Shoppers want more private-label products from Amazon: study
Shoppers would like to be able to purchase more private-branded products on Amazon.com, according to a new study. Investing.com polled approximately 1,000 Amazon shoppers, both Prime members and non-Prime members. The majority of respondents said they were comfortable buying Amazon branded products. Respondents also said they wished Amazon offered more categories of private-label products, including prescription drugs (9.3%). The survey also found that 43% of respondents say they no longer go to malls, though they shop at bricks-and-mortar stores five times per month; the average amount spent with Amazon each month is $120.45; and while 55.5% of respondents trust Amazon to store their personal information, only 37% trust Google.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Wegmans, Publix, Nugget again among Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For
Once more, Wegmans Food Markets, Publix Super Markets and Nugget Market have appeared on the 100 Best Companies to Work For list published by Fortune magazine in partnership with global people analytics and consulting firm Great Place to Work. The list is based on survey feedback from more than 4.3mln employees, with respondents rating their workplace culture on more than elements, among them trust in managers, compensation, fairness, camaraderie and traits linked to innovation. Rochester, New York-based Wegmans was No. 3 on the list, one rung down from its No. 2 showing last year, with 94% of employees surveyed saying that the company is a great place to work. Meanwhile, Lakeland, Florida-based Publix rocketed to No. 12 on this year’s list, from No. 47 in 2018, with 89% of employees saying the company is a great place to work, and also came in first on the simultaneously published 2019 Best Big Companies list of seven businesses with more than 100,000 associates - the only retailer to be included in the inaugural ranking. Woodland, California-based Nugget Market was No. 81 in the 100 Best Companies to Work For ranking, a drop from its place at No. 70 last year, with 87% of employees saying the company is a great place to work.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Farmstead shifts to compostable produce bags for delivery
Online micro-grocer Farmstead was founded on the vision of reducing food waste. Now, it’s tackling plastic waste. Ditching the thin plastic film commonly used in conventional supermarkets’ produce aisles, the San Francisco-based e-tailer shifted to compostable produce bags from BioBag for its fruit and vegetable delivery. The move was in response to customer demand, Farmstead said, and expands the company’s efforts to reinvent the grocery sector by providing consumers with a more eco-friendly and sustainable food-shopping option.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
Spain: Vegalsa-Eroski purchases 935 local suppliers
Vegalsa-Eroski has strengthened its “commitment to the local” by buying products from 935 local suppliers. In 2018, the company allocated over €346mln to purchases from suppliers in Asturias Castilla y León and Galicia (an increase of 6.2% from 2017). As a result, approximately 40% of its products are from local suppliers. The company also maintains its relations with the Galician Veal PGI, Galician Potato and Galician Lacón, the Pimiento de Herbón and Mexillón de Galicia PDO or the Galicia Calidade and Tierra de Sabor guarantee brands. During 2018, Vegalsa-Eroski promoted the ‘Bet for Galician suppliers’ campaign through offering promotions of Galicia's best products. Vegalsa-Eroski said that its actions help to improve the quality and sustainability of products and promote healthy eating.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Middle East and Africa: Majid Al Futtaim to launch AI-powered platform
Majid Al Futtaim, which franchises the Carrefour brand in the Middle East and Africa, has formed a commercial partnership with Los Angeles-based technology company I.AM+. Together, the companies are set to launch the AI-powered Omega platform through Majid Al Futtaim’s Carrefour and Vox Cinemas brands in the Middle East. The Omega operating system uses an AI-powered voice assistant, available in English and Arabic, to engage with customers. It communicates through “localised conversational and contextual style interactions” to help shoppers with their grocery shopping or with booking movie tickets. The technology can anticipate needs based on historical data whilst remaining secure. It can also combine features of the platform to allow customers to simultaneously use voice and user interface across multiple devices. Majid Al Futtaim’s CEO Alain Bejjani commented: “We continue to implement cutting-edge technologies within our business to ensure that we are creating ground breaking experiences. Our partnership with I.AM+ indicates our commitment to pushing customer-centric solutions and ensuring that people in our region experience the true potential of AI and the opportunities of voice technology”. The retailer said the collaboration will help to “drive brand loyalty, while building, maintaining and enriching direct customer relationships”.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Australia: Coles declares war on costs after H1 profit drop
Australia’s second-biggest grocery chain, Coles Group Ltd, posted a sharper-than-expected fall in half-year earnings and said costs were rising faster than sales, sending its shares lower. Coles said it needed a “strategic refresh” after its first result since it was spun out of Wesfarmers Ltd last year underscored the rationale for the conglomerate’s exit from a cut-throat supermarket sector where growth is slow and costly. Sales-cost growth outpaced margins and market share slid in New South Wales, Australia’s most-populous state, the grocer said, as it posted a 14% fall in net profit to A$738mln ($526mln) for the six months to December 30. “It’s just going to be constant headwinds in my view in that space”, said Daniel Cuthbertson, managing director of Value Point Asset Management. “It goes to show how good (Wesfarmers) are at managing a retail business and knowing when to divest.”
