Discount retail chain Netto's owner Salling Group announced record financial results for 2020. In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company recorded a historic revenue record for the first time it exceeded the threshold of 60 billion Danish kroner, reaching 60.9 billion DKK (US$10.7billion). The EBIT profit increased to DKK 2.8 billion (US$450million), which makes an EBIT margin of 4.6%. Salling Group announces that it will maintain its development strategy, the main assumptions of which are investments in e-grocery and expansion in Poland, including the rapid rebranding of stores acquired from Tesco to the Netto 3.0 format. The operation, costing approximately DKK 1.5 billion (US$240 million), is expected to end in the first half of 2022. The revenues of the Salling Group, the owner of the Netto Polska discount stores, increased by over DKK 4 billion (US$650million) in the last financial year. Gross profit EBITDA increased to DKK 4.7 billion (US$760million), the equivalent of 7.7% total revenues. A year earlier, this parameter was DKK 4.1 billion (US$660million). The COVID-19 pandemic affected the company's day-to-day operations in all markets, it was necessary to change the structure of retail networks, including the relocation of products and personnel from closed outlets and localities subject to lockdowns. Meeting the frequently changed sanitary recommendations and restrictions was also a challenge. 'We are aware that the food trade was one of the few industries that ultimately benefited from the pandemic restrictions, which in our case translated into record sales results. In view of the above, I would like to express my particular satisfaction that in this challenging year we managed to implement a number of strategic priorities that will affect the future of the group in the coming years,' said Per Bank, CEO, Salling Group. Salling Group reminds that in March 2021 it finally finalized the acquisition of most of Tesco's business in Poland, for the amount of 1.5 billion DKK (US$240million). The group announces that it intends to invest another DKK 1.5 billion (US$240million) in this business, which it will spend on the transformation of the acquired facilities, in accordance with the latest Netto 3.0 concept. The conversion of all stores taken over from Tesco should be completed in the first half of 2022. According to data from December 31, 2020, the Netto discount chain consisted of 522 stores in Denmark, 342 in Germany and 394 in Poland. See here for more: https://www.wiadomoscihandlowe.pl/artykul/salling-group-wlasciciel-netto-polska-notuje-w-2020-r-rekordowe-przychody-po-raz-pierwszy-przekraczajace-60-mld-dkk

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Belgium (German family owned) promotes the sustainable culture of cocoa and wants to improve the living and working conditions of farmers and their families. Are you the demanding type in terms of food ethics? So you're going to be filled! Because Aldi decided to go to fair cocoa for many chocolate products, our cereals for breakfast and our hazelnut spread. Why? Because cocoa producers get an honest price for their products and agricultural communities affect an additional Fairtrade premium. In this way, small producers can invest in their own future and take care of the environment at the same time. Choco Chocoire Change With its three flavors, hazelnut milk, salty and black caramel and 70 %, this chocolate is not only delicious but also very durable. Sustainable chocolate with a positive effect Aldi Belgium is the first discounter to join the Tony’s Open Chain. Together, we can increase our positive influence and change the standard in the cocoa industry by working to end poverty, illegal work of children and deforestation in West Africa. The shape of the triangular pieces represent cocoa plantations seen from above and the different heights of the pieces reflect reality, i.e. that in the cocoa value chain, risks and rewards are not equally distributed. Fairtrade certified chocolate Chocolate ingredients are Fairtrade certified and purchased from Fairtrade producers. Concretely, this means that not only cocoa but also all the ingredients of the choco chocour change (including sugar and vanilla for certain varieties) are certified Fairtrade and bought from Fairtrade producers. If farmers sell a larger part of their cocoa, their sugar and their vanilla under Fairtrade conditions, they can obtain more equitable conditions of sale, encourage social change and contribute to environmental protection. Going beyond certification with Tony's Open Chain, we collaborate to become sustainable leaders with the Choco Change. Chocolate according to the 5 sourcing principles of the Open Chain platform of Tony's Chocolonely. Tony’s Open Chain gets cocoa beans from Choco Chocoire Change in a responsible manner. By joining Tony’s Open Chain, we undertake to follow the 5 sourcing principles of Tony’s: 1. Cocoa beans of 100 % traceable original 2. A higher price for cocoa 3. provide support to cooperatives to strengthen cocoa 4. Long -term cooperation 5. Improve productivity and quality See here for more: https://www.aldi.be/fr/produits/assortiment/collations-sucreries/Chocolade.html

