Japanese homewares and apparel retailer Muji has launched a new retail concept dubbed discounter concept Muji 500, offering daily necessities under 500 yen (US$3.46). The new 181sqm store is located on the 4th floor of Atre Vie Mitaka and offers around 3000 goods. Muji says 70 per cent of the products on sale are priced at 500 yen or less. The offer spans categories including detergents, cleaning products, kitchen utensils, toiletries, skin care products, stationery, and food. Muji’s operator, Ryohin Keikaku, is focusing on low-cost everyday basic requirements, and Muji 500 is part of that approach. The company also reports that starting next spring, it would extend its sub-500 yen daily needs range. Muji anticipates selling around 100 new goods during the spring/summer season next year and will open 30 Muji 500 stores by the end of February, primarily in central Tokyo, then opening 20 stores per year after that. The new chain is part of an already ambitious expansion program, with Muji opening its first store in Macau in August and already pursuing expansion in Mainland China, at a rate of 50 new stores annually. The company intends to grow its footprint in other Asian markets, including Thailand, South Korea, and Vietnam. Japanese convenience store operator Lawson announced in April that it would provide food and grocery items sourced from Muji across its 14,000-store network in Japan. See here for more: https://insideretail.asia/2022/10/03/muji-launches-under-500-yen-store-concept/

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Poland (German family owned) opened its new central distribution center 43,000 m2 of the total warehouse space, 11,000 m2 of the cooled area, 82 electric prams, 23,000 euro-pallets, voice order completion, the ability to operate up to 250 stores and finally the delivery time shortened by 30%. This is a new Aldi warehouse in numbers, which was opened recently in the town of Lisi Ogon near Bydgoszcz. Representatives of local authorities and the media took part in the ceremonies. 200 new jobs are required for the new distribution center. Distribution center will handle 250 stores The new distribution center is a consequence of the development of the Aldi store network in this region. The facility has a warehouse and distribution functions. In the first months of operation, it will handle 100 stores in the northern region. It is worth adding, however, that ultimately the distribution center can operate up to 250 stores. Thanks to this, the delivery time to stores will be shortened by 30%, which is associated with a better and more flexible network reaction to customers' needs. The region where Aldi is developing is the fastest is Pomerania, where a total of several stores have been created over the year. The new ALDI distribution center was established in the Lisi Ogwiek Park built by and owned by Panattoni Europe. The production and service and service center with the office part was built in the area of ​​Wiejska and Póriertowa Streets. The number of Aldi outlets will increase by 50 percent 'This is an important and breakthrough moment for us, preceded by years of hard work and development. From the perspective of the network, focused on subsequent new openings of stores, logistics conditions are crucial and have an impact on the optimization of many processes. The opening of the second ALDI distribution center is a natural effect of intensive expansion throughout Poland. Over the next two years, we plan to increase the amount of our facilities by 50 percent.' says Wojciech Łubieński, president of the board of Aldi Polska. Parallel to the process of strengthening the image and recognition, we develop a chain of stores so that Aldi qualities can be appreciated by subsequent customers. Locations in the Pomeranian, Mazowieckie, Greater Poland or West Pomeranian towns are particularly important for the network. The new distribution center will guarantee efficient supply of stores in the northern and central part of Poland, where the most ALDI facilities are being built. The current magazine in Chorzów will continue to supply southern Poland stores. 'We want to be as close as possible to customers as possible, or rather selected location of stores and storage facilities are the key to success' adds Wojciech Łubieński. Warehouse with photovoltaic installation and Pick by Voice orders The new distribution center obtained a 'very good' in the BREEAM system. The building has been equipped with a voice completion of orders Pick by Voice, and in the future it will be equipped with a photovoltaic installation with a capacity of up to 500 kWp. The warehouse has a total area of ​​43,300 m2, of which the area of ​​the cooled stock is about 11,000 m2, while the offices will take 2,263 m2. The warehouse part will accommodate 23,000 europallets. The warehouse uses numerous ecological solutions, including LED lighting, parking with electric car charging stations, external, electric sunscreen protection was installed, which is controlled by weather automation. Ultimately, the construction of a photovoltaic farm is planned to gain greater energy independence. The construction of a magazine for the ALDI store chain lasted 9 months. See here for more: https://www-dlahandlu-pl.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.dlahandlu.pl/detal-hurt/wiadomosci/aldi-ma-drugi-magazyn-w-polsce-docelowo-obsluzy-250-sklepow,111411.amp