Source: reuters.com
Egypt: Lulu Group set to open 8 hypermarkets in the country by 2020
UAE based retailer Lulu Group has inked a protocol agreement with the Egyptian Government to set up 4 new Hypermarkets in the country. This follows a recent meeting between Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Yusuff Ali MA, Chairman of Lulu Group in Cairo. With the signing of this new agreement, Lulu will be opening a total of 8 new hypermarkets by investing AED 2bln in the next two years. The protocol agreement was signed by Dr Ibrahim Al Ashmawi, Deputy Minister & Chairman of Internal Trade Development Authority (ITDA) and Yusuff Ali MA in the presence of Dr. Abdul Mutalib, Tariq El Sebaiy, Deputy Minister of Housing, Saifee Rupawala, CEO, Ashraf Ali MA, Executive Director, Juzer Rupawala, Director of Lulu Egypt, Huzeifa Qureshi, Regional Director and other officials.
Source: emiratespr.com
UK: Racing car technology speeds onto shelves at Waitrose & Partners
Waitrose & Partners is to introduce a new design of shelf-edge strips which uses racing car technology to make its shops more energy efficient. Twin blades made of recyclable polycarbonate will be fitted to the front of its fridge shelving to reduce cold air being lost into the aisles using the same techniques that channel airflow more efficiently around racing cars to enable them to corner at higher speeds. The Wirth Research (WR) EcoBlade will reduce energy consumption of the supermarket’s refrigerators by up to 25% - saving the energy equivalent of making 1.6bln cups of tea per year. It will also make aisles feel warmer for customers and takes away the need to install fridge doors, while ensuring a constant shelf temperature throughout the fridges to maintain product quality. The EcoBlade, which will roll out in shops from March, is the first in a number of projects that WR and Waitrose & Partners will be working together on, looking at innovative ways to cut energy use in the coming years.
Source: waitrose.pressarea.com
Latvia: Maxima strategy 2025 - growth for the customer
Maxima Latvija’s new seven-year strategy 2025 has been developed focused on the customers and employees. The development of the whole business group, including standards of excellence and investments which could reach up to 50mln Euro in 2019 in Latvia, has been designed to address the needs and earn the approval of the customer. “Our goal is to be appreciated choice for everyday, so 2019 will be a year of new experiences for Maxima customers. Last year’s changes have allowed us to implement further transformation and growth this year; furthermore, this development will occur alongside the group’s growing business in Central Europe, where we plan to carry out an ambitious investment programme amounting to more than 600mln Euro. In Latvia alone, we will invest up to 50mln Euro this year - improving the customer shopping experience, expanding our network of stores closer to residential areas, and varying the assortment of goods on offer. In addition to expanding our product range, we will continue to offer low prices. To reach these goals, the most crucial aspects of our operations will be efficiency, innovation and sustainability in all aspects of the business”, says Maxima Latvija Chairman of the Board Andris Vilcmeiers.
Source: maxima.lv
Spain: Bon Preu expands online
After several weeks of testing, Bon Preu is set to launch its home delivery service in the Osona region in February 2019. Delivery will initially be available in the Barcelona city of Vic and in nearby towns including Calldetenes, Folgueroles, Gurb and Sant Julià de Vilatorta. The retailer said the roll out of the service will be gradual. Deliveries will take place Monday to Saturday, from 07:00 to 22:00, with one-hour delivery slots available. There will be a minimum spend of €35 and the cost of delivery will vary according to the chosen day and time slot. The delivery vehicles have three different temperatures, helping to transport frozen, fresh and dry products. Bon Preu will also open new ‘Iquodrive’ collection points in the provinces of Barcelona (Castellbisbal and Sant Cugat del Vallès) and Tarragona (El Vendrell) in Q1 2019.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Egypt: household shopping app secures additional funding from Algebra Ventures
GoodsMart, Egypt’s household shopping app that has transformed the shopping experience using unattended delivery, has announced that it has secured additional funding from Algebra Ventures, Egypt’s leading venture capital fund, ahead of its upcoming Series B round. Pioneering unattended delivery in the MENA region, GoodsMart offers clients an effortless and hassle-free shopping experience using the GoodsMart box, a sleek app, a wallet system for easy payment, and an efficient delivery model. The innovative service has proven itself indispensable to clients, engaging customers and fostering exceptional brand loyalty and advocacy. Amr Fawzi, GoodsMart’s founder and CEO, attributes the product’s stickiness to a laser-like focus on customer experience and a company culture centred on user satisfaction. "Client happiness is our goal", says Fawzi. "Every single person on the team works to push client satisfaction to unprecedented levels. This is clearly reflected in our customer testimonials and organic engagement on social media, and in our cohort retention rates of over 70% a year in."
Source: startupmgzn.com