US: Walmart to invest $250mln in joint venture with content firm Eko: source
Walmart Inc has signed a joint venture with Eko, a developer of interactive video content, to attract shoppers and boost customer engagement, and will invest $250mln in the venture as well as a funding round, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Scott McCall, senior vice president for entertainment, toys and seasonal (products) for Walmart U.S. confirmed the venture to Reuters in an interview but declined to comment on the investment amount.
Source: reuters.com
US: BJ’s set to ‘Welcome One and All’
BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. will roll out Welcome One and All, a free event running from October 15 through to November, 4 that will enable all shoppers to experience the benefits of BJ’s membership, without any fee or commitment. For the duration of the event, all visitors to BJ’s can take advantage of its value prices and enhanced assortment, as well as to find out about its new digital features. The retailer’s recently expanded offering of online shopping options for members includes Shop BJ’s.com - Pick Up in Club, add-to-card digital coupons, same-day delivery and the BJ’s mobile app.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: King Kullen's website now offers improved customer engagement for brands
King Kullen Grocer Co. is now featuring sponsored product listings on its website, allowing brands to boost their products above other results in search rankings. The media solution is made possible through MyWebGrocer (MWG), offering CPGs even greater digital marketing flexibility to make meaningful shopper connections and drive sales. Through the feature, MWG also offers differentiated reporting transparency that gives brands the ability to optimize campaign performance.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Amazon to establish an $80mln distribution center
Amazon's distribution center tally continues to grow with its fulfilment center needs. This week, Retail Insight Network reported that Amazon is entering into a lease agreement to establish an $80mln distribution center in Greenwood, South Carolina. “Greenwood is pleased to welcome Amazon to the community. It’s a strong sign for our city when the world’s second largest company chooses Greenwood to invest more than $80mln and $2mln in public infrastructure,” Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said in a statement. “They plan to hire more than 1,250 people and pay them more than double the current minimum wage in Indiana. It’s a win-win for all involved, and we look forward to a promising future.”
Source: delimarketnews.com
Carrefour Brazil to double sales of organic products by 2020
Carrefour Brazil is seeking to double sales of organic products by 2020, according to company president Noël Prioux. Currently, organic products, on average, account for around 0.6% of total sales in Brazil. In addition to doubling participation by 2020, Prioux believes that it would be possible to rapidly achieve a 5% share, due to growing consumer interest in healthy products, reports daily O Estado de Sao Paulo. As part of the retailer's 'Act for Food' movement, Carrefour plans to invest in changes in store visuals and logistics to help transport products shipped by small suppliers or producers from states located far from the group's stores.
Source: esmmagazine.com
eBay Fulfilment and eBay Shipping launched in Germany
eBay has launched two new services in Germany to help retailers selling their products online: eBay Fulfilment and eBay Shipping. With the fulfilment program and logistics solutions, eBay sellers are now in the position to offer next day delivery. After the pilot project has been completed successfully, eBay Germany will now start the program in the beta phase. Under the name Multichannel Logistik Services, eBay offers two kinds of services: fulfilment program eBay and Fulfilment and logistics solution eBay Shipping. The fulfilment program is done in cooperation with Fiege, Hermes and Plentymarkets, while eBay Versand (eBay Shipping) is done together with DPD.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Italy: Gruppo VéGé gets two new partners
Italian retailer cooperative Gruppo VéGé will expand its company structure with the incorporation of two new members on 1 January 2019, the company has announced. Vega Società Cooperativa is a cooperative based in Northeast Italy (Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia) operating more than 400 stores across various formats, including food store banners Maxi, Supermercati Super W, and Spak Supermercati. The company was previously a part of Gruppo VéGé (then known as Interdis), but seven years ago switched to rival Distribuzione Italiana (D.it). Also returning is Fratelli Morgese, a local grocery retailer in the Campania region, owned by the Morgese family. It operates a network of 22 stores (under the Euroesse banner) and a cash and carry. Company founder Carlo Morgese was one of the founders of Gruppo VéGé 60 years ago. Fratelli Morgese is leaving the Auchan retail group to join Gruppo VéGé.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Aldi and Dachser extend UK and Irish partnership with five-year deal
Discount retailer Aldi and German logistics company Dachser have signed a new five-year contract which will see Dachser provide a warehouse platform as well as a UK and Ireland distribution services for a wide range of Aldi’s products. The two groups have been working together for more than 25 years, with the logistics provider offering more and more customs services for the German-based retailer.
Source: checkout.ie
Denmark: Netto opens its first Swedish 100% R290 store
Danish multinational retailer Netto has opened its first Swedish store to use propane for 100% of its refrigeration needs. Netto has opened its first store in Sweden to use natural refrigerant propane (R290) for 100% of its refrigeration needs. The discount supermarket in the city of Perstorp, which opened at the end of September, operates on a propane-based waterloop refrigeration solution by Lithuanian firm FREOR. In the Perstorp store, Coolfors - FREOR’s partner in Sweden - installed JUPITER multideck cabinets and high-capacity JUPITER ROLL-IN multidecks, both of which are part of FREOR’s Green Wave R290 portfolio.
Source: hydrocarbons21.com
Germany: Smaller online stores hardly grow
Although ecommerce in Germany continued to increase last year, the growth is increasingly shifting to the top online retailers. Smaller online stores in Germany can hardly grow anymore. This is shown by a recent EHI study. Last year, the 1,000 top-selling online stores in Germany generated revenue worth 42.8bln euros. That’s an increase of 8.1% compared to the previous year. But there’s a worrying development going on in Germany, Internet World Business writes. “The growth is increasingly shifting to the top of the ecommerce, an increase in sales is becoming increasingly difficult for smaller online retailers”, the blog comments.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Italy: Esselunga extends e-commerce service to Rome
Italian supermarket chain Esselunga has announced that it has extended its online shopping service, EsselungaaCasa, to the city of Rome. Initially, it will be available in some central districts of the city, including Pinciano, Flaminio, Villa Borghese, Nomentano, and Tiburtino. It is expected to be extended throughout the Italian capital over the coming months. After registering, customers can shop by browsing the website, or via the Esselunga app. The online shop offers an assortment of over 15,000 products, including meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, fresh bread, ready-to-eat dishes, frozen foods, packaged foods, wine, detergents, perfumes, and personal hygiene products.
Source: esmmagazine.com