GERMANY: The German cartel office has given its approval for Rewe Group's Penny chain to acquire 328 Plus outlets. Penny, which specialises in discount food, will have more than 2,400 locations nationwide. Rewe Group said turnover at Penny will rise from €6.6bn (£5.56bn) to around €7.6bn (£6.4bn) thanks to the acquisition.
The number of employees will grow by 2,200 to 23,200. Rewe Group says the acquisition will help Penny bolster its store base in rural areas and dense urban locations. Penny has stores in Germany, Austria, Italy, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
USA: Wal-Mart has reached a $1.45m (£940,000) settlement with the state of California for price-scanning errors dating back several years. In December 2005 an investigation found a typical customer was overcharged an average of $8.40 (£5.45) per visit because some shelf prices were lower than those processed by the till scanners. State investigators found cases of this happening from December 2004 to December 2007.
As part of the settlement, Wal-Mart agreed to give customers $3 (£1.94) if the price scanned is more than the price advertised and will pay $1.45m in penalties to the state's Consumer Protection Prosecution Trust Fund.
"Wal-Mart always strives for 100% pricing accuracy," the company said in a statement. "If we find price discrepancies we are committed to making it right for our customers, and we're instituting additional practices to do that."
HUNGARY: Farmers in Hungary last week blocked the roads outside the warehouses of several supermarkets to protest about foreign imports. Meat and dairy farmers demanded retailers guarantee 80% of the products stocked be home-produced, and also demanded they be paid on time, according to reports. Warehouses in the towns of Gyal, Alsónémedi and Budaörs were blocked, prompting Hungarian agriculture association MOSZ to propose talks between the producers, suppliers and consumer representatives. Retailers claimed they did give preference to Hungarian meat and dairy products and said they were open to talks with farmers.
USA: Amish farmers in the US are embroiled in a legal battle with the US Department of Agriculture over RFID tagging of cattle, claiming the practice threatens their religious beliefs. The Amish community's resistance of modern conveniences means they shun cars and electricity, and object to RFID tags on the grounds that only God should have dominion over animals.
But the USDA has asked for the case to be dismissed, pointing out that RFID tagging cattle is voluntary. The Amish argue that, despite being able to opt out, the scheme's existence threatens their religious beliefs as it is part of an ongoing attempt to number every living thing.
The number of employees will grow by 2,200 to 23,200. Rewe Group says the acquisition will help Penny bolster its store base in rural areas and dense urban locations. Penny has stores in Germany, Austria, Italy, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
USA: Wal-Mart has reached a $1.45m (£940,000) settlement with the state of California for price-scanning errors dating back several years. In December 2005 an investigation found a typical customer was overcharged an average of $8.40 (£5.45) per visit because some shelf prices were lower than those processed by the till scanners. State investigators found cases of this happening from December 2004 to December 2007.
As part of the settlement, Wal-Mart agreed to give customers $3 (£1.94) if the price scanned is more than the price advertised and will pay $1.45m in penalties to the state's Consumer Protection Prosecution Trust Fund.
"Wal-Mart always strives for 100% pricing accuracy," the company said in a statement. "If we find price discrepancies we are committed to making it right for our customers, and we're instituting additional practices to do that."
HUNGARY: Farmers in Hungary last week blocked the roads outside the warehouses of several supermarkets to protest about foreign imports. Meat and dairy farmers demanded retailers guarantee 80% of the products stocked be home-produced, and also demanded they be paid on time, according to reports. Warehouses in the towns of Gyal, Alsónémedi and Budaörs were blocked, prompting Hungarian agriculture association MOSZ to propose talks between the producers, suppliers and consumer representatives. Retailers claimed they did give preference to Hungarian meat and dairy products and said they were open to talks with farmers.
USA: Amish farmers in the US are embroiled in a legal battle with the US Department of Agriculture over RFID tagging of cattle, claiming the practice threatens their religious beliefs. The Amish community's resistance of modern conveniences means they shun cars and electricity, and object to RFID tags on the grounds that only God should have dominion over animals.
But the USDA has asked for the case to be dismissed, pointing out that RFID tagging cattle is voluntary. The Amish argue that, despite being able to opt out, the scheme's existence threatens their religious beliefs as it is part of an ongoing attempt to number every living thing.
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