Auchan plans to open new stores in Russia

The retailer Auchan plans to open 10-14 new hypermarkets in Russia next year, the general director of Auchan Russia, Jean-Pierre Germain, said during a press conference in Moscow on November,18.

Agreements have already been signed concerning the building of 3 ‘classic’ Auchan hypermarkets, 3 Auchan City hypermarkets, and 4 Our Rainbow (Nasha Raduga) stores, Germain said.

A company’s priority is continual development and the opening of 10 new hypermarkets per year, Auchan Russia President Francois Colombie said.

Auchan will grow its chain by 23 new stores in all, this year, factoring in the Real hypermarkets it has acquired. In late November 2012 the French company announced it was buying the Real hypermarkets from Germany’s Metro Group. The deal was worth 1.1 billion Euro and involved outlets in Russia, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. The rebranding of all 16 Real hypermarkets in Russia has been completed.

The French company has been a presence in Russia since 2002. It now has 53 Auchan hypermarkets, 18 Auchan City hypermarkets, 4 Our Rainbow hypermarkets, and 4 Auchan Garden (Auchan Sad) stores.

www.freshplaza.com

Russia may ban import of Polish fruit and vegetables

Russia’s veterinary inspection service Rosselkhoznadzor may impose a ban on fruit and vegetable imports from Poland because of risks dangers and re-export goods may be supplied to the country, as follows from the agency’s statement, published on Friday.

Rosselkhoznadzor informed the Polish State Plant Health and Seed Inspection Service about its concern over the situation, noting that import restrictions might be imposed unless the Polish side took measures to prevent identified violations.

In 2012 and in the last nine months of 2013 alone, Rosselkhoznadzor exposed 21 batches of Polish vegetable products contaminated with quarantine objects. Besides, there were over 900 cases detected in 2013 of non-compliance with international requirements for phytosanitary documents. The Polish side reportedly provided unreliable or distorted information about the country of origin, and the senders and recipients of goods. The exported products lacked marking. And it is also possible that phytosanitary certificates and accompanying documents were improperly executed.

www.freshplaza.com

Magnit grows

FMCG-retailer “Magnit” has published results of its financial activity within October and 10 months in 2013. In October revenues of the retailer have increased by 26.73% — up to 48.6 billion rubles. During this period the company has earned 465.7 billion rubles. It is by 30.19% more than during the same period last year.
During October, 2013 the company opened 93 new stores. The overall amount of stores in the chain equals 7,739.
Following the results of 2013 “Magnit” plans to increase its revenues by 28-29%.

www.retailer.ru

Apple holdings up 10%

About 120 million bushels of U.S. fresh-market apples were in storage as of Nov. 1, 10% more than last year at the same time.

The November total also is 10% higher than the 5-year average, according to the November Market News report from the Vienna, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.

About 99 million bushels of fresh-market apples were still in storage in Washington, according to the report. Michigan had about 8.3 million bushels left to ship, New York 7.4 million and Pennsylvania 1.7 million.

By variety, gala and granny smith holdings were up over last year, and red delicious, fuji and golden delicious were down.

About 21.6 million bushels of galas had yet to be shipped, up from 20.6 million bushels. Granny smith holdings were up from 11.5 million to 14.5 million bushels.

Red delicious holdings dropped from 35.5 million to 35.2 million bushels, fujis from 15.5 million to 13 million bushels and golden delicious from 12.4 million to 10.8 million bushels.

Holdings of traditional Eastern varieties including mcintoshes, jonathans, empires, romes and cortlands were up significantly from 2012, when freezes devastated Michigan and New York crops.

 

www.thepacker.com

Russia is the world apple import leader

According to international experts, Russia is a world leader in the procurement of apples in the foreign market.

Last season, Russia accounted for about 15% of the world apple market. The second largest market for these products has performed in Germany, which accounted for 6% of the supply of apples. United Kingdom with a share of 6% rounds out the top 3.

