VkusVill, a fast growing Russian supermarket chain with revenues of more than $1.3 billion (€1.16 billion) in 2019, plans to open a store in the Netherlands within weeks and later in France as it considers a future initial public offering (IPO) in New York, reports Reuters. Founder Andrey Krivenko said that VkusVill, which on average opens two new stores in Russia every working day, hopes to open its doors in the Netherlands, most likely in Amsterdam, this spring, selling food from local producers as it does in Russia.
Final-year Culinary Arts students from Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) will take over the kitchen of Waterford's Bellissimo restaurant for four nights from March 24-27. The 12 students have created tasting menus with a strong focus on local produce and will be working in Bellissimo's kitchen at the event in a variety of roles, from pastry specialist to head chef. The aim of the event, which will be presented by WIT, Pallas Foods and ABP in partnership with Bellissimo, is to highlight how creative and rewarding a career as a chef can be.
France's Auchan said its performance this year will be dependent on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak after 2019 results on Friday showed the first benefits of the retailer's revival plan. In order to improve its results, unlisted Auchan has cut costs and closed or sold non-profitable stores in France, Russia, China and elsewhere. It has also exited loss-making operations in Italy and Vietnam.
Belgian retailer Colruyt Group has introduced basil grown in its own vertical farms under its Boni Selection store brand. The herb is available in 31 Bio-Planet stores and online via the Collect&Go service. The retailer plans to roll out vertically farmed coriander later in the year. In November 2018, the retail group announced that it has developed a new 'vertical farming' system, which will enable high quality plants to be grown with a small ecological footprint.
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
