Discount Retail Chain Dollar General (listed NYSE: DG) announced plans to build a combination dry and DG Fresh distribution center in Blair, Nebraska, representing an approximate US $85 million investment in Washington County.  At full capacity, the contemporary 800,000-square-foot (240,000m2) facility is expected to create approximately 400 new career opportunities and support more than 1,500 stores in the Midwest. Construction is scheduled to begin next month with completion currently slated for early 2022. Blair’s dual facility will represent the first combination building constructed by the Company and will include approximately 650,000 square (200,000m2) feet of dry goods and approximately 150,000 square feet (50,000m2) of DG Fresh items. “We are excited for the addition of our first-ever, ground-up dual distribution center, which is to be built in Blair, and look forward to expanding our mission of Serving Others in the Midwest,” said Mike Kindy, Dollar General’s executive vice president of global supply chain. “We are grateful for the continued partnerships with Nebraska state and local leaders, particularly Governor Pete Ricketts and Washington County Economic Development Director Mike Rooks, who, together with their outstanding teams, have helped make this project possible. We also look forward to welcoming approximately 400 new Nebraskan employees to our Dollar General family soon.” Dollar General opened its first store in the Cornhusker State in 1992 and currently employs approximately 1,100 Nebraskans at more than 130 stores. Throughout the country, Dollar General currently operates 17 dry distribution centers and eight DG Fresh facilities. The Company is also currently expanding traditional dry distribution centers in Ardmore, Oklahoma (built in 1994) and Zanesville, Ohio (built in 2001) to provide DG Fresh distribution capabilities. “This US$85 million investment by Dollar General speaks to Nebraska’s business friendliness and natural advantages as a logistics and supply chain hub,” said Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. “The dual distribution center also adds to the tremendous job growth Blair has been experiencing. Thanks to Dollar General for selecting Nebraska to be home to this new facility.” Dollar General takes a number of factors into consideration when choosing sites for its distribution centers and cold storage facilities, including proximities to DG stores, local business environments and local workforces, among many others. “We’re proud to welcome the first ground-up dual-distribution site for America’s general store to Blair. Dollar General’s commitment to community is a perfect fit for this region, and Washington County, regional leaders and Dollar General have worked together tirelessly to bring this exciting project forward. Dollar General’s new 85-acre site will be a terrific addition to our local landscape, and we’re excited to send our best workers to fill the more than 400 jobs this outstanding project will create,” said Mike Rooks, director of Washington County Economic Development. Dollar General further plans to expand its DG Private Fleet presence at the Blair facility. Distribution center employees may also take advantage of the Company’s fleet training program, which provides on-the-job training at no expense to store and distribution center employees interested in earning their Class A CDL (commercial driver’s license).  Dollar General believes the addition of each distribution center represents positive economic impact in the communities it serves. The Company is deeply involved in the communities it serves and seeks to advance and support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF), which awards financial recourse to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center each year. During the 2019 fiscal year, Dollar General and the DGLF provided more than US$25 million to support nonprofit organizations across the country and since 1993, the DGLF has awarded more than US$186 million to help more than 12 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. See here for more: https://newscenter.dollargeneral.com/news/dollar-general-announces-new-distribution-center-in-nebraska.htm

Discount Retail Chain Lidl (owned by Schwarz Gruppe) explains its discount story: 1. Price: Dare to choose for simplicity At Lidl you will find the highest quality for the lowest price. Apparently a paradox that raises questions for many. How does Lidl do that? See here for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn4SpomFXzA 2. Quality: Only the highest quality How is it possible a discounter wins awards with the highest quality category products? See here for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SueewEld-UU 3. Volume: The largest supermarket chain in Europe Why are discounters the largest supermarket chains in Europe? See here for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z85UZT_M-8g&t=20s 4. Fresh: Fruit and Vegetables Why does Lidl win awards as 'Best Supermarkets in Fruit & Vegetables'? See here for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRwZ-ObmiGc (Sorry, it is in Dutch)

