5 Group has announced plans to open smaller Pyaterochka stores in Moscow, Ekaterinburg and other regions in spring 2010.

• The retailer expects to open 30 to 40 stores in this new format.
• The stores will be 120 to 180 square metres, which is two to three times smaller than existing Pyaterochka stores.
• X5 plans to develop this format faster than the regular size discount stores and obtain better locations for the smaller discounters, taking advantage of the space that was vacated during the crisis.
• X5 plans to have the same prices in the smaller discounters as in the regular ones.