As 2023 draws to a close, ESM looks back at some of the biggest stories from the world of grocery retail that dominated the news landscape.
Stories that caught our eye during 2023 included:
Coop Denmark launched a new strategy, titled ‘The Coop of the Future’, which will see the establishment of the country’s largest supermarket chain trading under the Coop banner. The move involved the merger of stores operating under the Kvickly, SuperBrugsen and Irma banners to the Coop brand. [January]
Shoppers in the UK and Ireland faced a shortage of tomatoes and other vegetables after supermarket supplies were impacted by disrupted harvests in southern Europe and North Africa. Warmer weather in these regions, which affected crop yields, was followed by cooler weather, leading to longer growth times. [February]
Food inflation hit 30 to 40-year highs in several markets, including Belgium, the UK and Norway. [May]
Lidl marked the 50th anniversary of its first store opening in Germany, in 1973, with a series of events under the banner ‘50 Jahre mehr als günstig’ (‘50 years more than cheap’). [May]
Hein Schumacher stepped in as chief executive officer of Unilever, replacing Alan Jope, in a move that was welcomed by board member and activist shareholder Nelson Peltz. [July]
Carrefour acquired the Cora and Match banners in France from the Louis Delhaize group. The deal includes the real estate of 55 hypermarkets and 77 supermarkets operating under the Cora and Match banners. [July]
Discounter Aldi announced a major US expansion as it added approximately 400 stores to its portfolio with the acquisition of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets. [August]
Soft drink giant Pepsi unveiled a new logo and visual identity as part of its 125th-anniversary celebrations. The company launched a 125-day campaign, leading up to New Year's Eve, which includes 125 types of programming such as immersive events, social content moments and giveaways. [August]
Groupe Casino finalised a binding lock-up agreement to restructure its debt with creditors led by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. [October]
Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize acquired 100% of Romanian grocer Profi Rom Food SRL from MidEuropa for an enterprise value of approximately €1.3 billion. [October]
French convenience store chain Monoprix marked its entry into the Belgian market, with a store planned for the centre of Waterloo. [November]
What a year! Keep up to date with all the latest news and insight from the European grocery landscape in 2024 with ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
