Farmers in southern Spain fear extreme drought and consecutive heatwaves this year could cut olive oil output in the world's largest producer by nearly a third in the 2022/23 season. ASAJA, an association of young farmers in the main olive-growing region of Andalusia, estimated last week that Spain would produce about 1 million tonnes of olive oil, down from 1.48 million tonnes pressed in the 2021/22 harvest, according to the latest official data from May. Primitivo Fernandez, head of the National Association of Edible Oil Bottlers, who cited this estimate in a phone conversation with Reuters, said it was too early to forecast the exact impact, "but it is almost certain that we will produce less than last year's harvest.
Londis and local Londis Retailers, Annie Timothy of Londis Abbeytown and Jim Casey of Londis Roscommon are jointly sponsoring the Londis Roscommon Handicap race and the Family Fun Evening area on Monday next, August 15th. This is the first time the hugely popular Family Fun Evening event is being hosted since the advent of the Covid-19 Pandemic and promises to be bigger and better than ever for what is one of the highlights of the Roscommon Racecourse’s summer schedule. There will also be a Bewley’s Airstream mobile tea and coffee van for patrons to the race night with a request for a donation to Londis’ official charity partner, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, in lieu of charging for the refreshments. The Family Fun area, sponsored by Londis, promises to provide terrific entertainment for all with a carousel ride, face painting, inflatable basketball and hoola hoop games all laid on for children and families to enjoy throughout the night. Go Racing will film the evening live and Jim Casey and Annie Timothy will be presenting the winning trophy at the end of the Londis Roscommon Handicap race (7.30pm).
Spain's DIA Group has said that the first half of its financial year represented a 'turning point' for the business, as it reported a 8.5% increase in net sales compared to the same period last year, reports Esmmagazine.com. 'The positive effects of the transformation are beginning to be seen,' it said in a statement. The sales growth came despite a reduction in store count (by 4.3%), with Spain, Argentina and Brazil the main drivers of its performance – particularly through private-label sales and sales through franchises.
Italian regional grocery retailer Multicedi is planning to invest €100 million over the next three years with the goal of expanding to central and southern Italy, reports Esmmagazine.com. By the end of 2022, some 60 new openings are planned (30 in the Campania region and 30 between Puglia and Lazio) with another 41 to follow in 2023 (10 in Campania, 15 in Puglia, 10 in Lazio, three in Basilicata, two in Abruzzo, and one in Molise). In 2024, some 33 openings are planned in Campania and 15 in Lazio, according to daily Il Sole 24 Ore. Among the most important projects is also the modernisation and automation of Pastorano Cedi, where the company headquarters and logistics platform are located.
© 2022 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
