Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures surged on Tuesday, fueled by strength in the cash market as the grocery sector looked to restock shelves following heavy buying during the weekend. Bargain buying also helped support the livestock market. Both live cattle and feeder cattle futures were recovering from near 10-year lows hit […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs rally after grocery stores depleted
Major grocers roll out plant-based burgers, undercut Beyond Meat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Cashing in on rising demand for imitation meat, major retailers including Kroger and Walmart recently began to carry Beyond Meat’s plant-based burgers and sausages. Now, several stores are creating similar products that will compete with Beyond Meat. Kroger Co., the biggest U.S. grocer, on Wednesday rolled out its own line of […] Read more
Federated Co-op to close Calgary distribution centre
Reading Time: 2 minutes The main supply outlet for Co-op grocery stores in southern Alberta and British Columbia is set to close in April as one of its main users takes its business elsewhere. Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) announced Thursday it will close its Calgary food distribution centre in April, a decision it said will eliminate just over 200 […] Read more
Calgary to step out of Federated Co-op grocery system
Reading Time: 2 minutes Calgary Co-op’s grocery business plans to get all its goods from suppliers other than Federated Co-operatives (FCL) starting in April next year. Saskatoon-based FCL said Thursday it had received notice from Calgary Co-operative Association that it would “discontinue the procurement of all products for their grocery stores from FCL” at that time. The Saskatoon StarPhoenix […] Read more
Major grocers pull romaine lettuce nationwide
Reading Time: 3 minutes Despite seeing no evidence yet of nationwide contamination, several major Canadian grocers are pulling romaine lettuce from sale across Canada in the wake of E. coli-related illness outbreaks in three provinces. Loblaw Companies announced Wednesday it was recalling and removing from its store shelves across the country all romaine lettuce products “out of an abundance […] Read more
Walmart’s LatAm delivery app Cornershop eyes Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Cornershop, a Latin American grocery delivery app being acquired by Walmart, plans to expand into Canada early next year as a test market for the U.S., an executive for the three-year-old mobile app said. Walmart is buying Cornershop, which offers deliveries in Mexico and Chile, for US$225 million. The deal, […] Read more
Sobeys parent to buy fresh-food grocer Farm Boy
Reading Time: 2 minutes The owner of the Sobeys and Canada Safeway chains has a deal in place to buy southern Ontario grocery retailer Farm Boy, a well known patron of the region’s producers. In a deal still subject to review by the federal Competition Bureau, Empire Co. announced Monday it will pay $800 million for the grocery chain, […] Read more
Metro to buy Jean Coutu to stave off looming risks
Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto | Reuters — Metro Inc., Canada’s third-biggest food retailer, on Monday agreed to buy pharmacy chain Jean Coutu Group for $4.5 billion in cash and stock, paying what analysts said was a “steep” premium to protect against risks facing the retail sector. The deal comes at time when global retail giants like Amazon.com, Wal-Mart […] Read more
Metro in ‘advanced’ talks to buy Jean Coutu chain
Reading Time: 2 minutes One of Eastern Canada’s major players in the grocery sector is in “advanced discussions” to take up one of the region’s major drugstore chains. Montreal-based Metro Inc. announced Tuesday it’s in “exclusive” talks with the Jean Coutu Group on the possibilities of a cash-and-stock takeover valued in some reports at around $4.5 billion. A non-binding […] Read more
Whole Foods slashes prices on some produce
Reading Time: 3 minutes Los Angeles/Chicago | Reuters — On its first day as part of Amazon.com, organic grocery chain Whole Foods Market slashed prices on popular items like avocados and apples on Monday by a third as it bid to shake off its “Whole Paycheque” reputation for high prices. In another sign of changes to come, a display […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
