Discount Retail Chain Aldi is sharing the results of its second annual Fan Favorites survey, and perhaps unsurprisingly, people love pizza. The retailer’s Mama Cozzi’s Take & Bake Deli Pizza was the overall favorite product, earning 55,000 votes from the 177,000 surveyed shoppers and winning in the easy meal category. "The incredible response to our second Fan Favorites survey reinforces how much our customers love Aldi-exclusive items," said Joan Kavanaugh, vice president of national buying for Aldi. “Aldi is known for its commitment to high-quality groceries at unbeatable prices, but it's our loyal fans who truly define us. They are passionate about their most-loved products and share that excitement within their communities and with us.” Also high on shoppers’ radars was the Happy Farms String Cheese, which won 58,000 votes and was tops in the kids category. Many of the winners repeated their gold-medal status, including Earth Grown Veggie Burgers, Little Journey Baby Wipes, Winking Owl Wine and Specially Selected Brioche Buns. This year’s survey added such new categories as fall and winter seasonal items and “better than the brand.” "This survey creates another opportunity to hear directly what our consumers want and need most," Kavanaugh continued. "As a result, we've added extra refrigerated space in stores and expanded our product offerings to include a broader selection of meats and seafood, fresh produce and better-for-you options. It is exciting to see several newer items ranked the highest among Fan Favorites.” The 2020 Aldi Fan Private Label Brand Favorites winners by category are (asterisk denotes repeat winner): Overall: Mama Cozzi's Take & Bake Deli Pizza Baby or toddler: Little Journey Thick & Quilted Baby Wipes Bundle* Better than brand: L'oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Bread or baked good: Specially Selected Brioche Buns* Breakfast: Specially Selected 100% Pure Maple Syrup Cheese: Emporium Selection Crumbles Dairy or dairy-free: Friendly Farms Organic Unsweetened Almondmilk* Deli: Appleton Farms Center Cut Bacon* Easy meal: Mama Cozzi's Take & Bake Deli Pizza* Fall seasonal: Bake Shop Apple Cider Donuts Fresh meat: Appleton Farms Spiral Sliced Double Glazed Brown Sugar Ham Gluten-free: Savoritz Parmesan Crisps Kids: Happy Farms String Cheese* Pantry staple: Stonemill Everything Bagel Seasoning Produce: Avocados Seafood: Fremont Fish Market Medium EZ Peel Raw Shrimp* Snack: Clancy's Kettle Chips Sweet treat or dessert: Benton's Cookies Vegetarian or vegan: Earth Grown Veggie Burgers* Wine or beer: Winking Owl Wine* Winter seasonal: Specially Selected Belgian Cocoa Dusted Truffles Based in Batavia, Illinois, Aldi U.S. is No. 26 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Click here for more: https://progressivegrocer.com/aldi-releases-shoppers-favorite-products-2020?utm_source=omeda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NL_PG+Daily+5&utm_keyword=&oly_enc_id=3803B0457378D1M

With the help of digital commerce, US retail chains achieved growth of up to 35% in recent months. The pandemic changed the behavior of consumers, moving them away from physical points and familiarizing them with other purchasing methods such as e-commerce, which for companies that were strong in this model, or managed to implement it, became a sales driver. One of the sectors that benefited the most was that of retail chains, companies that are dedicated to commercializing products on a large scale. As reflected in the 2020 version ranking of BrandZ, WWP and Kantar, it would have achieved a 23% growth in brand value, totaling some US $ 870,729 million. Costco, the US discount retail chain, achieved the highest growth of all the companies in this category, 35% compared to 2019, and reached a brand value of US $ 28,677 million, a figure that places it in fifth place in the ranking by value. Amazon, is the most valuable in the world and in retail with a value of US $ 415,855 million. Regarding its value, in 2019 it achieved a growth of 32% and is located in second place. The multinational does not stop, and that is why yesterday the value of its shares exceeded US $ 3,000, with which they accumulate an increase of 65% so far this year. The third place is shared by the American Walmart and the Chinese JD, which grew 24% in brand value. The late Sam Walton's company, Walmart, reached a value of US $ 45,783 million in 2020, this positions it as the fourth most valuable retail brand in the world. JD, another of the large Chinese companies is in sixth place by value with a total of US $ 25,494 million. The fourth place in growth is held by Alibaba.com, a company that is part of the Alibaba Group consortium, which is currently led by businessman Daniel Zhang, on September 24 the value of the company's shares reached US $ 269.61. The company has other subsidiaries in the e-commerce sector such as Lazada, Baraj and Alibaba Cloud. The brand achieved a value of US $ 152,525 million with an increase of 16% in the last year. The American company Home Depot is in third place in the BrandZ ranking by value