Italy-based online same-day grocery delivery service Supermercato24 has reportedly raised €13mln in a Series B funding round. Supermercato24 is active in more than 20 Italian cities, using personal shoppers to pick goods from participating local stores and delivering them to the customers. According to a report on TechCrunch, the company charges the online shoppers for delivery (with an option premium for one-hour delivery) and also raises revenue from fees charged to the merchant/retailer.Source: postandparcel.info
AUS: Melbourne’s 1st permanent pay-as-you-feel supermarket, using rescued food, to open in July
Not-for-profit vegetarian eatery Lentil as Anything announced plans to extend its pay-as-you-feel approach to a new supermarket. The store, stocked with supplies from food-rescue program Food Without Borders, will be housed at the Lentil as Anything Thornbury location in a space formerly used for events. Shoppers can name their price, and those who can’t afford to pay for their goods are welcome to take what they need at no cost. It’s reported that Australians waste up to 4mln tonnes of food annually, and discard up to 20% of the food they purchase.
Source: broadsheet.com.au
Not-for-profit vegetarian eatery Lentil as Anything announced plans to extend its pay-as-you-feel approach to a new supermarket. The store, stocked with supplies from food-rescue program Food Without Borders, will be housed at the Lentil as Anything Thornbury location in a space formerly used for events. Shoppers can name their price, and those who can’t afford to pay for their goods are welcome to take what they need at no cost. It’s reported that Australians waste up to 4mln tonnes of food annually, and discard up to 20% of the food they purchase.Source: broadsheet.com.au
Colruyt Group raised its turnover by 3.4 % to 9bln euro in its broken fiscal year 2017/18, excluding the sale of its food service division Pro à Pro. That turnover growth was caused by higher prices, a larger sales area and organic growth, the retailer said. Despite analysts expecting the contrary, Colruyt kept its gross profit margin at 26.0 % and its net profit margin at 4.1 % (374mln euro). A lower margin in the first part of the year, due to a higher pressure on prices, was compensated by higher margins in the second part of the year as competition in the Belgian retail market became less tough. Retail turnover rose by 3.1 % to 7.5bln euro, as the combined market share of Colruyt, OKay and Spar grew from 31.7 to 31.8 %. Wholesale turnover (including Spar and Alvo) went up 1.7% to 728mln euro, and online turnover climbed to 370mln euro. As big national brands raised their prices, Colruyt noticed that the market share of its private labels became bigger. A point of concern is that supermarkets near the Belgian border suffered from the higher taxes on alcohol.Source: retaildetail.eu
India: Metro partnering with suppliers
Metro AG in India has partnered with five firms to supply exclusive brands directly to kirana stores, which are small neighbourhood grocery stores. India is one of Metro's 'focus expansion countries' and it saw strong growth in 2017. With an estimated 10-12mln kirana stores across India, they offer a large business opportunity and Metro currently sells products to nearly 2.5mln of them. It has also been providing door step delivery for harder to reach stores. Metro is the largest cash-and-carry operator in the country and has been looking to increase its reach. However it has been difficult to set up efficient distribution, especially to smaller, more rural areas. This latest partnership follows on from an announcement in May, where it said it would be looking to expand further through acquisitions in business to business space, one segment of which comprises the small grocery stores and kiranas.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Biggest online retailer in Romania invests EUR120mln this year
eMAG, the biggest online retailer in Romania, has ongoing investments of EUR120mln this year, including the development of a big logistics center on the Bucharest-Pitesti highway. Last year, the company invested EUR63mln, mainly in technology (EUR27mln) and international development (EUR24mln). The retailer increased its turnover in Romania by 28% in 2017, to RON2.58bln (EUR555mln). Overall, the group’s turnover on the four markets on which it operates, namely Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland, reached RON4.06bln (EUR873mln). The company reached 7.57mln clients on these markets.Source: romania-insider.com
Denmark: Catella advises Coop in mega transaction in Aarhus
Catella Corporate Finance has acted as financial advisor to Coop in the sale of an attractive 131.300 sq.m. real estate portfolio in Aarhus to Dades A/S. Coop, one of Denmark's largest retail companies, has sold the business-, campus- and retail portfolio in Aarhus South to one of Denmark's largest privately held real-estate companies Dades A/S. Dades A/S is owned by Novo Holdings, Tryghedsgruppen and Aase and Ejnar Danielsen's Fund. Catella Corporate Finance conducted a structured bidding process that has proven successful and generated significant amounts of interest among both Danish and international investors.Source: prnewswire.co.uk
Auchan Retail Portugal launches mobile shopping list app
Auchan Retail Portugal has launched a new mobile application which enables consumers to register products and manage their shopping lists. The Jumbo app will be available at 34 stores trading under the the Jumbo and Pão de Açúcar brands in Portugal and the retailer says it will help reduce the time spent on a typical in-store shopping trip by 30%. In addition to saving time, consumers can get put together family's shopping list through the app, with every family member able to add the products they want via their individual smartphones. In-store, shoppers can register products by reading the QR codes as they are placed in the bag. At the end of the shopping process, there is no need to remove products from the shopping cart or basket when paying, speeding up the process, with payment made on via Scan Expresso check-out tills.Source: esmmagazine.com
Amazon launches Prime in Australia
Amazon has rolled out its Prime membership service in Australia, as it looks to further develop its offer in the market. The new service will hopefully drive increased loyalty for the online retailer, opening up what it describes as 'the most extensive set of Prime benefits at launch for any country'. Services available to those that sign up will include: voice-enabled shopping via Alexa devices, free two-day delivery, Prime Video, Prime Reading and Twitch Prime. Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
US: Publix Delivery to expand in central Florida
Publix Delivery powered by Instacart will expand on June 28 to Publix’s hometown of Lakeland, Florida, and its surrounding areas, among them Auburndale, Bartow, Haines City, Mulberry, Plant City and Winter Haven. Publix Delivery is a collaboration between Publix Super Markets and San Francisco-based grocery delivery service Instacart that enables customers to order the supermarket chain’s groceries online and have them delivered when and where they want.Source: progressivegrocer.com
Aldi named America's grocery value leader for the eighth consecutive year
Aldi, one of the fastest growing retailers in the country, continues to dominate the competition when it comes to value. For the eighth consecutive year, the grocery retailer has been named the Value Leader by Market Force Information, which surveyed nearly 13,000 U.S. consumers. In addition to earning the top spot for value, Aldi moved up to No. 4 among America's Favorite Grocery Stores, as measured by customer satisfaction and loyalty. When surveyed, Aldi customers were among the most loyal and least likely to switch to a different grocery store. Aldi was also the only grocery retailer among the top five to increase its loyalty score year-over-year. "The grocery industry is fiercely competitive," said Aldi CEO Jason Hart. "Maintaining the No. 1 position for value highlights our constant commitment to offer customers high-quality food at the low prices they deserve."Source: prnewswire.com