Discount Wholesale Club Chain Costco has followed up one strong fiscal year with another. The Issaquah, Wash.-based warehouse club chain posted double-digit net and comparable sales growth for its fiscal 2022 fourth quarter and full year, while topping Wall Street’s consensus earnings-per-share forecast for both periods. In the 16-week quarter ended Aug. 28, net sales came in at US$70.76 billion, up 17.5% from $61.44 billion a year earlier, Costco reported yesterday after the market close. The increase marked a 17.5% uptick in the fiscal 2021 quarter. Total comparable sales in the quarter climbed 13.7% from a year ago (10.4% adjusted, excluding fuel and FX), reflecting gains of 15.8% in the United States (9.6% adjusted), 13.4% in Canada (13.7% adjusted) and 2.9% internationally (11.3% adjusted). A year ago, Costco reported that comp sales increased 15.5% (9.4% adjusted), including an increase of 14.9% in the U.S. (10.3% adjusted). “In terms of the Q4 comp-sales metrics, traffic or shopping frequency increased 7.2% worldwide and was up 5.2% in the U.S. Our average transaction or ticket was up 6% worldwide and 10.0% in the U.S. during the fourth quarter,” Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti told analysts in a conference call late Thursday. Gasoline price inflation lifted sales by about 5.5% in the fourth quarter, while FX negatively impacted sales by slightly over 2%, Galanti reported. “The best-performing core categories in the quarter were candy, frozen, kiosks, tires, lawn and garden, jewelry, toys, bakery and deli,” he said. “In terms of ancillary businesses, the best performers were gas and food courts. And in other businesses, travel and business centers performed best relative to the prior fiscal fourth quarter results.” “They’re still present, but we are seeing just a little light at the end of the tunnel,” he explained. “And if you recall in the third quarter, we indicated that price inflation overall was about 7% plus for us. For the fourth quarter, and talking with our merchants, the estimated price inflation overall was about 8%, a little higher on the food and sundries side, a little lower on fresh foods, and both higher and lower on the nonfood side.” “Many of you have asked about private label with the recent inflationary environment and what’s happening, are people trading down? And of course, our first response is they’re not trading down. They’re trading up or certainly trading the same,” he said. “In terms of Kirkland Signature merchandise penetration, and excluding gas and other businesses that carry the Kirkland name, Kirkland Signature merchandise is up just under 1% in terms of penetration compared to a year ago. Our KS merchandise penetration is about 28% for the year. This is similar to historical trends, where it’s increasing slowly and steadily over time. So no big dramatic change from the past there.” Fourth-quarter e-commerce sales gained 7.1% (8.4% excluding FX) from a year earlier. “Stronger departments in terms of year-over-year percentage increases were tires, lawn, patio and garden, prescription pharmacy and health and beauty aids,” said Galanti. “The largest e-com merchandise department in dollars, what we call majors, which includes everything from computers to appliances to TVs to audio, etc., was up in the high single digits. And Costco Grocery, including our third-party delivery, two-day dry, fresh and frozen, continues to grow. They were up 20% in the quarter.” Membership fee income advanced 7.5% year over year (10.5% excluding the impact of foreign exchange rates) to $1.33 billion. Total paid member households rose 6.5% to 65.8 million, and the total cardholder count grew 6.5% as well to 118.9 million. “In terms of membership fees and a possible increase, there are no specific plans regarding a fee increase at this time,” according to Galanti. “We’re pleased with our growth in both top-line sales and membership households over the last several quarters, and member loyalty is reflected in increasing member renewal rates.” For the 2022 fiscal year, net sales came in at $222.73 billion, up 16% from $192.05 billion in fiscal 2021, when the company rang of a 17.7% gain. Full-year comp sales for the 52 weeks rose 14.4% overall (10.6% adjusted, excluding fuel and FX), reflecting upticks of 15.8% in the U.S. (10.4% adjusted), 15.2% in Canada (12.1% adjusted) and 6.6% internationally (13.4% adjusted). In fiscal 2021, Costco recorded comp sales growth of 16% overall (13.4% adjusted), including a gain of 14.8% in the U.S. (13.6% adjusted). Fiscal 2022 e-commerce sales surged by 10.1% (10.4% excluding FX) atop of growth of 44.4% (42.6% excluding FX) on a comparable basis in fiscal 2021. At the bottom line, Costco’s 2022 fourth-quarter net income totaled $1.87 billion, or $4.20 per diluted share, compared with $1.67 billion, or $3.76 per diluted share, a year ago. Analysts, on average, had projected Q4 adjusted EPS of $4.16, with estimates ranging from a low of $3.69 to a high of $3.50, according to Refinitiv. For the full 2022 fiscal year, net earnings were $5.84 billion, or $13.14 per diluted share, versus $5.01 billion, or $11.27 per diluted share, in 2021. Analysts’ consensus estimate was for adjusted EPS of $13.13, with projections running from a low of $12.73 to a high of $13.43, according to Refinitiv. Costco stands well-positioned for additional market-share gains going forward, according to Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe “Costco is a defensive name by nature due to its membership model that generates predictable sales and profits, an attractive value-orientation, a higher-income customer, and a relatively significant penetration of consumables as a percentage of sales,” Tarlowe wrote in a research note released Friday. “Additionally, the company continues to open new clubs in the U.S. and has a meaningful runway for ongoing international expansion. Further, we believe Costco is likely to raise its membership fee in the not-too-distant future, providing upside to estimates ahead.” During fiscal 2022, Costco said it opened 26 warehouse clubs, including three relocations, for a net gain of 23 for year. That includes nine in Q4, with five of those in the U.S., two in Canada and one apiece in Korea and Japan. “In fiscal ’23, we expect to open 29 new warehouses, including four relos, for a net of 25 new warehouses,” Galanti said in the analyst call. “These 25 planned net new openings are made up of 15 in the U.S. and 10 in ohter international, including our first locations in New Zealand and Sweden and our third and fourth locations in China.” Currently, Costco operates 838 warehouse clubs overall, compared with 817 a year ago. By market, the retailer operates 578 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, 107 in Canada, 40 in Mexico, 31 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 17 in Korea, 14 in Taiwan, 13 in Australia, four in Spain, two each in France and China, and one in Iceland. Costco also runs e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. See here for more: https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/costco-s-top-line-grows-over-30-billion-fiscal-2022

