Amazon bets $3bln on India's fast-delivery boom, sources say
Reuters reported: "US e-commerce retailer Amazon will invest $3bln to expand ​its India quick commerce business by 2030, two sources said, its biggest bet yet on a sector where rivals have raced ahead by ‌popularising deliveries within minutes".
Source: reuters.com

Holland: Lidl raises the bar for organic products
Lidl Netherlands aims to significantly increase the share of organic products in the fresh food categories. By 2030, 12% of the volume of potatoes, fruits, and vegetables sold must be certified organic.
Source: retaildetail.eu

Portugal: GS1 promotes the adoption of 2D codes in retail
GS1 Portugal is driving the adoption of two-dimensional (2D) codes in retail, aiming to strengthen traceability, food safety, and efficiency in the management of fresh produce. Mercadona already uses QR codes with GS1 Digital Link to manage fresh produce of variable and fixed weight.
Source: grandeconsumo.com

UK: Deliveroo and Aldi set to launch on-demand grocery delivery
Aldi reported: "Through the Deliveroo app, customers will be able to order around 2,000 Aldi products, including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, household essentials and Specialbuys".
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk

UK: Booths expands loose produce offer across all 25 stores
Booths is rolling out a loose fruit and vegetable merchandising strategy across its 25-store estate after a pilot programme demonstrated strong customer interest in market-style produce displays. The UK's oldest family grocer said the expansion will give shoppers greater control over the quantity of fresh produce they buy, while supporting efforts to reduce household food waste and unnecessary packaging, reports Lancs Live. The pilot was carried out at Booths stores in Ilkley, Carnforth, and Kendal in the north of England, where loose produce was displayed in a market-style format.
Source: fpcfreshtalkdaily.co.uk

Aldi crowned cheapest supermarket for Aussies on a health kick, as basket of essentials continues to climb
Consumer group Choice analysed prices at 104 Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi stores, finding the latter company was least expensive when it came to picking up a basket of baby spinach, broccoli, carrots, chicken breasts, Corn Thins, Greek yoghurt, hummus, tinned chickpeas and rolled oats.
Source: 7news.com.au

Lidl to open new store in Luxembourg's capital next year
Supermarket chain Lidl has confirmed that it is set to open a new store in the Gasperich area of Luxembourg's capital. The new store is scheduled to open at the end of January on the site of the former Garden Center Plus, which closed in 2023, bringing to 14 the number of Lidl outlets in the Grand Duchy. Walériane Dubois-Decroix, spokesperson for Lidl Belgium and Lidl Luxembourg, told Virgule that the store on Boulevard F.W. Raiffeisen will have "a sales area of just over 1,500 m²".
Source: luxtimes.lu

UK: Co-op shuts down standalone on-the-go test stores
The Co-op has closed five "micro-stores" where it was trialling a standalone food-to-go offer, but plans to continue offering elements of the concept in existing stores alongside its wider convenience offer.
Source: talkingretail.com

Croatia enhances price transparency measures for goods and services
Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar has announced new government measures that bolster consumer protection, increase market transparency, and safeguard citizens' living standards. To cushion vulnerable sectors against high fuel costs, the government's latest support package includes targeted state aid, including €10mln for farmers and €4mln for fishermen.
Source: esmmagazine.com

Tesco partners with WSL Football to fuel fandom with free fruit and veg for schools
Tesco reported: "The partnership has a common goal of making healthy eating more accessible to children through the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, as well as encouraging more people to attend and engage with the Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL2".
Source: tescoplc.com

Impossible Foods makes UK supermarket debut with Tesco
Impossible Foods is entering UK supermarket retail through a partnership with Tesco, launching four new plant-based products in selected stores. Meredith Madden, chief demand officer at Impossible Foods, said: "Launching in UK retail is a meaningful step forward for our company".
Source: kamcity.com

US: Simbe surpasses 3,000 units, marking the largest autonomous shelf intelligence fleet in retail
Simbe reported: "Retailers are increasingly deploying physical intelligence across the enterprise" said Deborah Weinswig, Founder & CEO of Coresight Research. "Simbe's 3,000 unit milestone reflects that shift: trusted shelf-level data is becoming foundational to store operations, digital commerce, merchandising and supply chain decisions".
Source: prnewswire.com

US: Yesway enters Arizona with grand opening of its first Allsup's store in the state
Yesway, Inc. announced that it will celebrate the grand opening of its first-ever Allsup's convenience store in Arizona on Friday, October 2, 2026. The opening marks an important milestone in Yesway's history, introducing the iconic Allsup's brand to Arizona for the first time and expanding the company's operating footprint into its 10th state.
Source: prnewswire.com

US: Costco Wholesale Corporation reports fourth quarter and fiscal year 2026 operating results
Costco Wholesale Corporation ("Costco" or the "Company") announced its operating results for the 16-week fourth quarter and the 52-week fiscal year ended August 30, 2026. Net sales for the quarter increased 11.2%, to $93.9bln, from $84.4bln last year. Net sales for the fiscal year increased 10.1%, to $297.2bln, from $269.9bln last year.
Source: globenewswire.com

US: Walmart furthers its investment in Texas with new Neighborhood Market store
Walmart opened a new Neighborhood Market store in Mesquite, Texas, with a focus on a localized product assortment, fresh and convenient food offerings, and a flexible shopping experience.
Source: progressivegrocer.com

DoorDash introduces Brand Center: A platform for retailer intelligence, advertising, and catalog management
DoorDash reported: "DoorDash introduced Brand Center, a platform built for the marketing, supply chain, category, ecommerce, and national account teams to get a clearer view of what's driving growth across the digital and physical shelf".
Source: about.doordash.com