Russian grocery market leader X5 and Mail.ru Group, one of the largest investors in the Eastern European online sector, will cooperate in the field of targeted online advertising. As the retailer revealed in a press release, the partnership is aimed at measuring the impact of targeted online advertising on offline sales. Anonymized data will be accessible to myTarget platform clients.Source: retailytics.com
Ireland: Supervalu acquisitions boost, but wholesale earnings slip
Supervalu’s wholesale division once again led the way with a 52% increase in net sales to $2.89bln thanks to new store sales and the company’s Unified Grocers business, which it acquired last summer. But wholesale earnings slipped 11.5%, to $46mln, due to “the mix impact of the acquired Unified Grocers business contributing to operating earnings at a lower percent of net sales and higher trucking and logistics costs,” according to the company. Retail net sales slipped to $1.02bln from $1.06bln during the year-ago period, while same-store sales decreased 3.5%. Retail operating losses were $6mln, including $3mln for expenses related to store closures.Source: fooddive.com
UK: Ocado unveils robot prototype
UK online supermarket Ocado is on a quest to automate its business as much as possible, experimenting with technology from flexible robot hands (for packing soft fruit) to self-driving delivery vehicles. Its latest robotic addition to the team is a prototype bot that’s designed to help human technicians in warehouses. The ARMAR-6 robot is being developed by Ocado with help from a number of universities, including Switzerland’s EPFL and the UK’s UCL. The work is part of an EU-funded project to develop collaborative robots (or co-bots) that can safely work alongside humans.Source: theverge.com
UK: Booker reports Q3 trading figures
Booker, the leading UK food & grocery retailer shortly to merge with Tesco, has announced trading figures for the 16 weeks to 29 December, showing a step up in performance versus Q2 with total sales increased by 3.4%. Like-for-like sales proved even stronger with growth of 3.8%.Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
2017 in review: ten most important events in Romania’s retail
Modern retail is an about EUR11bln market with more than 2,000 stores, dominated by ten international groups. The sector continued to expand in 2017, at the same rate in as the last few years when 150 to 250 stores have been opened annually. The market is also reconfiguring as a result of deals, either between existing foreign players (Lidl – Penny Market) or between foreign chains and local retailers. New names are looking at Romania, a market where retail sales are seeing one of the highest growth rates in the EU.Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
Switzerland: Migros develops its technological capabilities
Switzerland's grocery market leader Migros has been introducing new technological initiatives, improving its capabilities. The use of mobile is increasingly shaping the development of the online channel, with shoppers using mobiles to research as well as purchase goods. Migros has improved its online content for shoppers, providing more personalised and accessible information. This has led to a 20% increase in site visits and a 28% increase in mobile traffic. Migros has also introduced cutting edge technology into its stores, giving employees access to the latest products and promotions and enabling them to deliver better customer service.Source: retailanalysis.igd.co
US: Kroger to close Clarksdale store
Kroger is closing its store in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The store is located at 870 State Street and has been open since 1987. The store's closing date has not been announced. It's also unclear what will happen to the employees working at the store. Source: wmcactionnews5.com
US: Shipt grocery delivery expands with H-E-B across Texas
Shipt, a leading online grocery marketplace, announced that it will launch service in new markets across the state of Texas. Beginning January 18, 2018, Shipt will begin offering home delivery from H-E-B stores in Abilene, Brownsville, McAllen, the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro area, and the Midland/Odessa metro area.Source: markets.businessinsider.com
US: Albertsons Companies’ O Organics hits $1bln brand milestone
Albertsons Companies announced that its popular Own Brands label, O Organics, has become a $1bln brand, a major milestone for one of the nation’s largest brands of USDA-certified organic products. O Organics are available exclusively at Albertsons Companies stores. The line features more than 1,000 products for customers to choose from, all of which are USDA certified organic and carry the USDA certified organic seal. Source: globenewswire.com
US: Walmart to close nearly 10% of Sam’s Clubs
On Jan. 11, the first of 63 planned Sam’s Club closures started, leaving some employees without notice. The closures account for about 10% of the company’s 650 Sam’s Club locations in the U.S. It is unclear whether all of the closures will be in the U.S. Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Source: produceretailer.com