Aldi UK (German family owned) said the new shop has been designed and built to reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by up to two-thirds. The store will also make it easier for shoppers to reduce, reuse and recycle, with numerous plastic-reduction initiatives being trialled. These will include a ‘hard to recycle’ unit at the entrance to enable customers to recycle items that are not collected by local authorities. Aldi will be the first UK retailer to trial a recycling point for coffee pods and medicine packets and will also accept batteries, soft plastics and cosmetic packaging. Furthermore, the store will feature a nuts and coffee refill fixture to allow customers to buy the products packaging free. Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Now more than ever, we must do our bit for the environment and this store offers us the ability to easily explore new in-store initiatives and low carbon store designs. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact in any way we can and are continuing to explore new initiatives all the time. “What’s even better is that many of the changes made to this store, whether it be the energy-saving initiatives or our latest packaging-free trial, could allow us to put even more money back into the pockets of our customers.” See here for more: https://www.theretailbulletin.com/food-and-drink/aldi-to-open-new-eco-concept-store-28-09-2022/

Recent publication of Kantar for september show the recent market share development per retail format in France. Conclusion: the discounters are carrying away. Logic! During a period of high inflation, customers turn to refuges brands: those whose prix is ​​at the highest. This month, the correlation is also perfect ... on the Kantar podium of the Prix Image: Lidl, Aldi and Leclerc. On the performance podium: Lidl, Aldi and Leclerc. It sounds clear, right? And, above all, it will last! Among the other back-to-school winners (but to a lesser extent): Auchan and Carrefour hypers, Casino supermarkets and Carrefour proximity. This is a confirmation for Carrefour hypers (more often up than decreasing for two years), newer for Auchan. Not surprising! The brand has given gasoline (promo's and price). And it's still the best fuel for trade. Be careful still because my little finger tells me that there is already relaxation on prices. There remains one observation: the market is tightened, Kantar measures + 4.9 % in PGC / LS costs, as there is a decline in volumes. See here for more: https://www.olivierdauvers.fr/2022/09/21/parts-de-marche-le-discount-a-fond-la-caisse/

