Discount Retail Chain ALDI is making this possible with a new nationwide prize campaign: on Monday, September 7, 2020, the ALDI jackpot will start in the more than 4,000 ALDI North and ALDI SÜD stores in Germany. For every 15 euros (US $17.75) of purchase value, customers receive a free ticket with a lucky code at the checkout (while stocks last) - and thus the chance to win ALDI shopping vouchers worth up to 5000 euros a day. Altogether, ALDI North and ALDI SÜD are giving away shopping vouchers with a total value of 300,000 euros (US $355,000). The highlight of the campaign, which runs for a total of 4 weeks (until October 4, 2020): The jackpot amount can be viewed live at www.aldi-jackpot.de at any time. Ticket holders can decide for themselves: Do they wait to enter their lucky code on the promotion website - in the hope that the jackpot will continue to rise? Or do you try your luck immediately before someone else cracks it in front of you? The maximum amount of the jackpot and thus also the maximum profit is 5000 euros. The lucky winners of the big ALDI jackpot are determined daily at random and, immediately after redeeming their lucky code, find out whether they have cracked the current amount of the ALDI jackpot and won it in the form of ALDI vouchers. If the jackpot is hit, the profit falls back to the starting value of 20 euros. If not, it automatically increases by one cent - up to a total of 5000 euros. As an alternative to entering the luck code, customers can also scan the QR code in the lot directly with their mobile phone. No registration is required to participate. Large-scale advertising campaign supports the four-week campaign ALDI accompanies the big ALDI jackpot with a large cross-media advertising campaign. These include TV spots, digital OOH posters, print advertisements and social media measures. The TV ad will be broadcast for the first time on Saturday, September 5, 2020. You can also find all information about the ALDI Jackpot, including full conditions of participation, on the website www.aldi-jackpot.de/nord.

Non-Food Discount Retail Chain Dollarama profited from the demand for summer household and cleaning items. This demand spur increased the comparable store sales of 5.4% and sales of 7.1% for the public listed Dollarama in its second quarter fiscal 2021. “Our strong financial performance in the second quarter reflects Dollarama's positioning as a shopping destination of choice for Canadians from coast to coast for convenience and a compelling assortment of affordable, everyday products. Our sales were strong, driven by the demand for summer seasonal items, and store traffic improved with each month as provincial reopening plans unfolded," said president and CEO Neil Rossy. Rossy adds that store traffic increased in the quarter as provinces eased COVID-related restrictions. “All of our stores were open to serve customers entering the third quarter and we continue to closely monitor consumer shopping patterns to ensure our store offering remains relevant to Canadian families in the evolving socio-economic environment shaped by the pandemic. The health and safety of our employees and customers remain paramount. We will diligently maintain our COVID-19 operating procedures and health and safety measures in accordance with public health directives and as the situation continues to evolve.” At the end of Dollarama’s first quarter on May 3, 2020, 104 stores remained temporarily closed across the country due to government-mandated closures but by June 19, 2020, all stores had reopened although 10% continued to operate with reduced operating hours. By September 1, only 83 stores had reduced operating hours. Second quarter sales of Fiscal 2021 increased 7.1% to CAN $1,013.6 million (US$775mn), compared to CAN $946.4 million (US$724mn) in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Dollarama attributes the increase in sales to the growth of stores over the past 12 months – from 1,250 in August 2019 to 1,314 in August 2020 – and to an increase in comparable store sales. Click here for more: https://www.grocerybusiness.ca/news/dollarama-q2-fiscal-2021-5-4-store-sales-growth