but in the fifth place by growth, unlike the other two brands that target diverse products, it specializes in the sale of construction materials and DIY. Home Depot, founded by Arthur Blank and Bernard Marcus, increased its price by 8% for this year, bringing the value of the brand to US $ 57,585 million. As of September 24, the company's share price was US $ 265.7; a little lower than a month ago when it reached US $ 286.12. In that fifth place are also Aldi with growth of 8%. The German supermarket chain ranked eighth in the ranking by value and reached a brand value of US $ 15,927 million. Ebay closed the top 10 with a growth of 2% compared to 2019 and reached a brand value of US $ 11,767 million for this year. As for the brands that lost value are Lowe's and Ikea. Lowe's, also dedicated to home and DIY products, ranked ninth on the list by brand value, but contracted -8% compared to 2019. Its price was US $ 13,717 million for this year. For its part, Ikea, the famous company that manufactures furniture and that will be in Colombia in the coming years, had a 5% loss in value. According to the ranking, the brand costs US $ 18,017 million this year. For analysts, it is very likely that these brands, like those of technology, continue to have a favorable performance in the remainder of the year. Click here for more: https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/costco-y-amazon-entre-las-marcas-de-retail-que-mas-crecieron-en-la-pandemia-3065824

Due to the crisis, consumers turned to buying more value-for-money private label brand products at the large chains. In 2020, the category's turnover grew by 43% in the country, with a peak of up to 154.3% in March. The economic impact of the arrival of the coronavirus is reflected in the search for savings in daily purchases. Argentina leads the growth of supermarket own private label brands in Latin America, with a 43.5% increase in turnover in 2020 versus 2019. The data comes from a report by NielsenIQ, which studied the performance of the category in the supermarket channel at the regional level in the year of the pandemic. Supermarkets increased their turnover by 46% in 2020, three percentage points above the growth achieved by private label brands and 10 points above the inflationary increase registered in that period, of 36%, according to Indec. During the first phase of the quarantine, private label brands were key to sustaining consumption, at a time of total uncertainty. March was the month that registered the highest volume of purchases of own labels in the region. The highest peak was reached by Argentina in week 11, with an increase of 154.3% compared to the previous year. "The growth was constant throughout the year, but the performance was different in the different months. Before the Covid-19 outbreak, positive numbers were already observed, but the year ended with a 10% increase in sales, compared to the first week of 2020 ", says Javier González, director of Retail Services at NielsenIQ. Although the trend gained momentum last year, it was already booming. "Own private label brands became an engine of sales growth. A few years ago, they represented 8% of the total sales of the channel. Today, the share reaches 13%, while the first brands reach 30%. Although there is still a gap, it tends to get smaller", details the manager. "The effect is generalized in the market. All the players in the industry registered growth, in some cases more accelerated than in others. It must be taken into account that not all chains have a high degree of development in this area, in some cases the weight is greater," he clarifies. Regarding the product mix, the basic basket had the greatest weight during 2020. Canned fish was the most chosen in the country, with a 54.6% year-on-year increase. Other foods such as oil, aseptic milk and long life, canned fish, baked goods, chicken eggs and rice stand out, and non-edibles such as cleaning and personal hygiene items stand out, among them, toilet paper, deodorants, mouthwashes and diapers for children. The NielsenIQ report revealed the supermarket channel, but there is also a growth in the private labels brands of the wholesalers. In November 2020, the billing in this channel increased by 50% year-on-year, according to the consultancy (latest data available). Although price is not the only driver of the purchase decision, it is still the main one. "The products are usually discounted between 10% and 15%, in relation to the average prices of each category," says González. Other factors also contribute: motivated by the retraction of consumption and changes in their customers' buying habits, supermarkets expanded the offer of private labels in their shelves, with the aim of offering them a greater variety of options. Higher availability translates into more sales. In addition, dissemination and promotional actions influence. "There is greater knowledge. The consumer has tried their own brands and continues to choose them as the first option when looking for a price," says the Nielsen executive. At Walmart, own private label