Ocado Group PLC said that it has signed an agreement with Sweden's ICA Gruppen AB to develop the Swedish retailer's online grocery business, and expects the platform to be implemented by the end of 2020. The London-listed online supermarket said it and ICA will develop a customer fulfilment centre in the greater Stockholm area, with construction expected to take about three years. ICA will also transition its store-pick based operations to the Ocado Smart Platform, Ocado said.Source: marketwatch.com
Latvia retail sales growth accelerates in March
Latvia's retail sales growth accelerated in March after easing in the previous two months, figures from the Central Statistical Bureau showed. Retail sales climbed 6.5% year-over-year in March, faster than the 3.5% rise in February. Turnover of retail trade in food products grew 6.8% annually in February and those of non-food products advanced by 6.4%. On a monthly basis, retail sales rebounded 2.3% from February, when it dropped by 2.4%.Source: markets.businessinsider.com
India: StarQuik to expand online grocery services
StarQuik, the online grocery shopping venture of Tata Group-owned Trent Hypermarket, which runs Star Bazaar, expects to cover 20 outlets this year as it expands its operations to cities like Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad. "We had to change the name from GrocerMax to StarQuik since it now belongs to the Tatas and for FDI regulations since it has a joint venture with Tesco. Currently, we have our operations across 5 stores in Mumbai. By the end of the year, it should be up by 20 stores in new markets as it is a top-up service that we are giving to our existing stores," said K Radhakrishnan, Director, StarQuik and erstwhile founder of GrocerMax, who continues to have a minority stake in the company.Source: thehindubusinessline.com
Australia's Woolworths Q3 sales race past Coles
Australian grocery giant Woolworths Group Ltd reported a 4.4% rise in third-quarter same-store food sales, beating rival Coles’ performance during the same period. Woolworths’ Australian food sales rose 4.7% to A$9.57bln ($7.2bln) for the 13 weeks to April 1, while same-store sales after adjusting for the Easter holiday season were up 4%. Source: reuters.com
Uganda: Shoprite to expand its business after Nakumatt and Uchumi exit
As the regional economy continues to contract, causing the collapse of many businesses, Shoprite is looking to expand its footprint in Uganda. The South African-based retail outlet is hoping to plug into the vacuum left by Kenyan players Nakumatt and Uchumi. The revelation comes just days after the retail outlet opened a new store at Acacia Mall in Kampala with a grand plan to have more two new branches opened soon.Source: kfm.co.ug
Metro Cash and Carry eyes acquisitions to aid digitization plan in India
German wholesaler Metro Group is looking for acquisitions that will aid its ongoing digitization of retail outlets in India, a top company executive said. The Indian arm of Metro will look at opportunities that will aid its B2B journey here. “Most retailers are focused on the B2C and e-commerce opportunity in India. However, we are focused on the B2B opportunity and will look to drive acquisitions and mergers that create shareholder value in this space,” Arvind Mediratta, managing director and chief executive officer, Metro Cash and Carry Pvt. Ltd said in an interview.Source: dealstreetasia.com
US: Peapod expands in Pennsylvania
Peapod is expanding again as it looks to grab a bigger slice of a market that's expected to be worth $100bln by 2025. Peapod is making its online grocery service available in more cities in Pennsylvania. Residents and businesses in Reading, Birdsboro, and Temple communities can now visit peapod.com or Peapod’s mobile app to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, meat, and dairy as well as best-selling national brands and Giant private label products, all of which can now be delivered to their home or workplace. Source: retailleader.com
US: WinCo Foods promotes 34-year vet to president
Grocer WinCo Foods has a new president to lead the chain's next phase of growth. Grant Haag has been named president of WinCo Foods, an employee-owned chain with stores in the western United States as well as Texas and Oklahoma. He will also become CEO next year after Steven Goddard officially steps down. “We firmly believe that Grant is the right choice to lead the company into the future,” said Goddard, who helped select his replacement during a two-year process.Source: retailleader.com
US: Sprouts brings grocery delivery to Denver, San Diego, Sacramento
Sprouts Farmers Market has continued its grocery delivery expansion to now include Denver, San Diego and Sacramento, California. In partnership with third-party grocery delivery service Instacart, Sprouts’ ecommerce program now extends delivery to Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Longmont and Parker, Colorado; as well as Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, San Diego, Carlsbad, El Cajon and La Jolla, California. More than 12,000 products are available via the service, including farm-fresh produce, a wide selection of meat and seafood, dairy goods, frozen foods, and bulk items. Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Publix sales surge in Q1
Publix Super Markets' first quarter surged by 6.8% to $9.3bln, while comparable-store sales improved by 5.1%. The Lakeland, Florida-based retailer said sales benefited by 1.2% due to a calendar shift that moved Easter sales to the first quarter this year vs. the second quarter a year ago. Net earnings for the period of $680.3mln increased by 22.5%, and earnings per share climbed to 93 cents from 73 cents.Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
Amazon offers to buy 60% stake in India's Flipkart: CNBC-TV18
Amazon.com Inc has made a formal offer to buy a 60% stake in Indian online retailer Flipkart, CNBC-TV18 reported, citing sources. Amazon also offered Flipkart a breakup fee of $2bln, the TV channel reported. Amazon’s bid is likely to be on par with Walmart Inc’s bid for the Indian e-commerce company, CNBC-TV18 reported.Source: reuters.com