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Süd introduces reusable bags for its bakery products, creating an alternative to paper bags with viewing windows. With the washable fabric bags made of organic cotton, customers can transport loose baked goods home hygienically clean and safely and thus reduce their packaging consumption. The reusable bags are available in all Aldi Süd branches for 0.99 euros (US $1.18) In Germany, more waste is generated in private households during the corona pandemic. In 2020 the German Society for Waste Management (DGAW) expects more than 2 million ton of additional household waste. In order to avoid plastic and paper waste, Aldi Süd is expanding its reusable range in the fresh food area: “The reusable network for our fruit and vegetables has already been successfully established. Many customers also want a reusable alternative in the baked goods sector. We are now fulfilling this wish with the new fabric bags. This gives our customers the opportunity to opt for more environmentally friendly packaging, ”explains Dr. Julia Adou, Director Corporate Responsibility at Aldi Süd. Sustainable transport alternative The reusable bag is made of sustainable cotton, which is certified according to the strict GOTS specifications (Global Organic Textile Standard) and meets the requirements of the Green Button. The Green Button is the state seal for ecologically and socially fair textiles. The material is breathable and therefore not only keeps baked goods fresh and crispy on the way home, but is also suitable for storing them in it. The bag can be used multiple times for shopping and is also washable at 30°C. The bag can be closed tightly and securely with a drawstring. Save plastic through multiple use As part of the Aldi packaging mission, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd want to reduce the packaging volume of their own brands by around 30% by 2025. In addition, all own-brand packaging should be recyclable by the end of 2022. The companies also want to motivate customers to reduce packaging waste. If Aldi customers use the new reusable bag for bread and rolls several times, they make a valuable contribution to reducing plastic waste. Click here for more: https://www.neue-verpackung.de/66247/aldi-sued-fu-hrt-mehrwegbeutel-fu-r-backwaren-ein/

Discount Retail Chain PENNY (owned by REWE Group) is pushing its sustainability offensive with the opening of its first sustainability adventure market “PENNY Grüner Weg” at Fehrbelliner Strasse 29 in Berlin Spandau. The 800 square meter PENNY, which has 15 employees and two trainees at the beginning of the training year, is a modern neighborhood market. 20 points focus on the company's most important sustainability focus points, made interactive, visible and tangible for customers. “PENNY has been dealing with sustainability issues for more than 10 years. So it was time to open the first sustainability experience market in the company's history. Here we give a compact overview of the most important successes that we have achieved. We are proud of that, but also show with the topic of “real costs” that we do not see sustainability as a finite mission and that we continue to work on it. Because I am convinced that our customers have clear expectations in this regard. Organic products, food from the region or the sale of fruit and vegetables with visual flaws are the ongoing trend topics in addition to the vegetarian and vegan diet. Sustainability is increasingly becoming a decisive factor when choosing a shopping location,” said Stefan Magel, Vice President Retail Germany of the REWE Group and COO PENNY, on the opening. The “real costs” show what selected products really cost, taking certain ecological factors into account. Scientists from the University of Augsburg have included the effects of nitrogen, greenhouse gases and energy in the supply chain in the real sales price. In the new store, however, questions such as “Which products are still on the shelf if there were no more bees and other pollinating insects?” Or “How do I sort my refrigerator correctly so that food stays fresh longer?” Are answered. With a periscope, the customer can also dive into a visual underwater world and at the same time learn more about sustainable fishing and product traceability. But it starts in the F&V section: Somewhat crooked or with quirks, too big or too small - the PENNY Private Label branded 'Naturgut' Bio Helden' are fruit and vegetable varieties with flaws in their beauty. The advantages of the 'Naturgut Bio Helden', which are added to the common fruit and vegetables: Less sorting effort, ecological cultivation is more profitable for farmers and the season for local products is extended. In addition, they should strengthen the conscious handling of food by customers and promote organic producers. PENNY also creates more transparency about the origin of many fruit and vegetable items by labeling them with a regional image or a QR code. And PENNY also wants to avoid, reduce or improve packaging waste with its packaging initiative: by 2030, all own Private Label branded items are to be packaged in a more environmentally friendly way. For this purpose, PENNY relies on the use of grass paper, the reduction of the film thickness and the abandonment of packaging. For example, loose fruit and vegetables are often only marked with banderoles or stickers. As part of the recycle initiative, PENNY is committed to effective recycling. Since spring 2019, private label brand 'PENNY Ready' water bottles made of 100% recycled material have been part of the PENNY range. The next thing to notice in the shilled section are the new labels: On products such as cream, yoghurt or quark PENNY reminds that food after the expiration date is often too good for the bin. The “Smell. Try. Enjoy ”aims to raise consumer awareness about food waste. Finally, at the checkout, the customer has the opportunity to show commitment himself: if he says “That's right” when paying, the remaining cent amount of the purchase value automatically goes to an organization in Berlin that works for disadvantaged children and young people. A projection on the checkout belt shows how much has already come together with the so-called sponsorship PENNY: since November 2019 that is more than 263,000 euros. A total of almost 1.5 million euros was distributed as part of the PENNY commitment. Click here for more: https://www.fruchtportal.de/artikel/penny-ffnet-ersten-nachhaltigkeitsmarkt-mit-20-info-stationen/045538?i=7e2be52e