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Netherlands (owned by the German Schwarz Group) will introduce a deposit on all plastic juice bottles and takes the next step in its recycling policy. This introduction has started from the summer and now all 439 Lidl stores are so far. The juice bottles can be returned to Lidl and other intake points. With this voluntary introduction of deposit on juice bottles, Lidl is taking the next step in its recent plastic strategy. Juice bottles “It is now clear to the customer; There is a deposit on all plastic juice bottles in our stores. By introducing deposit on all these PET bottles, we protect the environment and maintain the benefits of the material, "says Quirine de Weerd, Senior Manager Corporate Responsibility & Relations at Lidl. “Our vision is to convert the waste today into recyclable materials of tomorrow. With that goal in mind, we reduce plastic where possible and keep it in the closed cycle. " About Lidl Netherlands Lidl is one of the largest supermarket chains in the Netherlands with now 439 stores and a webshop for non-food. Under the motto "The highest quality for the lowest price" Lidl offers a wide range of food and non-food items. Lidl has been named the best supermarket in fruit and vegetables (source GFK) for the 10th time. Lidl makes sustainability and a healthy lifestyle affordable and accessible for everyone. We offer a responsible assortment that is created with care for people, animals and the environment. At Lidl, customers automatically opt for a more sustainable product, for example, our coffee, tea, chocolate, dairy and fish have a sustainability mark. As a future -proof organization, sustainability is part of business operations at Lidl: we build sustainable, reuse residual flows and prevent food waste. As a company that is in the middle of society, we work together with, among others, Netherlands 'Zoemt' and the Dutch Food Banks. We do all this not only, but together with suppliers, employees, partners and customers. See here for more: https://duurzaam-actueel.nl/statiegeld-op-plastic-sapflessen-bij-lidl-om-nog-meer-te-kunnen-recyclen/

Consumers' behavior is changing because of the inflation, and they can feel that at the discount chain Aldi. Many Danes change shopping habits because of the higher prices. It shows a study conducted by Aldi Denmark several times a year in collaboration with YouGov. Nearly eight out of ten respond that they are more aware of prices, while 62 percent say they have changed shopping habits. When the same survey was conducted in February, it applied to 67 percent and 44 percent respectively. 'Even six months ago, Danes were worried about the economic situation and rising consumer prices. The difference from then to now is that now the behavior change is clearly following', says Kristian Jørgensen, data and consumer expert in Aldi Denmark. The changes can be clearly felt in the Aldi stores. 'We can see it in the stores where our customers are targeted by offer items and for example the "happiness bags" that we offer in collaboration with Too Good To Go. We meet new customers in the stores who have caught the eye of Aldi most likely because they are more oriented by price. We can also see that more Danes are actively looking at the price when they shop. More Danes are making a pricing choice, a development that is confirmed by the fact that more and more people are choosing the discount stores over the supermarket', says Kristian Jørgensen. Aldimeter Development in Danes' quality of life, consumer and shopping habits over the past six months: 79 percent of Danes respond that they are partly or completely agree that they are more aware of prices when they buy in. In February it was 67 percent. 68 percent look more at price when shopping, compared to 54 percent in February 2022. 62 percent of Danes say that they have changed shopping habits to some, high or higher degree. In February it was 44 percent. 61 percent of Danes say that their way of life and/or future plans in anyone, high or very high have been affected by rising consumer prices. Six months ago it was 48 percent. 57 percent of Danes say they look more often in offer newspapers and offer apps. In February it was 47 percent. 49 percent of Danes feel that they stress them that they have less money for unforeseen expenses. In February it was 40 percent. 37 percent of Danes say rising consumer prices go beyond their quality of life. In February it was 32 percent. 30 percent of Danes say they have cut down on pleasures (restaurant visits, cinema trips, etc.) against 27 percent in February. 20 percent of Danes say they have cut down on the holiday budget against 16 percent in February. See here for more: https://detailfolk.dk/detailnyheder/aldi_mrker_forbrugernes_fokus_p_pris.html