Discount Non-Food Retail Chain Action (owned by PE investor 3i Group) will open in Warsaw its 200th store, since entering Poland in 2017. The company emphasizes that it is a milestone in the development of the Polish retail market. The pandemic year 2020 was a difficult year for non-food retail companies operating in the field of textiles, footwear and hardware products. However, the Action chain dealt with the challenges posed by the pandemic and managed to high pace of development. In the last 11 months, the operator opened over 40 stores in Poland. The brand also appeared in three provinces where the sign was not present before, including Warsaw. The discounter will soon present development plans for the Polish market for the next year. It can be expected that it wants to at least repeat this year's result in 2021, and perhaps even want to improve it. For Action in Poland, the development of the network and building the scale of the business is crucial for its logistics, cost effectiveness and profitability. See here for more: https://www.wiadomoscihandlowe.pl/artykul/siec-action-otworzy-swoj-100-dyskont-w-polsce-sklep-ruszy-w-warszawie

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Suisse (German family owned) logistics center in Schwarzenbach created a full-surface photovoltaic system on its roof. The implementation of the solar system begins this year. With an area of almost 25,000 square meters, the largest photovoltaic system in the canton of St. Gallen is realized. With an area of ​​almost 25,000 m2-this corresponds to more than three football fields-and an installed performance of 5,234 kilowatt peak, the planned photovoltaic system will be as large over a thousand times as an average system on a single-family house. It becomes the largest photovoltaic system on a single roof in the entire canton of St. Gallen. "The project goes well with our pioneering role in renewable energies," says Jérôme Meyer, Country Managing Director of Aldi Suisse. "It was only two years ago that we put the largest continuous photovoltaic system in Switzerland into operation on the roof of our branch." This facility with a total area of ​​45,000m2 went online in February 2020 and has since supplied the Perlen distribution center and many households in the region with clean solar energy. She was awarded the Swiss Solar Prize. Enormous performance The planned system on the roof of the Schwarzenbach branch is expected to produce the same amount of electricity in one year as around 2,200 two-person households would consume per year. The installation is carried out in cooperation with the contracting company Sonnenpool and the Helion in St. Gallen. "A team of our specialists for large photovoltaic systems is currently working on detail planning and prepares the construction phase for this autumn," explains Samuel Beer, COO at Helion. 'The biggest challenge is the difficult situation on the procurement market. The solar system should be installed at the end of November.' Successful expansion of solar energy Last year, with more than 60 locations, all suitable Aldi Suisse store roofs were equipped with solar systems. These create environmentally friendly electricity from solar energy for your own stores and the electrical charging stations on the customer parking spaces. For all new store buildings, solar systems are planned by default if the structural requirements fit. A total of around 65,000 photovoltaic modules have already started operating on Aldi Suisse roofs. With the new system at the logistics center in Schwarzenbach, the number will increase to around 78,000 modules. See here for more: https://www.dieostschweiz.ch/artikel/aldi-baut-groesste-solarstrom-anlage-des-kantons-st-gallen-9mkEB63

Swedish discount retail chain Motatos (owned by Ulf Skagerström, Erik Södergren, and Karl Andersson and PE investor Blume Equity) is being dubbed as a rival to UK discount chains Aldi and Lidl, but it is only available online. A new discount retailer has been launched in the UK and claims to be up to 60% cheaper than other stores. The discounter promises "well-known products that would otherwise risk ending up in landfill" and says it keeps prices down by selling surplus food from wholesalers. As well as offering low prices, Motatos has already saved 40,000 tonnes of food and consumer products from going to waste in the Nordics and Germany. But is Motatos really cheaper than other places, and what exactly does it sell? The Mirror takes a look… Newspaper 'The Mirror' tried out Motatos today Motatos compared to other supermarkets There isn’t a shortage of branded goods at Motatos, including household names like Heinz, Cadbury, Kellogg’s, Walkers and Typhoo. The good news is, we did find some items that were 60% cheaper than other stores, but some turned out