US: Aldi pushes forward with Ohio expansion
German retailer Aldi is doubling down on its growth plan with the announcement of further expansion of its distribution center in Hinckley, Ohio. The move is set to increase employment and keep the company on track to reach its expansion goals. “As Aldi continues to grow, we’re excited to expand employment opportunities at our Hinckley distribution center, and we’re proud to be an employer of choice in the state of Ohio and across the U.S.”, said Corey Stucker, Hinckley Division Vice President. “We’re committed to job growth across the country and look forward to continuing to serve our local Ohio communities in the years to come.”
Source: delimarketnews.com
US: Walmart introducing new attendance policy
Walmart Inc. rolled out a retooled attendance policy that includes a new paid-time-off (PTO) program for associates. According to a blog post from the Bentonville, Arkansas-based mega-retailer, the updates “are based directly on feedback from associates who wanted more flexibility when life happens, while also being rewarded for consistently showing up to work and serving our customers.” Under the new policy, which went into effect February 2, eligible hourly Walmart employees can earn an additional 25% on the quarterly cash bonuses they now get based on store performance.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Study: US Shoppers prefer grocery delivery over in-store pickup
Same-day grocery delivery offerings from major retailers grew by 500% in 2018, according to a new report from grocery e-commerce startup CommonSense Robotics. The report, based on an analysis of retailer data, also says that click and collect locations among major grocers grew by 230% in 2018, and that the service is now available at 45% of Walmart stores, 58% of Kroger stores and 30% of Ahold Delhaize stores. Findings show that consumers prefer same-day delivery over in-store pickup by a 4:1 margin, but most retailers have focused their resources on click and collect, according to polling by CommonSense and other research firms. CommonSense says Target is the only brick-and-mortar retailer making same-day grocery delivery its primary focus. Major retailers invested more than $28bln in grocery e-commerce last year, CommonSense found, and the company predicts that growth in grocery e-commerce will continue to gain momentum. CommonSense estimates that year-over-year online grocery growth from 2017 to 2018 was about 35%, which brings 2018 online grocery sales to an estimated $24bln - about 3% of the total grocery market. The report says that online grocery penetration is on track to reach 10% within five years, and could even reach 15% to 20%.
Source: grocerydive.com
US: Kosher supermarket 'Seasons' relaunching under new ownership
Seasons, the kosher supermarket chain that declared bankruptcy last year, has new owners and is reopening one of its closed locations. The bankruptcy filing in September was big news because Seasons, founded in New York City’s Queens borough in 2011, had national ambitions. In addition to stores across the city, Seasons had opened a location in Maryland and was on the verge of doing so in Ohio. But those stores were closed, along with the Seasons supermarkets on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and in suburban Scarsdale, New York. At the time of the bankruptcy filing, Seasons was more than $40mln in debt. Though the debt is still being dealt with, a spokesman told JTA that management is “charging full steam ahead.” According to a news release, Seasons is under the ownership of the family of businessman Joseph Bistritzky, CEO of the Maramont Corp., a food services company.
Source: israelnationalnews.com
US: Hy-Vee adopts technology to reduce food waste, save shoppers money
Hy-Vee has launched a new pilot program at three of its Wisconsin stores to reduce food waste. Made possible through a partnership with Flashfood - a mobile app that partners with grocers, allowing shoppers to browse and purchase food items approaching their "best before" date at significantly reduced prices - the program is now available at both Madison Hy-Vee stores, as well as the Fitchburg location. “At Hy-Vee, we know it’s important that we do our part as grocers to reduce food waste”, said Jessica Ringena, Hy-Vee’s VP of innovation and business development. “In 2018 alone, our food waste diversion programs at all our Hy-Vee stores have kept more than 25mln pounds of food waste out of landfills. This partnership with Flashfood is just one more way we can further increase our sustainability efforts.”
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Artificial Intelligence helps Hawaiian independent grocer catch 3K thefts in 1 year
Hawaiian retailer Down to Earth Organic & Natural has reported a deterrence of 3,000 theft incidents in the past year alone at its six independent grocery stores on Maui and Oahu through the adoption of new technology. The Honolulu-based independent grocer saw its bottom line take a hit due to food theft, including cashiers "sweethearting" products - i.e., cashiers pretending to scan merchandise but deliberately bypassing the scanner. It installed StopLift's checkout vision systems two years ago to monitor cameras over the checkout area, letting the system's artificial intelligence (AI) video analytics software analyze security video to detect theft and improve operational efficiency at all checkouts. Over the past year, StopLift's ScanItAll detected about 3,000 incidents of theft - 316 in one recent month alone. It even singled out four cashiers while they were stealing, which led to their termination under the grocer's zero-tolerance policy.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Canada: Costco fined $7mln for accepting illegal kickbacks
Ontario’s government has fined Costco more than $7mln after finding that the company accepted illegal kickbacks at 29 pharmacies in warehouses across the province from 2013 to 2015. The Ontario Ministry of Health announced it would penalize CWC Pharmacies (Ontario) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., after it found the company received illegal advertising payments before August 2015.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
First fresh food digital marketplace launches in Canada
Leading online grocer Spud.ca has launched the first fresh food digital marketplace in Canada. This follows on from a successful pilot in Calgary last month. The Be Fresh Marketplace has been developed as a digital platform for local artisans, small shops and independent grocers to sell online with consolidated delivery. This optimises Spud’s capabilities in technology, warehousing and home delivery to increase the accessibility of ecommerce for local food companies. Commenting on the initiative, Peter van Stolk, CEO at SPUD.ca, said: “Small food businesses are an important part of our company and the vitality of the cities we live in. It is really hard for these amazing fresh food companies to create an online shopping experience on their own. We are committed to local and working with these businesses to adapt to the digital age."
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
CFAO to expand Supeco cash & carry format to Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon
CFAO has announced it is rethinking its strategy to extend its reach. It plans to expand the Supeco cash & carry format to Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon. The franchisee hopes to open between eight to 10 Supeco stores by the end of 2019. CEO Jean-Christophe Brindeau, commented: “This represents an investment of about €30mln this year”. The Supeco format, already operating in Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain, will be first launched in Dakar, Senegal in Q1 2019. The stores will be between 750 sq m and 1,000 sq m and will stock 2,500 SKUs. Shoppers will be able to buy the products either as single items or in bulk.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Brunei: Online grocery store KadaiRuncit introduces same day delivery
Online grocery store KadaiRuncit has introduced same day delivery while also expanding to take orders through WhatsApp and social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. Orders made through KadaiRuncit’s platforms before 12pm would carry a guarantee of being delivered to customers on the same day, with a flat rate of $5 for Brunei-Muara, $6 for Tutong and $7 for Belait.
Source: bizbrunei.com
Germany: Aldi new discount offer strategy for brands
Aldi Nord and South’s strategy continues to evolve as they announced, for the first time, discount offers on permanently listed brands. In Germany, Aldi Nord and Sud will be offering reduced prices on branded products from their permanent ranges. Aldi used to limit these offers to temporary listed products or brands, as seen last year. The first offer starts this week with Kerrygold butter and 20% off on a 1.25L bottle of Coca Cola. The promotion will be an ongoing activity with new brands from the permanent range spotlighted every week. This is the latest example of the two retailers working closer together. Earlier this year, they announced their common engagement and campaign to promote healthier nutrition. In 2018, some private labels were harmonised between the two companies. This standardisation is expected to continue and could lead to potential change in terms of supply chain.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com