Discount Textile Retail Chain Kik (owned by the German Tengelmann group) soon opens its first stores in Portugal and Spain. The German textile company thus continues its internationalization route, ensuring its representation in 14 countries, including Germany. In Portugal, the first store opened September 24 at Retail Park dos Carvalhos in Pedroso, very close to Vila Nova de Gaia. More stores will follow in the area of ​​Greater Porto, Grande Lisbon and Algarve. On Spanish soil, the first store will open in Seville, with 15 more stores, the focus of the Andalusian and Madrid region, without forgetting the North and the Mediterranean Sea coast, which are part of the expansion plans . The teams are in formation and, in mid-September, they had the opportunity to visit the KIK headquarters in Bönen, NRW. Welcomed by the board, received the first references of the company. In the future, a more regular exchange is foreseen among KIK employees throughout Europe. “Strong growth retail company” The chain has been represented, since 2017, in Italy, and with the new openings in Portugal and Spain, extends its presence throughout southern Europe. “Kik is a company in the field of strong growth. The expansion for new markets is part of our development strategy, with which Kik has become, in recent years, one of Europe's main retail companies, ”explains Fernando Struubing Gomes, general director of Portugal and Spain. “Our goal is Kik in all houses. With the new stores in Portugal and Spain, we are getting closer and closer to achieving this goal, ”he comments. Kik Kik means “the client is King” (“Kunde Ist König”), the guiding principle of the basic textile supplier since the company was founded in 1994. Kik Textilien und Non-food Gmbh proposes clothing of lady, man, child and quality baby at a comparatively low price. In addition to clothing, the assortment also includes gifts for gifts, toys, beauty products, accessories and home textiles. With over 29,000 employees and more than 4,000 stores in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain and Portugal, the company generates Annual Net Sales of 1,9 billion euros (US$ 1.9 billion). KIK's german textile e-commerce site has been on the top 10 and provides its customers with the online purchase option since 2013 at www.kik.de. See here for more: https://grandeconsumo.com/kik-abre-primeiras-lojas-em-portugal-e-espanha/

Retailers report having strong goals over the next two years for their private brand portfolio, with a current average dollar share of 18.2% and an ambitious goal of 22.6% in the next two years, according to a new report from The Food Industry Association (FMI). Here's 3 ways retailers and grocers can be driving private brand growth, according to FMI: Innovation: Eighty-one percent of food retailers and manufacturers surveyed report innovation as the top strategy for achieving higher private brands market share. Specifically, industry respondents see potential for private brands premium products (69%), product options with simple ingredient lists (60%), products offering strong price/value in a category (56%), and prepared meal solutions (42%) Optimizing price / availability via suppliers: Food retailers and manufacturers surveyed report a wide range of strategies to accelerate private brands growth. The majority (71%) plan on working with suppliers to optimize price and availability, which aligns with consumers mostly choosing private brands because of lower costs, deals or perception of good value. Other top acceleration strategies mentioned include improving consumer insights and trends intelligence (64%), launching new products (64%) and improving packaging (58%) Boosting ecommerce: Currently, retailers report 60% of their private brands assortment is available on their ecommerce platform, so expanding availability is a key strategy for growth. Retailers and suppliers mentioned several other improvements for private brands ecommerce such as search functionality prioritizing private brands offerings (80%), providing compelling product images (73%), tagging attributes in search, such as health and well-being and sustainability (65%) and utilizing suggestive selling in search results (53%) “As the food industry looks toward the future for private brands, they are setting bold targets based on high demand from consumers,” FMI’s vice president of Industry Relations Doug Baker said in a statement. “To reach these goals, retailers and manufactures are looking at several tactics including private brands outside the U.S. that have higher shares for approaches to growth, including innovation, strategies to accelerate growth and enhanced ecommerce availability for private brands.” See here for more: https://www.supermarketnews.com/private-label/3-ways-retailers-can-drive-private-brand-growth