Amazon is using a shopping cart with a scanner function shopping carts that let customers skip checkout lines (the biggest annoyance for customers worldwide), for the first time in a supermarket in Los Angeles. This shopping cart is not new, nevertheless no retailer has implemented a real-life functional and operational system uptil now. Initially, only invited customers are allowed to visit the store, announced the world's largest online retailer, which has been expanding its physical offline presence since the billion-dollar purchase of the organic supermarket chain Whole Foods. The new grocery market, in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, is called the Amazon Fresh grocery store. It is the first location to let customers in - by invitation only - out of seven that Amazon has confirmed for Southern California and greater Chicago. The Woodland Hills site will open to the wider public in coming weeks, Amazon said. In a few weeks, the shop will open completely. The group intends to set up seven such branches in total in southern California and the greater Chicago area. The shopping carts should enable customers to leave the shop after shopping without visiting the checkout. Click here for a first real-life look insight the store: https://youtu.be/oTy9M3DMD2E The shopping carts called "Dash Carts" by Amazon are able to scan goods themselves. At the beginning of the tour, customers only have to register via the Amazon App. After crossing a blocking line in the store, you will be billed via the credit card. The US group is already gaining experience with cashless payment in its meanwhile more than 20 Amazon Go stores. When customers enter these supermarkets, they use their smartphone to register. Cameras then automatically identify what ends up in the shopping basket. The world’s largest online retailer has experimented with physical stores in recent years to capture more consumer spending, particularly in groceries. It has more than 20 cashier-less shops with grab-and-go food for office workers and over 500 stores in the Whole Foods Market chain it acquired in 2017. The flood of online orders in the Corona crisis brought Amazon the highest quarterly profit in its 26-year history in the past quarter. But sales in physical stores fell 13%. Click here for more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-store/amazons-latest-grocery-store-concept-opens-with-high-tech-carts-idUSKBN25N0QF

Discount Retail Chain Penny (owned by REWE Group) has built and started its operations in its central warehouse for southwest Germany in Kronau at the A 5 junction. The company logistical space is as large as seven soccer fields. 600 employees find a job. 275 Penny discount stores are supplied from there. After almost 18 months of construction, the Penny central warehouse in the new “A5-Quartier” industrial park in Kronau has been completed. The warehouse near the A5 motorway has been in official use since Monday, according to a statement from Penny, a Rewe Group company. The construction project, which cost around 100 million euros, was completed faster than planned. Construction work began in March 2019. Now around 275 stores in the regions south of Darmstadt to Lake Constance and on the border from Luxembourg to Schwäbisch-Hall in the region are supplied from the combined warehouse and administration location. According to the company, around 600 employees work at the new location. More than 60 million shipping units will be shipped from the warehouse each year. As big as seven soccer fields The total area covers over 135,000 square meters, the size of about seven soccer fields. The Penny warehouse meets the latest architectural standards and, with its gold DGNB certification, sets standards in sustainability, the company emphasizes. The entire energy supply is provided by a photovoltaic system, there are connections for electric cars and two silos in front of the huge hall that serve as water storage. A protective wall 650 meters long will reduce possible noise emissions. "I am delighted that we were able to implement this ambitious project together with the community and everyone else in charge," explains Klaus-Peter von Nethen, Head of the Penny Region Southwest. In 2017, a clear majority of Kronau's residents spoke out in favor of the large-scale project after two citizens' meetings. In 2019, Penny achieved sales of 7.6 billion euros in Germany with 2,170 branches and around 28,000 employees. Penny is also active in Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. Click here for more: https://bnn.de/kraichgau/bruchsal/kronau/im-penny-zentrallager-in-kronau-arbeiten-nun-600-menschen