to be more expensive. On the Motatos website, there are some items that you need to buy in bulk and these tend to be the ones that offer the best value. For example, it sells four bars of 160g Cadbury White Jelly Popping Candy chocolate for £2.40. We spotted the same bars on the Asda website selling for two for £3, which means you would need to pay £6 to get four bars an increase in price of around 60% compared to what you’d pay at Motatos. Motatos boasts of offering up to 60% off The website was also cheapest for 500g of Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut 500g cereal, priced at £4.48 for two boxes, the equivalent of £2.24 each. In Tesco you would pay £3.30 for the same size box, and £2.50 in the Co-op - so you'll pay around 10% less at Motatos. Another bargain we saw was six bags of Walkers Max Cheese & Onion 140g for £2.40, whereas the same product would set you back £1.50 each in Sainsbury’s. But not everything was cheaper. Tetley Everyday 80 teabags were priced at£2 on Motatos, which is the same as what you’ll pay in Sainsbury’s. We also saw Typhoo Tea Bags One Cup Decaf 80 bags listed for £1.47, but you can buy the same size product from the Poundshop website for £1. Motatos is also pegged on offering discounted branded food, so you can still save money by purchasing own-private brand labels elsewhere. The cheapest spaghetti costs £3 for two packs, so £1.50 each, while the lowest price from Aldi for 500g of pasta costs just 20p. Our verdict? There are bargains to be had at Motatos but you still need to shop around for the best deals, and like with any supermarket, never take offers for face value. Motatos told The Mirror that its savings advertised online are against the RRP set by the manufacturer. Christabel Biella, UK Country Manager, said: "The Motatos’ strategy is to keep our costs at a competitive level. "We offer top quality brands for up to 60% less than leading supermarkets, so this is where we differ from Aldi and Lidl. "We are able to offer high ticketed items at a much lower price." The type of products you'll see on the Motatos website includes items that are no longer being sold on shelves due to changes in packaging, seasonal changes or short best before dates. Deliveries are made via Evri and DPD and is free if you spend £40 or more. If you checkout will less, a £2.99 delivery charge will apply. See here for more: https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/swedish-lidl-launches-uk-says-27168630?int_source=mantis_rec&int_medium=web&int_campaign=more_like_this

Cornettos have been frozen out in taste tests, with Lidl (owned by the German Schwarz Group) ice creams voted the best instead. All but one supermarket “own private label brand” cone pipped Wall’s classic in a taste test. Lidl’s Bon Gelati ice creams (from Schwarz's Group own ice production factory) came out on top for flavour, aroma and texture, with a pack of six working out at just 24p per cone – 9p cheaper than Cornetto. Most tasters found the cones had the perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess, plus the right level of strawberry sauce. Lidl ice creams have come top in a taste test (Image: Lidl) Morrisons’ ice creams took second place while Asda came in third. Iceland had the cheapest cones, at 17p – although the sizes varied. Taste testers from Which? found Wall’s Cornetto, a decades-old favourite made famous by the “Just one Cornetto” ads, had a good texture but was too sweet and not creamy enough. Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which?, said: “Own private label branded products can hold their own against more famous names. “Opting for supermarket own-label groceries is a great way to save money.” See here for more: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lidl-brand-ice-cream-beats-27327562

Private label fast moving products are becoming more and more popular. In 2021, the sales volume in three European countries exceeded 50%! For understandable reasons, in terms of value, the percentages were lower. In the country with the highest saturation, own brand accounted for over 57 percent. total FMCG sales volume. Private labels have not been the domain of poorer economies for years. On the contrary, they dominate the markets with the highest disposable income of households. The leader of the ranking in terms of the volume of private label sales on the FMCG market is… rich Switzerland. In this country, as much as 57.6 percent in 2021. of fast moving consumer goods sold in supermarkets were private labels. In terms of value, this percentage was 51.9%. In second place in the list published by Retail Detail, prepared by the association of private label producers PLMA and the NielsenIQ agency was affluent Belgium. In this country, private label was responsible for 54.6 percent. FMCG sales volume and 36.3 percent. sales value. This disproportion may indicate an exceptionally large price gap between branded and private label products. Great Britain came third. In the UK, FMCG own brands