USA: Tesco is to launch a US version of Clubcard in a bid to turn around the performance of its embattled Fresh & Easy chain. It is launching a trial of a new card, Friends of Fresh & Easy, in seven stores in central California. The scheme will begin in the autumn. Fresh & Easy CEO Tim Mason said he planned to roll out the loyalty card across the entire US chain in February if the trial proved successful. The move comes after Fresh & Easy reported losses of £186m ($299m) in the year to February.

Walmart, SuperValu and Walgreens have teamed up with America's first lady Michelle Obama to support her campaign to deliver healthier foods to low-income areas. The three retail giants are planning on opening or expanding a total of 1,500 stores in 'food deserts', creating tens of thousands of jobs. Walmart and Supervalu plan to open 250 stores each, and Walgreens will expand its existing ranges in at least 1,000 stores to include more fresh fruit and veg and other healthy choices.

BELGIUM: Delhaize has been cleared to purchase 100% of the Delta Maxi retail chain after the Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition ruled the purchase does not limit, harm or obstruct competition in Serbia. The commission also concluded that Delhaize would boost fortunes of Serbian suppliers. Delhaize will pay £822m for Delta Maxi and inherit £264m of its debt. The deal was originally signed on 3 March, but the commission announced it would investigate whether it harmed competition in Serbia on 21 April.

INDIA: Hypercity has joined forces with ITM Group to launch a postgraduate programme in retail. It offers paid internships and guaranteed placements for students who complete the course. The first semester is campus-based, while the second will see them working at a Hypercity store. The final six months are for a full-time paid internship.

BRAZIL: The Carrefour SA merger with Cia has fallen through after Carrefour's main backer, Brazil's national development bank, pulled out following protests by Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA, which claimed the transaction would violate an agreement allowing it to become Pao de Acucar's sole controlling shareholder in 2012. The news comes after Carrefour announced a 23% decline in first-half profits following weak domestic sales. CFO Pierre Bouchut subsequently announced that Carrefour will present a plan to revive domestic operations on 31 August.

AUSTRALIA: The supermarket war is hotting up as a new contender enters the ring. Costco has opened a store in Sydney its second in Australia. A third opens in Canberra on Friday, and Costco states it is looking to open a "number of outlets" as it wrestles for a share of the £53bn-a-year grocery market. Meanwhile, established players Coles and Woolworths continue to battle Coles slashed prices on 5,000 store items, cutting milk and bread to a round dollar, before Woolworths hit back, freezing the price of fruit and vegetables for a year.

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