Discount Retail Chain Denner (owned by Migros) were among the few retailers who were allowed to diligently resell during the lockdown. Apparently, business is now so good that prices can be reduced - without the suppliers having to bleed, Denner says. For a long time it was quiet on the price front. But now the discounts in the store are falling. Interesting for consumers: These are not promotions, but long-term price reductions. Denner is making over 200 products cheaper. That corresponds to 10 percent of the entire range of the discounter. From September 1st, both branded and own-brand products will be cheaper on the shelves. Some of them cost up to 40% less than before. Suppliers do not have to bleed Discounter Denner is no slouch. The price reductions were not pushed through with the suppliers either. They are made possible by optimized processes and more efficient logistics. Or maybe because the discounter earned decent earnings during the lockdown? In contrast to hardware stores or other traders, Denner, Coop, Migros and Co. were allowed to leave their supermarkets open. "The food retail trade came through the lockdown comparatively well," Denner says, without going into detail about sales. In any case, one has been in the plus since the beginning of the year. Click here for more: https://www.blick.ch/news/wirtschaft/keine-corona-ladenhueter-denner-packt-preishammer-raus-200-produkte-billiger-id16066223.html

Officially, Shoprite is classifying Nigeria as “discontinued operations” and has decided to initiate a formal process to consider the potential sale of all, or a majority stake in its Nigerian business. Trendtype.com understands it has advanced negotiations with a new start-up retail chain, JARA, to take over its business. JARA (officially EDLP Nigeria Ltd) is Nigeria’s first discounter. Nigerian owned, it is started and headed by Dutchman Willem Snollaerts, executive partner at Discount Retail Consulting GmbH, who previously ran discounters in Russia and was board member at the Aldi discount chain in the Netherlands for more than a decade. JARA has two stores at the moment – one in Ikeja (Lagos) and another in Benin City. If it acquired the Shoprite network it would become the largest supermarket chain in Nigeria. Shoprite opened its first store in Nigeria in 2005. It has since built a chain of 26 stores in the country, and is the clear market leader in the Nigerian supermarket sector. In March 2020 Shoprite revealed it had lost 8.1% of its sales in constant currency terms at the end of the second half (H2) of 2019. CEO Pieter Engelbrecht has already warned that the retailer is looking to exit underperforming countries. Sales in Nigeria were also hit by a wave of reprisal attacks against Shoprite, a visibly South African brand, because of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. In Onitsha, Lagos, Ibadan and Kano attacks on Shoprite stores included arson attempts and threats of violence. A meeting at the time between President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) ended with a resolution that MTN Nigeria, MultiChoice, Shoprite and other South African companies in Nigeria should cease operations in Nigeria. It is hard to overstate how strongly the feeling was received in South Africa that Shoprite would be vulnerable to political interference as well as its existing financial challenges. Click here for more: http://www.younewsng.com/2020/08/05/shoprite-changes-ownership-to-called-jarra/

Non-food discount retail chain Action (owned by PE Investor 3i Group) ended 2019 with a net profit of PLN 7,085,839.41 (US $ 1.9 Mn). In 2019, the successfull European discount chain opened 32 new stores in Poland. In 2020, Action plans to open 38 additional non-food discount stores. The balance sheet total of Action Poland at the end of 2019, i.e. as at December 31, 2019, both in terms of assets and liabilities, is PLN 125,766,098.71 (US $ 34 Mn) and employed 926 employees. Action opened its first store in Leszno in 2017, currently it has 75 stores in Poland. Action is Europe's fastest growing and most profitable non-food discounter, present in BENELUX, Germany, France, Poland, Austria and soon in the Czech Republic. It surprises customers with its broad and everchanging non-perishable assortment at low prices. We have more than 6000 products in 13 categories, such as DIY (do it yourself), toys & entertainment, stationery & hobby and personal care. Click for here more: https://www.dlahandlu.pl/wiadomosci/,90482.html