Due to the challenging pandemic year, the desire of many people for a carefree Christmas with beautiful moments is particularly great. With this year's ALDI Christmas campaign, you can immerse yourself in a fictional world in which a small carrot plays the main role. With this year's ALDI Christmas campaign, you can immerse yourself in a fictional world in which a small carrot plays the leading role. The campaign started on November 8th. Kai Karotte is actually quite happy as a nose on a snowman's face. But then he sees something that arouses his curiosity: a family is sitting at a festive table and exchanging gifts. Kai wants to know what's going on. He sneaks into the room and plunges into a magical Christmas world full of surprises. "The campaign tells the ALDI Christmas story, how Kai experienced the festival for the very first time. We want to encourage our customers to enjoy Christmas as much as Kai despite the restrictions, as a wonderful time in which there are always new things to discover with ALDI", says Marco Ganser, Director Marketing at ALDI SÜD. Every day gifts are given with the largest ALDI event calendar of all time From December 1st to December 24th, ALDI is giving its customers great prizes with the ALDI event calendar competition. This year there are even more prizes waiting for the participants: These include smartphones, game consoles, e-scooters and cars. Customers can take part at Aldiventskalender.de. In the ALDI Nord area, prizes worth approx. €100,000 (US$119,000) can be found in the online competition. In the ALDI SÜD area, lucky tickets are also given out in the branches with a purchase value of €20 (US$24)or more. Here, the total value of all prizes is around €38.5 million (US$46mio). See here for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZFr-3i4D3Y&feature=youtu.be

Discount Retail, E-commerce and Retail revenues aggregated for the Global Powers of Retailing Top 250 companies reached US$4.74 trillion in FY2018 (up from US$4.53 trillion in the previous year). However, they achieved slower growth resulting in a currency-adjusted composite growth rate of 4.1 %, lower than the previous year’s 5.7 % growth. Click on image for more:

Discount Retail Chain Aldi (privately owned) is the first major grocer to take an initiative to improve the conditions for keeping broilers. Animal rights activists speak of a 'breakthrough'. According to a report, food discounter Aldi aims to be the first major grocer in Germany to announce that it will support the European broiler initiative 'to significantly improve broiler farming conditions'. Aldi Nord and Süd want to put an end to the worst form of broiler breeding by 2026. Erik Döbele, Managing Director Central Purchasing at Aldi Süd, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung, “We really haven’t made this far-reaching decision easy for ourselves, but it’s the right one, and we won’t stop and keep an eye on where we can make our contribution. can achieve more animal welfare. For this we need the support of politicians and all market parties. And farmers who implement more animal welfare must be rewarded for this extra effort. “ The European Broiler Chicken Initiative was launched by nearly 30 European animal welfare organizations and is a voluntary commitment to better animal welfare. Some of the objectives of the initiative are to significantly alleviate the problems of space and boredom for chickens. Aldi could serve as a model for the competition The Albert Schweitzer Foundation is a member of the initiative. Foundation chairman Mahi Klosterhalfen has great expectations of Aldi: “The competition looks very closely at what Aldi is doing”, he said. “If Aldi participates now, that will be the breakthrough and the signal that there is no way back. So that suppliers like Wiesenhof must also come along.” He announced the initiative’s support for Aldi: “Starting today, we’ll be bombarding the rest of the food retailer with phone calls and emails and possibly even swinging the campaign club so everyone can get involved in the coming months.” See here for more: https://www.aldi-nord.de/unternehmen/presse/ALDI-setzt-sich-fuer-mehr-tierwohl-in-der-huehnerhaltung-ein.html

