Shipt, a leading online marketplace, announced that it will expand its same-day delivery service to a new Missouri metro. Beginning May 22, Shipt will deliver an assortment of groceries and home essentials from Dierbergs Markets and Target to residents in Osage Beach, Missouri. Cumulatively, the launch offers almost 9,000 households in Osage Beach access to Dierbergs and Target products, delivered by Shipt in as little as one hour. Shipt members will be able to shop fresh foods and household essentials from Dierbergs and Target, in addition to an assortment of product categories that are unique to each retailer. Source: globenewswire.com
US: Kroger introduces 'OptUp' healthy shopping app
Kroger is introducing a wellness-related app that provides numeric product ratings and a "gamified" dashboard to encourage customers to make better-for-you shopping decisions. The app, called OptUp, offers nutrition scoring based on a nutrient profiling system that has been enhanced by Kroger's registered dietitians. The app also provides healthier recommendations as alternatives to what users tend to purchase, allowing them to evaluate what they buy and track their scores over time.Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Weis Markets sees comps rise for 16th straight quarter
Reporting its quarter-one sales for fiscal 2018, Weis Markets said it enjoyed its 16th straight quarter of growth in comparable-store sales, bolstered by enhanced efficiency at the store level. Benefiting from the Easter sales week, Weis Markets Inc. reported a Q1 sales increase of 2.8% to $876.1mln, compared with the same period in 2017, while comps, adjusted for the holiday shift, edged up 1.5%.Source: progressivegrocer.com
Ireland: strong Dublin growth gives SuperValu largest market share
With a sales growth of 3.1% in the 12 weeks to 22 April, SuperValu is once again the grocery retailer with the largest share (22.3%) in the Irish market. According to Kantar Worldpanel, SuperValu’s growth recently has been especially pronounced in the Dublin region, with sales in the retailer’s Munster heartland remaining steady. This is the first time SuperValu has held top spot alone since July of last year.Source: rte.ie
UK: New Nisa CEO appointed as Co-op deal completes
The Co-op has announced the appointment of Ken Towle as Chief Executive of its newly acquired Nisa subsidiary. The former senior Tesco executive has taken up the role with immediate effect, replacing Arnu Misra who stepped in as interim Nisa CEO in late 2017. The announcement comes on the day that the Co-op's acquisition of the wholesale distributor gained final legal recognition.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Serbia: Mercator continues to slump
Mercator Serbia continued to show a decline in revenues due to the closure of stores, which was undertaken in compliance with the decision of the market regulator. In addition to that Mercator closed unprofitable Velpro centres, as part of the group’s restructuring programme. Also, Serbia suffers from tougher macroeconomic conditions when compared to its Balkan neighbours, with higher inflation and slower GDP growth. Mercator will likely refocus efforts in that market by applying its VCP to boost sales and profitability.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
China: Alibaba buys Pakistani online retailer Daraz
Alibaba has bought Pakistani e-commerce firm Daraz, as the Chinese tech giant looks to increase its presence in South Asia. Financial details of the transaction were undisclosed. Daraz, founded in 2012, is backed by European tech incubator Rocket Internet. It operates in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal as well as Pakistan. "Together with Daraz, we can now empower entrepreneurs to better serve consumers in the region through our technology and expertise," Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said in a statement.Source: cnbc.com
UK: Waitrose partners for two new pop-ups
Two initiatives add excitement to the retailer's counter offer over the summer. In Richmond, Waitrose exclusive brand "unearthed" is popping up at the deli counter, offering premium food-for-now and food-for-later products. In Salisbury, the brand Merchant Gourmet has partnered with Waitrose to offer healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner options featuring grains and pulses. The counter also offers recipe inspiration for recreating dishes at home.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
China: JD.com posts 33.1% increase in first quarter revenue
JD.com has reported a 33.1% increase in revenue for the first quarter ending 31 March 2018. Net revenues for the first quarter of 2018 were CNY100.1bln (US$216.0bln), an increase of 33.1% from the first quarter of 2017. Annual active customer accounts increased by 27.6% to 301.8mln in the twelve months ended March 31, 2018 from 236.5mln in the twelve months ended March 31, 2017. JD.com had approximately 170,000 merchants on its online marketplace as of April 30, 2018, and a total of 163,543 full-time employees as of March 31, 2018.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Musketeers Group to invest over PLN100mln in Poland in 2018
The Musketeers Group is planning to invest over PLN100mln in Poland this year compared to the PLN60mln it invested last year, the company said. “The constant development of the Musketeer Group in Poland is supported by investments – last year they amounted to over PLN60mln, and this year they are to exceed PLN100mln,” the company press release read. The Musketeers Group is an association of over 300 independent Polish entrepreneurs managing Intermarché grocery supermarkets and Bricomarché home and garden supermarkets. Musketeers are present in four European countries: Poland, France, Belgium and Portugal.Source: wbj.pl
Dutch retailer Coop commits to Fairtrade-certified bananas
Dutch retailer Coop is to only sell Fairtrade-certified bananas in its stores, in a move that it says will 'make a difference' for banana producers in Ecuador. "Bananas are the most eaten exotic fruit in the Netherlands, but various international studies show that low banana prices cause abuses in the sector," said Coop's senior category manager, Fresh, Maarten van 't Hof. "Moreover, our customers' demand for honest products and transparency in the supply chain is growing."Source: esmmagazine.com