brands grew 40% in participation compared to 2019. "It is the result of a change in consumer habits, who seek to spend less without giving up quality, but it is also related to our price proposal: customers know that when they choose Great Value or Equate carry the same quality as a leading brand, but at a 15% lower price on average ", analyzes Nicolás Pastore, manager of Walmart's Own Private Label Brand. "Preserves and warehouse have a high level of participation. Above all, the products that are part of the basic basket, although categories such as flavored waters, yogurts, cheeses and vegetables are added frozen, being more and more requested ", says Pastore. A pioneer in the development of the category, DIA garnered fans with products such as Canadian fries or German beer for their value for money. With more than 1000 products with its name, it offers from dairy and frozen products to perfumery and food without TACC that, according to data provided months ago, leads them to control almost 40% of the market share. To replenish the portfolio every day, it works with more than 100 suppliers. The outlook for 2021 indicates that the assortment is expected to deepen with innovation in non-value (that is, economic) segments, with a good sales dynamics. "The promise of value will be strengthened, since it is not only based on low prices, but on other benefits such as quality at a convenient value", anticipates González, and anticipates that, in addition, the focus will be on the basic basket and the communication about the origin of the brand. Likewise, the price freeze has a direct impact on private labels. In this sense, the evolution of the Government programs will affect the consumption of this segment. Finally, the Nielsen manager points out that, in addition, it is still discussed within the framework of the Gondolas Law, how this category is contemplated, in relation to the origin of the manufacturer. See here for more: https://www.cronista.com/apertura-negocio/empresas/la-argentina-encabeza-el-crecimiento-de-las-marcas-propias-de-supermercados-en-america-latina/

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Switzerland (owned by the German Schwarz Gruppe) is committed to a sustainable energy strategy. With ISO 50001 certification, Lidl Switzerland has been committed to continuously optimizing operations in its stores since 2014, promoting sustainable energies and thereby reducing CO2 emissions. Another important component of the strategy is the planning and construction of new stores. New stores are to be built according to an innovative energy concept as early as 2021. "It is very important to us that our future locations are future-proof and sustainable in terms of building materials, energy consumption and technology," says Reto Ruch, Chief Real Estate Officer of Lidl Switzerland. The Lidl Switzerland initiative has great potential: the more than 140 Swiss stores together have the energy consumption of a medium-sized Swiss city. Correspondingly much energy can be saved with the right technology. As a basis for the optimization measures and for the concept of future stores, the status quo of existing stores must first be analyzed. Lidl Switzerland is supported in this by Empa's Urban Energy Systems Lab. Together with the Empa spin-off Sympheny, the team is examining the energy consumption and the interaction of the various systems such as heating, ventilation and cooling, product cooling and freezers, the photovoltaic systems and the e-charging stations at existing Lidl locations. The stores of the future On the one hand, specific optimization measures are derived from the findings of the study. These can easily be applied to existing stores and help to reduce energy consumption and emissions. On the other hand, alternative energy systems are being tested by means of computer simulations, for example an expansion of photovoltaics, the use of energy storage systems or the optimized use of waste heat from freezers and ovens. "Our goal is to help Lidl Switzerland with our research work to further improve sustainability, continue to reduce emissions and optimize energy management," says Empa researcher Curdin Derungs. In this way, research and industry are working together to design the stores of the future. See here for more: https://www.fruchtportal.de/artikel/lidl-schweiz-plant-die-filialen-der-zukunft-mit-der-empa/047693?i=76d37a3f