Discount Retail Chain ALDI Nord (privately owned) is expanding the influencer marketing division and presenting the "ALDI Creators": a total of five influencers will be regularly active for the discounter in the future. From lifestyle to food to family: all five Instagrammers stand for a segment and will in future provide their followers with numerous topics and tips from the ALDI Nord World. "Mr. Food Fox”, “Byanjushka”, “Maryshionista”, “Thought Studio” and “Kathinkaaaa_”: These are the new “ALDI Creators”. The five influencers will support the discounter as part of a long-term cooperation in the field of social media marketing. As part of the collaboration, the creators will present their communities with monthly content on products, events and campaigns from ALDI Nord. ALDICreators: ALDI Nord presents its own influencer team On the channels of Martin from “Mr. Food Foox” and Anja from “Byanjushka” focus on cooking and eating. Martin lives in Hamburg and his channel stands for healthy and tasty cuisine. Anja regularly inspires her more than 130,000 followers with her vegan cooking and baking recipes. In the lifestyle area, ALDI Nord cooperates with Marie from “Maryshionista” and Asli from “Denkatelier”. Both come from the North Rhine-Westphalia area and deal with fashion, interior and everyday issues. With her channel “Kathinkaaaa_”, Katharina represents the family topic and shows how everyday family life can be made a little easier with ALDI. In the future, ALDI Nord plans to fill other segment areas with influencers. "With our 'ALDI Creators' we want to bring ALDI Nord and our products even closer to our customers and make them tangible," says Lara Cardinal, Social Media Specialist at ALDI Nord and responsible for Influencer Marketing. “We want to present ourselves credibly, authentically and sustainably. We have found the right partner for this in the 'ALDI Creators'." With the “ALDI Creators”, the aim is to reach a young target group and make ALDI more accessible there. "With the ALDI Nord Box, we have already established a first format since 2018, within the framework of which product boxes on certain topics and campaigns are sent to influencers," says Matthias Kräling, Manager Social Media at ALDI Nord. The corresponding content can be followed under the hashtag #aldinordbox. “The 'ALDI Creators' are now our next strategic step in the area of ​​influencer relations.” The name “ALDI Creators” is based on the term content creator and is intended to build a bridge to the influencer community. Influencer event in Berlin ALDI Nord organized an exclusive back-event in Berlin together with the “ALDI Creators”. As part of the event, the ALDI influencers showed their followers how to make the perfect naked cake, with ALDI Nord products and numerous live stories. Followers can look forward to delicious recipes and baking tips. The products were also available in all ALDI Nord stores. In the future, all contributions by ALDI Nord influencers can be found under the hashtag #aldicreators. See here for more: https://www.aldi-nord.de/unternehmen/presse/aldi-nord-praesentiert-eigenes-influencer-team.html

Discount Retail Chain Aldi (privately owned) decision to place a supermarket within a residential project reflects a trend among real estate developers in recent years to include food retailers within mixed-use projects with residential components. The fact that the new store will be among the German chain’s largest locations only underscores the importance grocers and neighborhood planners are placing on offering people the convenience of having a full-fledged supermarket just steps from where they live. Apartment-dwellers have shown a willingness to pay extra to be able to walk from their homes to a food retailer. According to a study by RCLCO Real Estate Advisors, apartment buildings that contain a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s bring in a 5.8% rental premium compared with other multifamily communities located close by. Although including a grocery store in a building can bring added construction costs, the developers have calculated that the extra rent they can collect by offering such an amenity to tenants is likely to compensate for the higher initial expenses. Other examples of grocery stores within developments with substantial residential space that have opened recently include a Giant Food supermarket in Fairfax, Virginia and a Safeway in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. According to WHYY, the extra-large Aldi coming to Pennsylvania’s largest city will feature six aisles and a fresh section that is 40% bigger than a typical Aldi location, which averages 16,400 square feet (5,000m2). The median size of a U.S. supermarket was 41,651 square feet (12,600m2) in 2018, statistics compiled by the Food Industry Association show. Aldi plans to open another 25,000-square-foot store (7,600m2) in the Washington, D.C., area in 2022. It has also built discount stores abroad that are as large as 6,000 square feet (1,850m2), underscoring the company's focus on flexibility. The new supermarket continues a string of new stores that in recent years have come to or been planned for Philadelphia, where the radio station said 56 grocery stores opened between 2015 and 2018. Amazon plans to open a grocery store in another new residential project located only about a mile from the new Aldi, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. Lidl is also working on a new Philadelphia location, which was supposed to open in late 2020 but has been delayed to next year, WHYY reported. Aldi has been on a tear in the United States and now operates more than 2,000 stores across the country. The company’s new store in Philadelphia is among more than 70 U.S. stores the retailer intends to inaugurate in 2020. See here for more: https://www.grocerydive.com/news/aldi-prepares-to-open-extra-large-store-in-philadelphia/586462/