took over 50.4 percent. market by volume and 42.1 percent. in terms of value. Nearly half of the sales volume also concerned Spain (49.9%), the Netherlands (49.8%), Portugal (49.6%) and Germany (48.2%). Against the background of European leaders, Poles are still very “brand” oriented, even with one of the highest discounter penetration. They took 10th position in the ranking (39.6% of the volume and 31.0% of the total sales value). In other countries included in the list, private labels accounted for approximately one third of the market (Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Greece) or approximately one fourth (Sweden, Czech Republic, Norway). Turkey, included in the ranking, is at the extreme extreme in this respect, where private labels account for only 5.7 percent. sales by volume and 5.6 percent value. These figures show that they are only slightly cheaper in this country than branded products, which may explain their low popularity. See here for more: https://www.wiadomoscihandlowe.pl/artykul/w-trzech-krajach-europy-marka-wlasna-stanowi-juz-ponad-50-proc-wolumenu-sprzedazy

Discount Retail Chain Dollar General (listed NYSE: DG) continued to drive growth in its store base in announcing increased sales for the fiscal 2022 first quarter. Dollar General's net sales for the first quarter ended April 29 rose 4.2% to $8.8 billion from $8.4 billion a year earlier, driven mainly by sales contributions from new stores and partially offset by a dip in same-store sales and store closings. Comparable-store sales decreased 0.1% compared to the first quarter of 2021, driven by a decline in customer traffic, partially offset by an increase in average transaction amount. Same-store sales in the first quarter of 2022 declined in each of the seasonal, apparel, and home products categories, offset by an increase in the consumables category. Over 2,300 Dollar General stores offered fresh produce as of Q1's end, and the retailer expects that number to rise to more than 3,000 by the end of 2022 and to 10,000-plus over time. During first quarter of 2022, Dollar General opened 239 new stores, remodeled 532 locations and relocated 32 stores. The company closed out the quarter with 18,356 stores in 47 states. “With more than 18,000 stores located within five miles of about 75% of the U.S. population, we believe we are well-positioned to continue supporting our customers through our unique combination of value and convenience, especially in a more challenging economic environment,” Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos told analysts in a conference call on Thursday. “Looking ahead, we remain focused on advancing our operating priorities and strategic initiatives as we continue to strengthen our competitive position, while further differentiating Dollar General from the rest of the retail landscape.” For the full 2022 fiscal year, Dollar General reaffirmed plans to open 1,110 new stores and complete 1,750 remodels and 120 relocations. “We expect approximately 800 of our new stores in 2022 to be in our larger 8,500-square-foot store format as we respond to our customers' desire for even wider product selection,” Chief Operating Officer Jeff Owen said in the call. “With about 1,200 square feet of additional selling space compared to a traditional store, these larger formats allow for expanded high-capacity cooler counts, an extended queue line and a broader product assortment, including NCI [non-consumables initiative], our larger health-and-beauty offering and produce in many stores.” On the consumables front, Dollar General completed the chainwide rollout of DG Fresh — its program to shift to self-distribution of frozen and refrigerated foods and beverages and boost sales in those categories — last year and is now delivering to more than 18,000 stores from 12 facilities. “Looking ahead, we expect to realize additional benefits from DG Fresh, as we continue to optimize our network, further leverage our scale, deliver even wider product selection and build on our multiyear track record of growth in cooler doors and associated sales,” Owen explained. “And while produce is not included in our initial rollout, we continue to believe that DG Fresh provides a potential path forward to expanding our produce offering to more than 10,000 stores over time. To that end, we offered produce in more than 2,300 stores at the end of the first quarter, with plans to expand this offering to a total of more than 3,000 stores by the end of 2022.” In the first quarter, Dollar General we deployed more than 17,000 cooler doors across its store base, and the retailer expects to install another 65,000 cooler doors during 2022. “Importantly, despite the meaningful improvements we have made to date as a result of DG Fresh, we believe we still have significant incremental opportunity to drive additional returns with this initiative in the years ahead,” Owen added. Self-checkout also will become more prominent in Dollar General stores as part of the company’s Fast