To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world:
August 26 – Walmart & ASDA, UK
Bloomberg offered a review of the state of supermarket retailing in the UK including a suggestion that “Walmart should cut Asda loose. The U.S. retail giant has struggled with the U.K. supermarket it bought for 6.7 billion pounds ($8.9 billion) in 1999. A sale to a private equity firm would make sense — but might need some concessions from Wal-Mart to make it happen.” For more information, visit Bloomberg.
August 26 – Aldi, Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the man who helped Aldi establish itself in Australia says that market leaders Woolworths and Coles “need to spruik their huge product range and services such as delicatessens to battle Aldi’s cheaper but utilitarian offer.” According to the story, “Woolworths, Coles and wholesaler Metcash are cutting product prices and product range to fight Aldi, which has an estimated 10 per cent of Australia’s $90 billion-odd grocery market and is expanding into South Australia and Western Australia.” The full article is available in the Sydney Morning Herald.
September 2 – Sainsbury / Argos, UK
According to the Retail Gazette, Sainsbury has acquired Argos, making Sainsbury one of the UK’s largest retail companies. The full article is available on the Retail Gazette website.
September 15 – UK Retail Sales
The Wall Street Journal reported that “UK retail sales were resilient in August as shoppers seemed unfazed by Brexit. Sales rose 6.2% in August, while July saw the strongest annual growth since 2001.” More info at the Wall Street Journal.
September 22 – Asian Retail Outlook
Planet Retail is offering a free report on the Asian retail outlook. “As the Asian retail environment continues to change and strengthen, its more vital than ever that you understand the unique factors at play in this diverse and strengthening market.” To download, visit Planet Retail.
September 26 – Al Mana, Qatar
Qatar-based retail operator Al Mana will reopen UK retailer BHS as an online store this week, a month after the 88-year-old brand closed its final brick-and-mortar stores. Al Mana acquired the brand’s international and online rights after the retailer entered administration earlier this year. For more info, visit The Telegraph.
September 26 – Aldi, UK
Bloomberg reports that Aldi is targeting higher end UK consumers with a revamp of its operations there. “Aldi’s U.K. business said it will spend 300 million pounds ($390 million) developing more upmarket stores as the discounter showed no signs of wilting amid a price war. The new store formats will emphasize product quality, improve lighting and add refrigerator space for more fresh produce. More details on Bloomberg.
September 27 – Emart, Vietnam
VietnamNet has a story about retail expansion in Vietnam. “In 2015, South Korea’s top retailer Emart discount store chain was opened in Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, another supermarket brand from South Korea, Lotte, has successfully opened 11 supermarkets and aims to increase the number to 60 by 2020.” And more is on the way. More info on VietnamNet.
September 28 -Walmart, India
Reuters reports that Walmart is in talks to spend as much as a billion dollars to purchase an ownership stake in Flipkart, an India-based e-commerce company. “A deal would pit Wal-Mart against U.S. rival Amazon, which has been expanding rapidly in the South Asian country’s retail market and is now Flipkart’s biggest competitor. Wal-Mart only operates wholesale stores in India,” Reuters reported. For more information, visit Reuters.
September 28 – Japanese Retail Sales
Bloomberg reports that retail sales in Japan declined 2.1 % in August when compared to last year. For details on the impact and causes, visit Bloomberg.
The International Business Council is a special interest group of IHA members, dedicated to helping its membership market and sell their products internationally by sharing information, providing networking opportunities and offering programs to assist, support, and educate. Membership is free to all regular, IHA members – visit the IBC website to learn more.