Discount Retail Chain Dollar Tree, Inc., a Fortune 200 company, is a leading operator of discount variety stores that has served North America for more than 30 years. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. The Company is headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia and operates 15,479 stores across the 48 contiguous states and 5 Canadian provinces, supported by a coast-to-coast logistics network and more than 193,000 associates. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. H1 consolidated results: Net sales $12.56 billion (+8.8% YOY, +7.1% LFL) Gross profit $3.71 billion (+9.9% YOY) Gross margin 29.5% (+0.03% YOY) Operating income $740.8 million (+13.2% YOY) Operating income margin 5.9% (+0.02% YOY) “Our store and distribution center teams have done a remarkable job of serving customers through an incredibly dynamic time in retail. Their continual efforts to ensure we are providing a clean, safe shopping experience, along with the great value and convenience our stores offer, contributed to our solid operating performance for the quarter,” stated Mike Witynski, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Discount Retail Chain Kiwi (owned by NorgesGruppen ASA), operating in Norway with ca. 665 stores and Denmark with ca. 110 stores, made the third major price cut this year in Norway. 'They have no other choice', says discount retail market leader Coop Extra, who like discount retail chain Rema1000 (Norways second largest discounter with ca. 700 and also operating in Denmark with ca. 300 stores) answers with a corresponding price cut. 'Overall, we have had great growth during the corona pandemic, which is partly due to the halt in cross-border trade. As we grow, it gives us the opportunity to push even more on the price. It is right and reasonable to share with our shoppers. There is still a demanding and extraordinary situation in Norway due to the corona pandemic, which affects all. Many families notice this very much in their budgets', says Kristine Aakvaag Arvin, communications manager at Kiwi That is why Kiwi launched a new and large price campaign for the third time since April. The last time Kiwi cut prices, it was by 20% on around 200 items, both June 15 and April 17. The new price cut lasts until October 3, applies to 131 items with price cuts of between 10% and 35%, especially in the high volume grocery product categories that are important to shoppers, as they are bought often. The goal of the campaign is: - to win shoppers. Norwegian shoppers should have confidence that Kiwi is the cheapest and continues to push prices; - to keep shoppers continue to shop more locally even when the lock-down has been reduced and Norway is opening up for cross-border trade again. Kiwi points out that it will not be able to match the Swedish grocery prices for its tax-heavy grocery products, but they will rather continue to focus on good service, quality and facilitate healthy and good choices, to create a competitive advantage in the future. The news makes the competitors respond, and Coop Extra (owned by Coop Norge) and Discounter REMA1000 (owned by Norwegian Reitangruppen) says that they follow suit by cutting prices equally for the same grocery products. Kiwi knows that Norwegian shoppers are concerned about two things; price and large selection. As Coop Extra is the lowest price chain with the greatest growth, with over 1,500 more SKUs than Kiwi, and even though they have far better conditions on their procurement volume as part of the market leader retailer Coop Norge. Market positioning The step Kiwi takes helps to build their shopper's brand attitudes, it shows that Kiwi never gives up on price, chasing REMA1000. At the same time, it shows that they are a socially responsible player. In sum, this helps to create a shopper's preference for Kiwi. Click here for more: https://www.nettavisen.no/okonomi/kiwi-kutter-prisene-nok-en-gang-starter-priskrig-pa-over-hundre-varer/3424008577.html

CEO and head of Schwarz Trust Klaus Gehrig wants to reorganize the personnel processes in the Schwarz Group (owner of discounter Lidl, Kaufland and Schwarz Produktion). More efficient, cheaper, more focused. Gehrig thinks little of selection processes like assessment centers. He doesn't just rely on candidates with top marks. Rather, real doers should advance the company in practice. The Schwarz Group wants to proceed more uniformly in the company's personnel policy in the future. This includes personnel administration as well as personnel development. On May 1st, the company founded the Schwarz-Personal-Service-Gesellschaft. The aim is to organize activities in this area more efficiently and to process billing processes more cheaply. "We have five personnel programs in the company," says Klaus Gehrig. Now it has to be a matter of being more focused and not having to deal with the same tasks in the group multiple times. In terms of personnel policy, the aim is to introduce uniform standards for the entire corporate group in the future. At the same time, however, those areas should recruit the staff in which the new employees will ultimately also work. Better support for young colleagues In addition, it is important to provide better support to the young colleagues. At both Lidl and Kaufland, junior employees come into responsible positions by their mid-20s. "We have to make sure that they will be good managers in ten years", said the company boss. The main thing is to better accompany employees on their career steps. This also includes regular feedback from superiors, both positively and negatively. And in Gehrig's opinion, it was the last thing that got stuck. In terms of targeted employee loyalty, leadership, culture and communication have been an issue in the Schwarz Group for some time. "Everyone who has left the house in recent years has had good reviews." Gehrig warns that there must be open and honest dealings with employees. You have to tell clearly whether you are satisfied with an employee or not. Click here for more: https://www.lebensmittelzeitung.net/handel/Standards-fuer-Kaufland-und-Lidl-Schwarz-Gruppe-strafft-Personalpolitik--129525?platform=hootsuite