Track initiative. As of the end of Q1, self-checkout was available in over 8,000 stores, and Owen said customer adoption rates have been strong. “As a result of the success of self-checkout and popularity with customers, we have recently launched a pilot of stores that are entirely self-checkout,” he noted. “While our associates will remain available to assist customers if needed in these stores, we believe this 100% self-checkout option could further enhance the convenience proposition, while enabling our associates to dedicate even more time to serving customers. We plan to ultimately test this layout in about 200 stores throughout 2022. “Looking ahead,” Owen added. “we are on track to expand our self-checkout offering to a total of up to 11,000 stores by the end of the year, as we look to further extend our position as an innovative leader in small-box discount retail.” See here for more: https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/dollar-general-pushes-ahead-brick-and-mortar-expansion

Discount Variety Retail Chain B&M (listed on LON: BME) has seen its full year revenues decline by 2.7% year-on-year to £4.67 billion (US$ 5.9 billion), but sales were up 22.5% when compared to pre-pandemic levels two years ago. In the year to 26 March, the retailer’s group statutory pre-tax profit remained flat at £525 million (US$ 661 million). While B&M UK fascia revenue decreased by 4.1% year-on-year, driven by a one-year like-for-like revenue decline of 9%, like-for-like revenues at the fascias were 13% up on a two year basis due to the retention of new customers following the pandemic. B&M opened 34 new stores in the year and closed or relocated 14. Simon Arora, B&M chief executive, said: “I am very pleased with the results we have delivered. The strength and resilience of our business model has enabled us to execute our plans well and continue offering compelling value for money to customers. As a result, we have sustained the step up in sales and profit compared to pre-pandemic levels.” Looking ahead, the company said it was difficult to accurately predict the impact of rising inflation on product cost prices and consumer spending, and the extent of further “normalisation” in customer behaviour following the pandemic. Arora added: “The retail industry is facing inflationary pressures whilst our customers are having to cope with a significant increase in the cost of living, making spending behaviour in the year ahead difficult to predict. “However, we have seen before that during such times customers will increasingly seek out value for money, and B&M is ideally placed to serve those needs. As such, we are well positioned to support the communities in which we trade and continue our long-term growth strategy.” B&M has also announced that Alex Russo will succeed Arora as chief executive when the latter retires. Russo is currently working as the group’s chief financial officer. Prior to joining B&M in 2020, he held senior leadership positions at the likes of Asda, Tesco and Kingfisher. B&M said a process to appoint his successor has already begun. Peter Bamford, B&M chairman, said: “ I am delighted to announce Alex Russo as successor to Simon Arora as CEO of B&M. Since joining the Group, Alex has made a very positive contribution to the business. He has demonstrated strong leadership skills and a deep appreciation of the B&M culture and business model, making him the outstanding candidate for the role.” See here for more: https://www.theretailbulletin.com/general-merchandise/bm-posts-flat-full-year-profits-as-it-appoints-alex-russo-as-new-chief-executive-31-05-2022/

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Italy (German family owned) celebrates its first four years in Italy with a network of 140 stores in 6 regions of Northern Italy (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Emilia-Romagna). Aldi has over 2,400 employees of the company in Italy, with a growth of 20% in 2021 alone. Aldi's expansion in the area was accompanied by a strong focus on sustainability, making energy efficiency one of the pillars of its strategy for 'environment. In 2021 it inaugurated its first CO2-neutral store in Moniga del Garda (BS), while this year it has achieved a great milestone: the achievement of climate neutrality. This objective is part of the Aldi Sud Group's 2030 "Zero Carbon" international strategy for the reduction of global warming and has become a reality also thanks to the partnership with ClimatePartner, for the implementation of CO2 offsetting projects. Aldi, part of the Aldi Sud Group, a multinational reality of reference in the large-scale retail trade and one of the most important world operators, celebrates its fourth birthday in Italy. A path of successes built on values ​​such as reliability, convenience, quality, freshness, sustainability and responsibility, which have led the company to become a new point of reference for Italian consumers, for the economy and for employment in the country. Since its arrival in Italy