Number of promotions in UK stores falls by 25%: IRI
The pressure on UK retailers to be more transparent in their pricing has seen the number of promotions fall to their lowest levels in 10 years, according to a new study from IRI. The study shows that there has been a 25% reduction in the number of items on offer in stores since November 2012, when the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) first released its guidelines on promotions. As a result, UK shoppers will receive £3.7 billion less in promotional savings in 2017. (esmmagazine.com) Losses keep growing for HelloFresh
The company’s turnover reached 435 million euro in the first half of 2017, up 49 % compared to the year before. Unfortunately for HelloFresh, profit did not reflect that same growth. In the end, it suffered a 56.7 million euro net loss, worse than the 52.9 million euro loss from last year’s first half. Most of that comes on the back of its expansion into new markets, which required a lot of marketing spending. (retaildetail.eu)Alibaba's Chinese rival JD.com stumbles as losses widen
JD.com, China's second-largest e-commerce firm, on Monday said its net loss widened in the second quarter, as marketing costs damped the impact of higher-than-forecast revenue growth. China's main rival to Alibaba Group reported net loss attributable to shareholders of 496.4 million yuan ($74.43 million), from 252.3 million yuan in the same period a year earlier. That was on revenue which grew 43.6 percent to 93.2 billion yuan, well above its forecast range of 88 billion to 90.5 billion yuan. (cnbc.com) Amazon evaluating a food future with shelf-stable prepared meals
Amazon is evaluating a technology that creates shelf-stable prepared meals, according to Fortune. The process, called microwave assisted thermal sterilization, or MATS, and can keep food fresh for up to a year without needing to be refrigerated or frozen. Amazon has met with researchers at Washington State University who have developed MATS technology with the U.S. military. Experts say Amazon could see significant cost and supply advantages with shelf-stable prepared foods. (fooddive.com)
Auchan to open first supermarket outlet in Romania
French grocer Auchan will open its first supermarket in Romania, where it currently operates hypermarkets and convenience stores, by the end of 2017, reports SeeNews.com. The outlet will have approximately 2,300 metres of floor space, and will be located in the Bucur Obor commercial complex in Bucharest. (esmmagazine.com) Spar Albania to open four new supermarkets
Spar Albania is planning to open four new supermarkets in Korça, Elbasan, Lezha and Tirana over the next few months. Spar has been present in the Albanian market for almost a year and already operates three Interspar hypermarkets and 23 Spar supermarkets throughout the country. (esmmagazine.com) Carrefour Brasil sees 3.4% drop in Q2 net profit
Carrefour Brasil has reported a net profit of R$299 million (€79.3 million) in the second quarter of 2017, down by 3.4% on the same period last year. However, net revenue grew by 7.9% year-on-year to R$12.29 billion (€3.26 billion), with capital expenditure of R$507 million (+20.5%), 42% of which was directed at opening new stores. (esmmagazine.com) Mercadona reopens stores in Tenerife and Mallorca
Spanish retailer Mercadona has reopened two of its stores on the islands of Tenerife and Mallorca following a multi-million euro modernisation project. The retailer's Tíncer outlet in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was refurbished with an investment of €2.1 million, and now has a sales area of 1,635 square metres. (esmmagazine.com)US: Target to improve speed of delivery
As part of its plans to improve its ecommerce experience, Target is acquiring Grand Junction, a technology company that helps retailers make deliveries faster and more efficiently. This will provide the retailer with access to Grand Junction’s technology and carrier network, accelerating the work it’s undertaking to improve its speed of delivery. It will boost Target’s ability to offer same-day delivery and assembly and installation services to its customers. Recently, the retailer has been working with Grand Junction on a same-day delivery pilot at its store in Tribeca, New York. This will be extended to more stores in the city, before potentially extending to other cities next year. (igd.com)Amazon.com's Bezos to be inducted into Logistics Hall of Fame
Jeffrey Preston Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, has been elected to the Logistics Hall of Fame as a revolutionizer of e-commerce and logistics. Bezos revolutionized logistics in the mail order sector. In the words of the jury, he was the first to realize that software and logistics are key to the shift from purchasing-driven trading to demand-driven online trading. Thanks to a combination of software, efficient delivery, automation and long-term strategy, the computer scientist transformed transport logistics and intralogistics from the ground up, making Amazon a benchmark for the sector as a whole. In 2016 Amazon had a turnover of more than $135 billion. (maritime-executive.com)