Discount Retail Chain Aldi USA (German family owned) mentioned that same-store sales in the country rose in the double digits over the last 12 months as rampant inflation pushed consumers to find cheaper deals on groceries. The German-owned discount supermarket chain's U.S. stores sales growth over the past year was driven by 1 million new customers, Scott Patton, Aldi's vice president of National Buying, told a media event. Aldi has seen an increase in middle- and high-income shoppers as well, said Patton, referring to households making $50k-100k per year as middle income. "Inflation is hitting everyone so when we can be a solution for the grocery portion of that, that's important," he said. Discount stores such as Aldi and Dollar General Corp tend to perform well during economic turmoils as cash-strapped consumers seek cheaper alternatives. Dollar General lifted its annual comparable sales forecast last month, encouraged by consumers flocking to its stores for everything from groceries to household supplies. Higher gas prices have also pushed more Americans to shop at Aldi, usually located in more metropolitan areas, rather than drive to a Walmart Supercenter which is usually outside of major urban regions. Aldi attributed some of its success to offering more fresh produce over the last two years, which now makes up for two-thirds of what consumers put into their carts. By cutting out excess labor such as a butchers in the meat section or produce stackers, refreshing produce seasonally and offering only 120 types of products on average at its U.S. stores, Aldi has the ability to price fruits and vegetable at a 20-40% discount to competitors, Patton said. Avocados, for example, cost 49 cents each at an Aldi store, compared to 88 cents on Walmart.com and 99 cents on Target.com, a Reuters review of prices showed. Aldi also said on Wednesday it started testing a new "shoppable" website with a small group earlier this week, with a plan to launch nationally soon. The U.S. website, which would allow people to see prices, compare products as well as available delivery and curbside pickup options, would be the first time the Aldi Group would offer a website from which you can shop, Patton said. See here for more: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-09-21/aldis-u-s-sales-rise-by-double-digits-as-inflation-hit-shoppers-look-for-deals

Discount Retail Chain ALDI Spain (German family owned) has bought more than 3,000 tons of fruits and vegetables typical of the autumn season from national suppliers this 2022. Specifically, the products come from areas such as Andalusia, the Region of Murcia, the Valencian Community, Catalonia, the Basque Country and Extremadura . ALDI Commercial area By products, fruit that represents the largest purchase volume of Aldi for this autumn, with more than 379 tons, followed by the sweet potato, with more than 226 T, and of the chestnuts and the grenade, with more than 185 t . Among the fruits and vegetables that the company also incorporates in its linear this season are the Brussels sprouts, the artichokes, the chirimoya or the white table grape, as well as mushrooms of the rebozuelo, trumpet and camagroc varieties. The discount chain stands out for maintaining a strong commitment to the proximity product and, in fact, most of the total assortment of fruits and vegetables is of national origin. In addition, all the products of the autumn and national origin of ADI have the Global G.A.P. certificate, the international recognition for agricultural production that certifies a safe and sustainable production, in order to benefit producers, retail and consumers. Commitment to proximity products and national suppliers The supermarket chain maintains its commitment to the proximity product and, for this reason, establishes confidence and long -term relations with its more than 400 suppliers in the country. Specifically, 80% of the company's assortment is a product prepared and cultivated in national territory. Currently, Aldi has more than 500 fresh products in its lines, and 200 correspond to the fruit and vegetables, categories that represent about 40% of the total of its freshman. In addition, as can be seen from the Aldi 2022 Fresco Observatory, 73% of the monthly purchase baskets of Aldi customers include, at least, a fresh product. See here for more: https://revistamercados.com/aldi-compra-mas-de-3-000-toneladas-de-frutas-y-verduras-locales-para-otono/

Discount Frozen food Retail Chain Iceland UK (owned by the UK based Iceland Food Group) is adding air fryer cooking instructions to its own private label product packaging as it looks to help shoppers save money on their energy bills. This comes as data from the UK Office for National Statistics revealed that 48% of adults are struggling to pay their energy bills. Last month, Iceland partnered with energy provider, Utilita to find the most cost-effective cooking methods. The research found air-fryers to be one of the cheapest appliances to use, saving customers over £3 (US$3.36) on each meal. For 20 to 25 minutes of oven-cooking, the study found the cost of energy totaled to £1.05 (US$1.18) in comparison to using an air fryer which would reduce both cooking time and energy price to 16p (US$0.18). Looking into the cost of a Sunday roast, the research found that cooking with an air-fryer instead of an oven could reduce energy costs by 80%. Microwaves were also found to be one of the appliances most cost-effective in comparison to an electric oven, which costs £316.54 (US$354.27) a year to use. The packaging update now forms part of the collaborations ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’ initiative, committing to 11 pro-consumer and pro-planet pledges. At the time of the initiative’s launch, Iceland managing director, Richard Walker said the collaboration “shines a light on the relationship between what we buy and how much energy we use cooking it, helping to empower our customers and provide them with access to information that can help stretch their budgets further.” See here for more: https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2022/09/29/iceland-packaging-energy-cost/