in 2018, Aldi has offered a new shopping experience designed for the Italian consumer around the promise of the "Aldi Price": the guarantee of the highest quality at the best price, with a compact, yet complete, Made in Italy is attentive to sustainability, to meet every need. 1,800 products, 30 brands, 130 fruit and vegetable references and about 80% of food products of Italian origin: these numbers are the strength of Aldi's success among Italian consumers confirmed by Altroconsumo, which awarded the company as Discount Salvaprezzo in Italy - Cheaper products in 2021 for the fourth consecutive year and Discount Preferred by consumers in 2022. Since the first inaugurations in March 2018, Aldi has created a network of 140 stores in 6 regions of Northern Italy (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Emilia-Romagna). There are over 2,400 employees of the company in Italy, with a growth of 20% in 2021 alone. Michael Gscheidlinger, Aldi's country managing director Italy, comments: “These four years have been an exciting journey. Looking back we see important and unexpected challenges and a reality that has presented itself and progressively established itself in Italy. The commitment of our collaborators and the solid relationships we have built with our suppliers are at the heart of our growth. We have decided to enhance the Italian food and wine heritage by making it accessible to all our customers thanks to the convenience of the 'Aldi Price'. Italy is a special country, also due to the commitment on the sustainability front that we are making, to continue to develop responsible services, products, businesses and in support of the communities". The growth of Aldi in Italy is accompanied by a strong commitment to the development of people: 76% of collaborators are hired for an indefinite period, 57 % have signed up to part-time contracts, female employment has exceeded 64%, with a share of female managers equal to 40%, and 60% of the hires are under the age of 35. Growth in Aldi is guaranteed by ad hoc professional empowerment paths through Aldi Accademia and constant investments in training, with over 67,500 hours provided in 2021. The value positioning that Aldi is progressively conquering on the Italian market is also confirmed by the certification of Most Attractive Employer 2021 by Universum Global, which awarded the company for two consecutive years among the most attractive realities for university students and Italian professionals. The strong tricolor connotation of the offer represents one of the reasons for Aldi's success in Italy . A conscious choice undertaken from the beginning by establishing long-term collaborations with Italian and regional suppliers, to enhance the excellence of the Italian food and wine heritage. Support for Made in Italy also develops abroad thanks to the push to export in collaboration with Aldi Global Sourcing Italy, the Italian service company that supports all the countries of the Aldi Sud corporate group. Responsibility and cooperation are the keywords that define Aldi's commitment to local communities . Since its entry into Italy, the company has donated over 1,300 tons of products to the Banco Alimentare Onlus Foundation and donated more than 150,000 euros to the AIRC Foundation in support of medical-scientific research, funding two research grants on breast cancer. These two partnerships were joined in 2022 by the one with the Umberto Veronesi Foundation for the "Io Vivo Sano" educational project aimed at primary and secondary schools of I and II degree with the aim of promoting correct lifestyles among the new generations and promoting responsible health choices. The vision for sustainability and the milestone reached of called neutrality. Aldi's expansion on the territory was accompanied by a strong focus on sustainability, making energy efficiency one of the pillars of its strategy for the environment. ISO 50001 certified since 2019, the company has installed 87 photovoltaic systems at its points of sale, with an extension of 5.20 football fields, which since 2018 have produced over 7.56 million kWh of energy, avoiding the emission of over 4,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Thanks to the implementation of cutting-edge technologies, such as LED lighting and latest generation refrigerated counters, the company has reduced the energy consumption of its stores by 6.5% since March 2018. The best practices implemented in recent years have allowed the company to reach a significant milestone in 2021: the opening of the first CO2-neutral store in Moniga del Garda (BS), whose characteristics respond to the new constructive prototype and at the most high level of energy efficiency of the company. The store concept, which has more than 15% lower energy consumption than the average of the other stores, will be replicated in 2022 and 2023 with the opening of other stores with the same characteristics. See here for more: https://www.fruitbookmagazine.it/aldi-festeggia-i-quattro-anni-in-italia-e-raggiunge-la-neutralita-climatica/