Since goods under private labels can be brought to the shelves of stores of foreign chains faster than products under their own A-brand, this direction can become one of the growth drivers for domestic exports, Izvestia reports. The federal center "Agroexport" under the Ministry of Agriculture has found a new way to significantly increase Russian food exports with the help of private labels. Since many domestic companies find it difficult to enter foreign markets on their own A-brand, they can begin to manufacture products for foreign retail chains under the retailers' own private label brand (see here for more on Private Label Brand development) “Sale of goods under private label for foreign retail chains can become one of the important directions for the development of Russian agricultural exports. The supply of such products is distinguished by lower costs than, for example, its introduction to new markets under the company's own A-brand. This decision may become relevant for many manufacturers who are not yet ready to invest significant funds in product promotion, ”said the center representatives. They also clarified that goods under private label brands can be brought to the shelves of foreign chains faster than products under their own A- brand. But it is impossible to name specific cases as each case is individual and depend, among other things, on the products and network of the country. At the same time, a private label brand manufacturer does not need to prove to a retailer that his product will show better sales dynamics than products already on the chain's shelf. The producer of sunflower oil "Blago" has been practicing this format of cooperation with different countries and retail chains for more than 3 years. The company's products under the retailers' private label brand are sold in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. The Blago representative emphasized that the private label brand production project for foreign retail partners is a convenient and safe way for the company for market entry and make first steps in a new market. The dairy plant "Stavropolsky" also plans to produce private label brands for foreign retailers. At the same time, this week a good example of independent entry into foreign markets was demonstrated by Belevskaya Pastilnaya Manufactory, which launched sales of traditional Russian sweets on Amazon. See here for more: https://www.retail.ru/news/v-zarubezhnykh-supermarketakh-mozhet-poyavitsya-rossiyskaya-produktsiya-pod-stm--13-dekabrya-2020-200454/

In the October edition of German independent and highly respected test magazine 'Stiftung Warentest', three own Private Label brand products from Lidl. The "W5" dishwasher tabs Multipower All in 1, which have since been renamed "Multi-Active All in 1", scored 2.1 ("good") and scored particularly well in the "cleaning" and "rinse" categories. At just 7 euro cents (US$0.08) each, the tabs are among the cheapest products in the test. Two children's dessert products from Lidl also impressed the testers: the "Milbona Fruit King Safari" received an overall rating of 2.2 ("good"), the "Milbona Safari Vanilla Pudding" received an overall rating of 2.4 ("good"). Both children's dessert products received a "very good" for their microbiological quality and were also among the cheapest items in the test. Lidl impressed further with top marks for its own Private Label brand products in the October edition of the other German independent and highly respected sustainability-oriented test magazine Ökotest: The "Crownfield oatmeal tender" received the mark "very good" and with only 47 euro cents (US$ 0.55) per 500 grams are among the cheapest items. The Gentle Cleansing Milk from Lidl's own Private Label brand "Cien" achieved the same top result, also with an excellent price-performance ratio at a price of 1 euro (US $1.17) per 200 milliliters. Both of the products test scored top points for their ingredients, among other criteria. The current test shows once again that Discount Retail Chain shoppers can rely on consistently high Private Label brand quality at the usual low prices. Click here for more: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/58227/4718860?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push https://www.presseportal.de/pm/58227/4718825?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Nord group is offering less and less private label branded assortment in its permanent assortment. As presented in the Aldi Nord corporate social responsibility report 2019. The heart of Aldi's offer are still private label products, which constitute 83% of the sold goods. The assortment is completed by selected branded products and grows year-to-year. Aldi sells on average about 1,900 products belonging to 70 categories, which means an increase in the number of products by 4% compared to 2018. The standard offer is supplemented by a variable in & out stock offer, which appears up to three times a week. It includes clothing and footwear, electronics and household appliances, products for the home and garden, as well as food. In selected countries, Aldi also offers online services, including travel agency services, photography, access to online games, as well as e-books, music and mobile communication services. A home delivery system has been in place in Germany since 2019. Click here for more: https://www.aldi-nord.de/content/dam/aldi/corporate-responsibility/de/nachhaltigkeitsbericht/2017/sonstige/downloads-und-archiv/de/ALDI_Nord_Nachhaltigkeitsbericht_2019_DE.pdf.res/1595354959401/ALDI_Nord_Nachhaltigkeitsbericht_2019_DE.pdf

