Lidl 
UK: Lidl UK managing director steps down
8 September 2010
Lidl UK has confirmed that managing director Frank-Michael Mros has stepped down from his position.
The just-food management briefing - convenience stores - part I
18 August 2010
Convenience stores are a dynamic part of the food retail sector worldwide. As consumers gain wealth, they lose time – making convenience retail increasingly attractive. The US has blazed the trail for c-stores and any examination of convenience store retail needs to begin there.
Analysis: Will Picard's unique proposition translate abroad?
27 July 2010
France's largest frozen food retailer Picard is being sold to Lion Capital in a deal that is rumoured to be worth EUR1.5bn (US$1.94bn), including debt, a move that analysts have described as a positive one for the private-equity house.
GREECE: Discount giant Aldi to exit market
16 July 2010
Discount grocery retailer Aldi is withdrawing from Greece, it was confirmed today (16 July).
In the spotlight - Tesco invests in Ireland
16 July 2010
In something of a surprise move, Tesco this week announced plans to open more stores in Ireland, one of the European economies most affected by the downturn.
COMMENT: Amazon faces an uphill battle with online groceries in Germany
2 July 2010
In a surprise move, Amazon has launched an online shop offering fresh food and beverages in Germany. It's a project that faces huge hurdles in the highly-saturated, very competitive, price-orientated market.
BULGARIA/ROMANIA: Lidl-Tengelmann deal set for local anti-trust probe
30 June 2010
The European Commission has referred the antitrust review of Lidl's plans to acquire Tengelmann's Plus discount operations in Bulgaria and Romania to local competition authorities.
Iceland Foods growth fires M&A speculation
10 June 2010
It is one of the questions of the moment among the UK retail trade. Will consumers turn their backs on the discount sector as and when a recovery truly takes hold?
FRANCE: Lidl signs deal for Paris facility
1 June 2010
Discount retailer Lidl has provisionally agreed to open a EUR28m (US$34.4m) logistics facility in western Paris next year.
UPDATE: UK: Netto better suited to Europe - MD
27 May 2010
Netto MD Claus Juel-Jensen today (27 May) spoke of his "heavy heart" at the discounter's imminent exit from the UK - but hinted the chain's business had failed to win over local consumers.
SPAIN: Bon Preu in talks to sell Intermarche outlets
12 May 2010
Spanish retailer Bon Preu is in talks to sell a number of local Intermarché outlets it owns outside Catalonia.
In the spotlight: UK discount retailer Poundland
5 May 2010
For those of you who thought the discount retail bubble had burst in the UK, think again.
UPDATE: UK: Poundland can thrive in recovery, says new owner
4 May 2010
UK discount retailer Poundland can prosper even as the country's economy moves into a phase of fully-fledged recovery, the company's new owner said today (4 May).
UK: Private-equity firm Warburg Pincus "buys Poundland"
4 May 2010
Poundland, the UK retailer, has a new owner after private-equity firm Warburg Pincus reportedly agreed to acquire the business.
The market is wrong on Tesco - but right on ABF
26 April 2010
Just as political opinion polls can be misleading, so can the polls run each day in the world's financial districts - those listing the rise and fall of a company's shares.
COMMENT: Investors should look to Tesco's future with confidence
21 April 2010
It was a surprise to see that Tesco was the biggest faller on London's FTSE index of 100 leading shares yesterday (20 April).
UK: Slowing inflation hits sales at UK grocers - Kantar
30 March 2010
Sales among the UK's major retailers grew by 3.6% in the 12 weeks to 21 March but slowing food inflation has weighed on growth, according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel.
BELGIUM: Colruyt outlines 2010 expansion plans
29 March 2010
Belgian retailer Colruyt has outlined plans to open stores at home and in France this year.
UK: Poundland owner mulls future of retailer
12 March 2010
The private-equity owner of UK discount retailer Poundland is mulling the future of the business, which could lead to the sale of the company, just-food understands.
UK: Promotions propel Co-op, says Kantar
2 March 2010
Price cuts and promotions have made The Co-operative Group the fastest-growing retailer in the UK, according to the latest sales data from Kantar Worldpanel.
GERMANY: Tengelmann sells Plus stores to Lidl
19 February 2010
German retailer Tengelmann has agreed to sell over 100 Plus stores across Bulgaria and Romania to Lidl.
UK: Asda records slowest growth of Big Four - Kantar
2 February 2010
Asda, the UK's second-largest grocer, has posted the slowest sales growth of the country's Big Four in the last 12 weeks, according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel.
In the spotlight - E.Leclerc leads way in France
22 January 2010
Carrefour and Casino may have reported some under-par domestic sales but E.Leclerc, France's largest retailer, is thriving amid the downturn. 2010 is looking to be just as challenging for French retailers as 2009 but, as Dean Best reports, Leclerc is well placed to continue to see off competition from its multinational competitors.
Christmas cheer will fade as New Year reality bites
14 January 2010
A series of upbeat trading statements from UK retailers has convinced some that a recovery is well on its way. However, despite the apparent Christmas cheer, 2010 is likely to be just as challenging as 2009. Mounting public sector debt and a tight credit market will strangle consumers, while demand for value and hardening commodity prices could squeeze suppliers. Dean Best reports.
UK: TNS issues upbeat outlook for UK grocery
11 January 2010
The UK's major grocers saw a return to "confident consumer spending" over Christmas, industry analysts TNS said today (11 January), which pointed to a "positive outlook" for the sector.
UK: Grocery sector "buoyant", TNS claims
8 December 2009
The UK grocery sector is "largely buoyant" in the run up to Christmas, industry analysts TNS Worldpanel claimed this afternoon (8 December) - and consumers are showing signs of gaining in confidence.
UK: Multiples urged to act on dwindling fish stocks
26 November 2009
UK supermarkets could do more to help stop dwindling fish stocks by supplying customers with sustainably sourced seafood, according to a report published today (26 November).
UKRAINE: Schwarz eyes Kaufland, Lidl launch
27 October 2009
German retailer Schwarz is mulling the launch of its Kaufland and Lidl hypermarkets in the Ukraine.
UK: Falling inflation brings growth challenge - TNS
13 October 2009
The UK grocery market growth rate is continuing to fall back as food inflation moderates, according to TNS.
UK: Grocery "shrugs off" recession - TNS
15 September 2009
The grocery retail sector in the UK has successfully "shrugged off" the recession, the latest report from market researchers TNS claimed this afternoon (15 September).
Related research
Lidl case study: responding to consumer needs in the discount retail sector
This report on Lidl forms part of Datamonitor's case studies series, which explores business practices across a variety of disciplines and business sectors. It focuses on Lidl's UK operations, and how the German discount retailer is capitalizing on rising demand for discounters at a time of increased economic worries.
The Future of European Discounters 2008
This report analyses the market conditions in the wake of the credit crunch in key EU markets. The report profiles the top operators in the market including Aldi, Lidl, Biedronka, Penny, Dia, Netto and Leaderprice/Franpix and gives strategic advice and recommendations how to counter the discounter threat.
Retailing - Slovenia
Retailers in Slovenia, particularly the chained store-based retailers expanded throughout the review period. Mercator dd, the largest Slovene retailer, presently accounts for almost 21% of the entire store-based retail segment, the structure of which is now much closer to that of Austria or Switzerland. The retail channel can be considered mature due to the high levels of consolidation and intense foreign investment. The strong western-European retailers have focused interest on higher-volume...
