“Micro visits,” or visits lasting between three and five minutes, were up 11% at Whole Foods stores featuring Amazon Lockers since August, according to Reuters, citing data from inMarket. Stores in the same cities that don't have the lockers saw a 7% rise in quick trips. inMarket pooled data from 98 Whole Foods stores in 10 cities, including New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta. Nationwide, micro visits make up 9% of all store trips, inMarket noted, with Whole Foods lagging at 6.5%. Launched in 2012, Amazon Lockers store packages for consumers to pick up using a unique digital code. The service is popular among shoppers living in apartment buildings, and among those wary of “porch pirates.” 7-Eleven stores in more than 300 cities also have Amazon lockers in them.Source: fooddive.com
CAN: Flashfood launches ugly produce delivery service
Things are getting “ugly” for Toronto startup Flashfood. The service, which debuted last year offering surplus food from grocery retailers at discounted prices, is launching a delivery service called Flashfoodbox that will bring 8 lb. to 9 lb. of misshapen fruits and vegetables to customers’ door for $26.50. The company has partnered with a handful of growers and farmers in the Leamington, Ontario region – home to more than 60% of the greenhouses in Ontario – who will supply misshapen produce including carrots, peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, root vegetables, fruits, etc.Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Shipt and Target to launch same-day delivery across New England
Shipt, a leading online marketplace, and Target Corporation announced they will begin same-day delivery of more than 55,000 groceries, essentials, home, electronics, toys and other products across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Beginning April 10, 2018 Shipt will deliver from Target stores in the following metro areas: Massachusetts: Fall River, New Bedford, Springfield, and Worcester. New Hampshire: Concord, Manchester, and Nashua. Rhode Island: Providence and surrounding areas. Beginning April 12, 2018, Shipt will deliver from Target stores in Boston, including the North and South Shore.Source: globenewswire.com
Denmark: Irma embarks on urban transformation programme
Coop Danmark’s Irma chain is leading a new strategy, ‘The Urban Irma 2018-2022’. The retailer has identified two groups of people as central to its urban strategy: ‘Idealists’ – meeting the needs of those who support ‘animal welfare, ecology, vegetarian and plant based food and a better world’ and ‘Food lovers’, which relates to taste and food happiness. The strategy will focus on Greater Copenhagen and other metropolitan areas. As a result, stores will be renovated and modernized, while there will also be a number of new store openings.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Germany: Metro to try new approach to wage deal blockage at Real
German retailer Metro said it is trying a new approach to find a new wage deal with employees at its struggling Real hypermarket chain after two years of talks with trade union Verdi failed to yield results. Metro said in a statement it would try to reach a more modern and flexible agreement under the auspices of the AHD business association, adding that Real’s management wanted to avoid cuts to the salaries of existing employees.Source: reuters.com
South Africa: Massmart to open 20 stores in pan-African expansion
South African retailer Massmart is continuing its pan-African expansion with plans to open about 20 new stores outside its home market over the next three years, the company’s chairman said. Massmart, majority-owned by U.S. retail giant Walmart, sells goods ranging from food and televisions to refrigerators and operates nearly 400 stores, including 42 across 12 countries outside South Africa.Source: uk.reuters.com
Holland: Jumbo anticipates 20% sales increase in run up to Easter
Dutch retailer Jumbo says that it is expecting 'significantly more customers' in its supermarkets this week ahead of Easter, with sales estimated to increase by around 20%. The supermarket operator also says that it anticipates twice as many customers to order groceries online than during a regular week, through the retailer's website and shopping app.Source: esmmagazine.com
France: Carrefour launches its own mobile payment solution
In an effort to step up its digital transformation, French Carrefour is introducing a new way of paying for goods bought in its 3000 French Carrefour stores and beyond. Carrefour Pay is designed as a proprietary mobile app, currently only available to Android users with PASS MasterCards or C-Zam cards, but which will be compatible with all bank cards before the year is over. The app, which takes its name from the Apple Pay app launched in June 2016, will also be available in Belgian Carrefour stores, says Baptiste van Outryve: "Provided that the app is used in a Carrefour store that accepts contactless NFC technology, payments using Carrefour Pay with a French PASS MasterCard or C-Zam card will pose no problem."Source: retaildetail.eu
Co-op to host first supermarkets at UK music festivals
The Co-op has announced an exclusive partnership with Live Nation to become the first UK food retailer to have a supermarket at four major summer music festivals. Download, Latitude, and Reading and Leeds festivals will all welcome the convenience retailer into their grounds for the first time. The deal will see Co-op operate a 6,000 square foot shop at each of the four festivals to cater for 200,000 festival goers. Each store will stock a wide range of items, including food, water, beer and wine, toiletries and medicines.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Germany: Lidl will soon start selling BMW's
German discount chain Lidl will soon sell BMW cars. It has signed a deal with the German car manufacturers to ship company cars. Lidl’s company cars are currently all from Audi, but the German competitor has now stolen away that contract. Lidl would get a 48 to 50 % discount on the catalog pricing, where Audi was only willing to give 42 %. More remarkable is that those company cars will then be sold through Lidl. Several locations across Germany will start selling those cars after six months, but it is not clear which pricing Lidl will use. BMW will ship 10,000 cars per year in any case.Source: retaildetail.eu