Discount Retail Chain Lidl (owned by Schwarz Gruppe) is expanding the use of electronic price tags. From now on, electronic price tags for all 50 stores in the Lidl chain will operate in the fruit and vegetable departments. Lidl tested the first electronic price labels in Lithuania last summer in a newly opened store in Vilnius at the G9 shopping center. Following the decision of this decision, it was decided to install electronic price lists in the remaining online stores this autumn. "The first electronic price tags were introduced in our network in July last year. At that time, these price lists were being tested both in Lithuania and in Lidl stores in other countries. After testing this pilot solution, testing the electronic price lists in the fruit and vegetable departments and the flower stand, we decided to install the price lists in all 50 chain stores,” said Paulius Trijonis, Head of the Sales Organization Department at Lidl Lithuania. According to him, e-price lists will not only help reduce the potential risk of human error, but will also contribute to more sustainable environmental solutions. "One of the goals of these price lists is to provide the most accurate information possible to customers, because there is always a certain risk of human error when changing price lists manually. Such price lists reduce the workload and the staff of our network, and at the same time allow extremely clear and convenient presentation of information to customers. Of course, the sustainability of these price lists, which allow us to contribute to nature conservation, should not be forgotten either. The batteries used for these price lists can last up to eight years, as the price lists do not require power to maintain the image, but only to update it. In addition, the use of electronic price lists allows to save a lot of paper, which is usually used for price labels,” said the head of the Sales Organization Department of Lidl Lithuania. Currently, there are a total of 50 retail stores in Lithuania in 20 cities of the country - Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Alytus, Marijampolė, Kėdainiai, Telšiai, Kretinga, Mažeikiai, Tauragė, Jonava, Panevėžys, Ukmergė, Utena, Plungė, Palanga, In Elektrėnai, Visaginas and Šilutė. See here for more: https://imone.lidl.lt/media-centras/pranesimai-ziniasklaidai/2020/lidl-idiege-elektronines-kainu-etiketes-vaisiu-ir-darzoviu-skyriuose

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Nord (privately owned) sales its first own fashion collection. The discounter is promoting its collection under the name "Aldi Original" with an extensive social media campaign, primarily on Instagram. The limited collection is not available in stores. Your parts can only be purchased on various Aldi Nord's social media channels. In addition, the collection will be exhibited in a pop-up exhibition in Berlin. Before there will be an "Influencer Opening Event" in the Warehouse Neuzeit Ost in Modersohnstrasse 49A. The exhibition, which is subject to strict security requirements due to the corona situation, is accompanied by an out-of-home campaign. The style of the collection is reminiscent of the design of the iconic blue and white striped Aldi-Nord bag: there are hoodies, tracksuits, T-shirts, socks and even swimsuits. And of course the well-known bathing shoes ("ALDIlettes"). The collection comprises a total of eight pieces. Click here for more: https://www.wuv.de/marketing/aldi_nord_launcht_erste_fashion_kollektion

Discount Retail Chain D1, owned by Koba Colombia S.A. and Capital Group, forecast US$ 2.1 billion) in sales this year after announcing the opening of its 1,500th store in the country in San José del Guaviare as part of its expansion. Koba Colombia announced that this opening is part of the plan to reach all the country's territories with the concept of "low prices and high quality", as well as promote employment in times of pandemic. "The best way to contribute to the development of the country is by generating employment, improving the quality of life with more affordable products and working hard every day to implement better practices of social and environmental responsibility," Koba said. Since the D1 start-up its objective has been the democratization of the products of the family basket "not only in the main cities of the country, but also in remote places, where it also contributes to the professional development of the inhabitants." D1 has a track record of superior execution and a solid management team that has demonstrated excellent cost discipline, an integral part of the hard-discount model. D1’s low capex per store and high negative working capital, characteristic of the hard-discount model, generate high return on capital. Currently, D1 has a presence in 300 municipalities in Colombia and is in 26 departments with a total coverage of 77% of the country's homes, according to the company. In addition, with this opening, Tiendas D1 affirmed that it seeks to generate more employment in times of pandemic. To date, the company has 13,000 direct employees in Colombia. The D1 stores were founded in Colombia 11 years ago and, according to the figures reported, "as of September 2020 it has a cumulative monthly penetration of 80% and a market share of more than 16% in the homes of the Kantar panel." "We hope to close the year with sales close to Colombian $ 8 billion." Since the gradual opening of the shops, the D1 Stores have complied with the biosecurity protocols in their premises, which has guaranteed the tranquility of their buyers, as well as the implementation of their home services in response to the emergency. Click here for more: https://www.dinero.com/empresas/articulo/cuantas-tiendas-d1-hay-en-colombia/303494