Discount Retail Chain Biyide (owned by US/European/Chinese PE investors) was invented in Germany by the Brandes family. The hard discounter is on the road to success in China. The young company advertises with the highest quality and lowest prices. Dieter Brandes dealt with the development and rapid growth of hard discounters as early as 1970 in Europe. For a while he worked closely with the Aldi owners Karl and Theo Albrecht. He observed the development of Aldi very closely. The global expansion impressed him. Aldi now operates more than 10,000 stores worldwide, with everyday high quality and mainly own private label branded products at great low prices. And as this concept worked so well, Brandes decided to bring its own hard discounter to China in 2015, after starting-up or scaling-up hard discounters such as BIM (Turkey), D1 (Colombia), Dukan (Saudi Arabia) and DALI (Philippines). In October 2016 the first Biyide market opened its doors in Shanghai. And after a difficult start the spoiled Shanghai shoppers also became enthusiastic about the offer and the Biyide hard discount stores. Local products and imported assortment Customers flock to the markets. Because at Biyide you get local products from local suppliers. The assortment range contains of 400 SKUs and fulfils all basic wish. The assortment consists of a growing number of high quality private label brands and a slowly decreasing number of branded label brands. From basic groceries to personal care and household items to drinks and snacks, offering top value-for-money. The products are from the region and popular with the Chinese. But Biyide also attracts shoppers with imported European products. Such as Ritter Sport Chokolate, Ferrero Rocher, Milk and Ricola can be found in the assortment, among other imports. And on the drinks shelf, own private label branded Brunonia Premium Lager Bier is next to good priced German and French wines. Popular products not only among the Chinese, but also expats from all over the world are happy about one or the other local European product. Biyide expands further So it's no wonder that the Chinese hard discounter wants to expand further. After more than four years, the young company has grown to over 180 stores, 2 Distribution Centers (10,000m2 each) and own logistical organisation. Most of these are in the metropolis of Shanghai alone. The rest are located in Jiangsu Province north of Shanghai. And the success story is not over yet. With deep pocket PE investors that support the further growth and expansion, Biyide is looking for new properties on its website. They advertise with punctual rent payment, trustworthy and long-term partnerships and high-quality construction. They are interested in a net store size of 180 to 280 square meters. They prefer land close to the customers' homes creating proximity and convenience with sufficient parking possibilities. Biyide can keep their low prices thanks to the simple set-up of the stores. But who cares. If the store is clean and well organized and offers the lowest prices and high quality products, the customer does not need a feel-good oasis when shopping for groceries. Biyide expects to reach a sales level of more than RMB 900 Mio (US$138 Mio) in 2020. Click here for more: https://www.shine.cn/biz/company/2003103870/ and the Biyide website: 比宜德 (biyide.cn)

Chineses E-commerce platform JD launched a new type of JD Convenience Store, Mini Shop, in late July in Xi’an, Shaanxi province. This shop provides a self-service shopping experience for working professionals in neighboring office buildings. However, this mini shop model can be adapted and is fully customizable to different shopping scenarios such as libraries, airports and train stations, hotels and more. While the size of JD Convenience Store is about 80-150 square-meters in size, the size of mini shop is only about 15 square-meters and offers ready-to-eat food and beverages, snacks and stationery. Working professionals can help themselves and proceed with automated checkout, which supports facial recognition payment using JD’s technology. Kehao Zhao, the franchise JD shop owner said, “the cost of opening such a shop is quite lower. In less than half a month, the store’s turnover can already cover the cost of rent, workers, and water and electricity bills. And it keeps rising.” JD provided Zhao with professional guidance in terms of shop design, decoration, product selection and shelf display. JD has also provided the mini shop with JD Convenience Store Go, a WeChat mini program that customers can order products online, and the products will be delivered by the shop directly to the office. Click here for more: https://retailinasia.com/in-shops/jd-launches-jd-convenience-store-in-xian/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=200810%20Newsletter&utm_content=200810%20Newsletter+CID_49440b025aac9e02bf657bc466373f2a&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_term=JD%20launches%20JD%20Convenience%20Store%20in%20Xian#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jd-launches-jd-convenience-store-in-xian