Then go Netherlands (4%), Mexico (3%), Spain (3%), Egypt (3%), Canada (3%), France (2%), and India (2%).

It should be reminded that in season 2012-2013 Russia has imported 1.34 million tons of apples, which is 10% more than the previous season.

 

www.fruitinfo.ru

GC “Dixy” stocks status is promoted

On November 6, 2013 GC “Dixy” stocks have been added to MICEX “A” first-level list. According to Fedor Rybasov, the vice-president of GC “Dixy”, promotion of the company’s securities status indicates a high level of corporate management and reflects investors’ interest in the retail sector. “The “A” first-level list places the highest requirements for issuing companies, and, therefore, is the most reliable for investors”, – he added.

www.retailer.ru

Dixy receives international recognition

Russian FMCG-retailer Dixy has been declared as «The Best European retail network» and awarded Conecta Premios during the international trade forum «Fruit Attraction» held in Madrid.

As the company says, Dixy has been implementing the direct import of vegetables and fruit since 2010. Right now, 120 companies from 23 countries are suppliers of Dixy. The share of these categories in the company’s net turnover is 13%. Bananas, apples, and tomatoes are all-seasons sales leaders in quantitative and monetary terms.

«Fruit and vegetables are strategically important products in «next to home» stores, but most of fruit and vegetables simply don’t grow in Russia due to its’ climate. That’s why we see a bigger potential in cooperating with European partners», – said Marat Magkeyev, the vice president of logistics and international communication department.

The winners of Conecta Premios among retail networks were chosen by voting of producing companies and suppliers. Grupo El Árbol (“Best quality and freshness”), Carrefour (“Innovative idea”), NaturaSí (“Stable project of ecological supermarket”) and Grupo El Corte Inglés (“Cooperation with supplier”) also became the winners this year.

www.retailer.ru

Auchan develops online sales in Russia

Aresh Alamir has been appointed as a director of e-commerce sales of “Auchan Russia”. Aresh Alamir is also a marketing director and a member of the board of directors at “Auchan Russia”.

Representatives of “Auchan Russia” say that the new appointment has been created because the company pays a lot of attention to the development of e-commerce and sees this direction as an important one.

The new project will involve almost all kinds of products including food, whereas before customers could order online only furniture and garden items.

www.fruitnews.ru

Searches at Sofiyskaya warehouses

The Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reports that are searches conducted at the vegetable warehouse Sofiyskaya in St. Petersburg. The searches are conducted as a part of a fraud criminal case investigation.

According to investigation officers, the criminal case has been initiated over an unreasonable VAT refund by persons acting on behalf of OOO “Nika-Frukt” in 2011-2012. The VAT refund amounted to almost 80 million rubles from the federal budget of the Russian Federation.

The goal of the searches conducted at the vegetable warehouse Sofiyskaya is to discover and impound any items and documents related to the criminal case, as well as those items which are prohibited from civil circulation.

Also the police are going to check the adherence to immigration laws at the vegetable warehouse Sofiyskaya.

Representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora, which are doing business at the warehouse Sofiyskaya, have stated that according to their information sources the city authorities are going to close the vegetable warehouse Sofiyskaya as well as the vegetable warehouse on Salova street.

www.regions.ru

Biryulevo warehouse closed until mid-January

The Moscow city court has found lawful the decision to suspend a vegetable warehouse that turned out to be in the focus of the interethnic conflict in the Moscow district Biryulevo for 90 days. Thus, the appeal from the lawyers of the management company Novye Cheremushki was turned down.

“Checking the arguments, I find the court verdict passed by the judge of the Chertanovsky court lawful,” Judge Aleksander Ponomarev said.

On October 16, the Chertanovsky court satisfied the demand from the territorial branch of the Russian consumer rights watchdog to levy an administrative fine on the closed joint stock company Novye Cheremushki for violation of the legislation in the provision of sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing of people and suspended the vegetable warehouse for three months.

The court verdict took effect on Wednesday.

 

www.itar-tass.com