Discount Retail Chain Boxer (owned by RSA Pick 'n Pay) has selected RELEX Solutions, provider of unified retail planning solutions, to implement forecasting and replenishment for their stores and distribution centres. As one of South Africa’s fastest-growing discounter Boxer will leverage the RELEX solution in 300+ stores and five distribution centres, improving availability and driving sales across all its activities. Prior to RELEX, Boxer used its own in-house systems to manage this area. However, it saw the opportunity with RELEX to implement a specialized system to support the company’s rapidly scaling needs. The RELEX solution will automate previously time-consuming processes while driving inventory reduction and improve availability in stores and distribution centres. Boxer will leverage RELEX’s flexibility to manage the complex needs of approximately 3,500 SKU’s across its commodity, groceries, butchery, bakery, health & beauty, non-foods, liquor and DIY categories within a single solution. “Our mission at Boxer is to make quality products and services available to our shoppers at market leading prices,” said Justin Galloway, Group Executive of Supply Chain at Boxer. “We knew we wanted to invest long-term in a supply chain tool that could automate many of our processes as well as bring about improvements in availability and working capital. RELEX will not only drive forecast accuracy and bring in machine learning and AI into the business, but also bring about efficiencies in Boxer’s supply chain planning.” “We’re thrilled to expand for the first time into the South African market, and we’re extremely proud to be doing it with Boxer as our partner,” said Jason Berry, VP Sales for Central Europe and South Africa at RELEX. “Boxer and RELEX share a commitment to translating efficiency and effectiveness into the best possible experience for end consumers. RELEX has the depth of experience needed to assist Boxer with its forward momentum and growth as a leading price-point retailer with a large, complex assortment, and we’re eager to get to work with the company’s talented team.” Working alongside a local implementation partner, HeadByte Retail, played a key role in the RELEX expansion into South Africa. Jason Berry commented on the relationship: “We are delighted to work alongside HeadByte and to leverage their local experience, support and investment in delivering business benefits to Boxer and its customers. RELEX’s global partner community is constantly growing and we couldn’t be more excited by this relationship.” See here for more: https://www.relexsolutions.com/news/boxer-and-relex-solutions-secure-key-partnership-to-enhance-supermarkets-fast-paced-efficiency-needs/

Discount Retail Chain Lidl US (owned by the German Schwarz Group) is planning for its third location in the District Columbia. The grocer's latest store will occupy nearly 29,000 square feet in Upton Place, a new mixed-use development located at 4000 Wisconsin Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C. With a target date for project set for third quarter of 2022, the Upton Place mixed-use development will feature 689 new residential units and 100,000 square feet of retail, fronting on Wisconsin Avenue NW in the Cathedral Heights community. The project will include a six- and eight-story building, three courtyards, two rooftop spaces, a pool, a yoga studio, and a fitness center. The project is a result of a US$174 million joint venture between Apartment Investment and Management Co. (Aimco) and The Donohoe Cos. Inc. “We are excited that Lidl has committed to be a part of the district’s expanding grocery industry,” said Keith Sellars, president/CEO of Washington D.C. Economic Partnership (WDCEP). “WDCEP has collaborated with our partners, including the city and private investors, for over two decades to achieve the best level of grocery diversity and offerings throughout the city." Lidl’s Upton Project follows January’s groundbreaking at the Skyland Town Center in southeastern Washington, D.C. Expected to open in late 2022, this Lidl store will be the first new supermarket to serve residents in Wards 7 and 8 in more than a decade. Skyland will also provide vital housing and other retail to Ward 7, with the intent of generating jobs, tax revenues and additional economic investments throughout the area. The broader development project, spanning multiple years and phases, began construction in 2018 and is projected to be completed in 2026. Lidl currently has more than 20 stores in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) region. Neckarsulm, Germany-based Lidl operates about 11,200 stores in 32 countries, employing more than 310,000 employees worldwide. In the United States, the Arlington, Va.-based grocer has approximately 170 stores. The company is No. 89 on the PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. See here for more: https://progressivegrocer.com/lidl-continues-expansion-nations-capital