JD.com, China’s leading technology driven e-commerce company transforming to become a leading supply chain-based technology and service provider, today announced a strategic investment in Li & Fung, a giant in global supply chain solutions, based in Hong Kong. JD and Li & Fung will develop in-depth strategic cooperation in digital supply chain and private label, among other areas, by leveraging their respective strategic capabilities and resources. This partnership is one of the important initiatives in JD’s digital supply chain. Li & Fung is a leader in global supply chain with expertise in international trade and private label, while JD has developed unique capabilities in digital technologies as well as retail infrastructure. The JD-Li & Fung partnership is especially salient in today’s business environment under which global supply chain is undergoing restructuring with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. About JD.com JD.com is a leading technology driven e-commerce company transforming to become a leading supply chain-based technology and service provider. The Company’s cutting-edge retail infrastructure seeks to enable consumers to buy whatever they want, whenever and wherever they want it. The Company has opened its technology and infrastructure to partners, brands and other sectors, as part of its Retail as a Service offering to help drive productivity and innovation across a range of industries. JD.com is the largest retailer in China, a member of the NASDAQ100 and a Fortune Global 500 company. About Li & Fung Li & Fung, founded in 1906, is recognized as the world’s leader in consumer goods design, development, sourcing and logistics. It specializes in responsibly managing supply chains of high-volume, time-sensitive goods for leading (discount) retailers and brands worldwide. With nearly 17,000 employees, Li & Fung operates over 230 offices in more than 40 different markets, and achieved a revenue of USD 11.4 Billion in 2019. The Group is focused on building the supply chain of the future and accelerating the speed in the supply chain through the development of its digital platform. Click here for more: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Hong-Kong-s-Li-Fung-taps-JD.com-for-digital-supply-chain-revamp

Large scale Discount Retail Chain Hema's first X Member opens in Shanghai. This is the first project of Alibaba's paid membership business format. The discount store is located on the B1 floor of Shanghai Pudong Senlan Commercial Center, covering an area of ​​18,000 square meters. The store uses storage shelves and integrates online and offline operations. This is a new warehouse discount retail format of Hema's membership system integrating online and offline operations. It is also a major upgrade of Hema's paid membership rights. It relies on Alibaba's intelligent technology platform and Hema's excellent buyer capabilities, global direct sourcing capabilities, and refined operations and supply chain capabilities to provide consumers with cost-effective product experience. In June this year, Hou Yi, the president of Hema, revealed that the company would open its first X Membership store in Shanghai. X Membership is a paid membership system centred around product rights launched by Hema in 2018 and was expanded from Shanghai to Beijing, Shenzhen, and Xi'an the following year. At present, there are two major brands of membership-based large warehouse discount retail chain stores in China: Sam's Club (owned by Walmart), which entered China in 1996, and US listed Discounter Costco, which opened its first store in Shanghai in 2019. Hema X Membership will become the third warehouse-style membership store brand and the first Chinese brand. On August 27, 2019, Costco, a large American membership-based warehouse discount retail chain, opened its first store in mainland China in Minhang District, Shanghai. On the first day of opening, Costco was already extremely popular. Due to the large number of consumers visiting the store and the excessive customer flow, the store had to announce the suspension of business in the afternoon. The popularity of its first store has incensed Costco to accelerate its expansion in the mainland Chinese market. The company has already announced plans for a second warehouse discount retail chain store in Pudong, Shanghai, and four new stores in Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen. Click here for more: https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9253115/first-chinese-warehouse-supermarket-to-open-soon/

Discount Retail Chain Aldi China, Shanghai stores (designed by Landini Associates, Sydney) are one of the 23 projects make up the Institute’s Class of 2019 — winners of the 49th International Design Competition — for stores opened in 2019 (January 1 through December 31). (The Institute’s annual “class” represents the best of the best regardless of store format or retail merchandise/service classification.) The annual competition attracted submissions from 66 retail teams across the globe. Countries represented include: USA, U.K., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. https://retaildesigninstitute.org/2020/07/09/meet-the-49th-international-design-competition-award-winners/