Discount Retail Chains in Europe all act different adapting its operations and global strategy since the start of the pandemic. How are the two discount market leaders handling it? Source: Aldi Nord Creating a safer in-store environment Most discount retailers, including Lidl and Aldi as discount market leaders, have had to adapt their stores to the new social distancing measures, and create safer environments for employees and shoppers. Across Europe, Australia, China and the US most of Aldi Nord and Süd's 11,500 stores and Lidl’s 11,200 stores have been equipped with plexiglass shields on the checkouts. Safety equipment (face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer) was also provided to all employees. Source: Aldi Süd In several countries including Germany (for Aldi Süd), France and Switzerland, automated traffic light systems have been implemented at the entrances of stores to control the customer flow. In the US, Lidl was the first retailer to announce it will install hospital grade air filters at all its stores. More self-checkouts are also being implemented, especially in newly opened stores, which will help to reduce waiting times and congestion in the checkout area. Source: Lidl

Discount Retail Chain ALDI SÜD (privately owned) opens in Mülheim an der Ruhr its largest store. The XXL discount store has almost 2,000 square meters of retail space, that's about twice as much as an average store. This ALDI SÜD is simply gigantic. Shoppers can expect the familiar standard assortment range at the Mülheimer Mannesmannallee 32 in the future, but the spatial dimensions over which it is distributed will amaze. The record size comes through structural expansion. After closing a neighboring shop, ALDI SÜD was able to structurally integrate its premises and expand the existing sales area by almost 300 sqm to a total of 1940 sqm. There is no larger store in the ALDI SÜD worldwide chain, neither in Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland or China, nor in Australia, Great Britain, Ireland or the USA. Use niches, develop spaces The expansion is made possible by a flexible furnishing concept. Most recently, with the opening of urban discount stores in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt am Main, the discounter had shown how smoothly their design can be adapted to the sometimes difficult conditions of narrow inner cities. In Mülheim, not far from the headquarters of the ALDI SÜD administration and ALDI SÜD coffee roastery production plant, this flexibility is now taking effect on a large scale. "As far as the construction and furnishing of our new stores is concerned, we are very flexible and can not only use smaller niches in the city," says Tom Ritzdorf, Regional Head of Store Development at ALDI SÜD in Dormagen. "If there is a sensible opportunity in existing properties, we are happy to take and use the additional space." Freshness is a top priority The new store offers shoppers an extraordinary shopping experience. The sales area is equipped in the latest design and stretches in seven aisles over a width of 30 meters over a length of up to 60 meters. The freshness area is generously laid out. A large selection of fresh, partly chilled fruit and vegetables as well as fresh meat and fish is already waiting at the entrance. The Mülheim store has a total of more than 70 meters of refrigerated shelves. The bake off section 'MEINE BACKWELT' adds another fresh touch. The range includes many bakery items, including various types of breads, buns and rolls as well as convenience items. Employees prepare the baked goods fresh from the oven several times a day in the store. The assortment also includes a category range of fresh herbs in which six different varieties are grown and sold freshly harvested. This is made possible by an exclusive cooperation with Infarm from Berlin, the world's fastest growing farming network. Leap to the top The location in Mannesmannallee has existed since the end of 1993. With 1,661 square meters of retail space, the store was already in the top league of the largest branches before it was renovated. The average size of the ALDI SÜD store is almost 1,000 sqm. So far, the ALDI SÜD store in Jestetten has taken first place in the floor space ranking. The location near the Swiss border has 1,770 square meters of retail space. The smallest ALDI SÜD branch is located on Königstrasse in Nuremberg (Germany). Shoppers shop here on around 400 sqm. This ALDI SÜD XXL discount store has 7 cash registers, as a ALDI SÜD store in Frankfurt am Main has 12, the highest number of cash registers within the ALDI group in Germany. See here for more: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/108584/4748939?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=push