Hema to open "Hema Amsterdam" in U.S. & Canada; partners with Walmart
Hema is having a go at the American and Canadian markets under the name Hema Amsterdam through a partnership with Walmart. In the United States, the Dutch company will soon start selling household items via Walmart.com. And in Canada, Hema is working with a local partner to open independent stores and will also open shops-in-shops through Walmart, NU.nl reports. "The expansion to North America is a historic step for Hema, as our founders Leo Meyer and Arthur Isaac first met with unit price stores there a hundred years ago", Hema CEO Tjeerd Jegen said. According to him, this collaboration fits perfectly with the company's international growth strategy - growing abroad through partners and online channels. The word 'Amsterdam' will be added to Hema to emphasize its Dutch origin, and to help set the company apart in North America.
Source: nltimes.nl
US: i-wireless launches Kroger Wireless nationwide
i-wireless, LLC announces the launch of its new brand Kroger Wireless - introducing market-leading plans and wireless products in more than 2,200 select Kroger family of stores nationwide (where service is available). Kroger Wireless airtime cards, no-contract phones, and a BYOP (bring-your-own-phone) SIM Kit are available for immediate purchase. Plus, in-store Kroger Wireless purchases earn 4X Fuel Points when shopping with a loyalty card (some restrictions may apply). Service operates on the Nationwide Sprint Network. “Sprint is excited to be the wireless network supporting the Kroger Wireless brand in one of the nation’s largest retailers”, said Scott Kalinoski, Vice President of Sprint Wholesale. “The introduction of Kroger Wireless is a great addition to our decades’ long relationship with i-wireless as their nationwide wireless network provider.”
Source: newswire.com
US: Mercato closes funding round led by Greycroft
Mercato, the online ordering and delivery platform for independent grocery stores, recently closed a funding round led by Greycroft, a leading venture capital firm focused on investments in the Internet and mobile markets, among others. The new funding will enable Mercato to execute on its strategy to expand into new markets from coast to coast and continue development of technology and services that enable independent grocers to compete online. “Mercato has been successful based on two important factors: its technology and its unique ability to serve the needs of independent grocers”, said Ian Sigalow, co-founder of Greycroft. “We believe in the company’s disciplined vision, strong management and vast market potential and look forward to working with them as the team continues to expand into new markets across the country.”
Source: businesswire.com
US: Retail group urges antitrust scrutiny of Amazon & Google
A leading retail trade group that represents Walmart and Target is pushing federal antitrust regulators to take a hard look at digital behemoths, including Amazon and Google, and the power they wield over online retail. The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) filed a letter with the Federal Trade Commission that took aim at the power of companies that control digital infrastructure. The group specifically noted the control Amazon and Google have over product search, which they argue "can very easily affect whether and how price and product information actually reaches consumers." The letter comes weeks after antitrust officials signaled that they would investigate tech giants, including Amazon, for possible competition concerns.
Source: retaildive.com
US: Target readies more college campus stores
Target Corp. plans to open three more small-format stores on or near university campuses to meet the food and daily essentials needs of on-the-go college students. Slated to open their doors this fall, Target said, are a 20,000-square-foot store on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky; a 22,000-square-foot store on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, Michigan; and a 21,000-square-foot store near the University of Washington in Seattle.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Walmart to open its largest stand-alone grocery pickup/delivery center
Walmart will hold the ribbon cutting on July 8 for its largest self-standing grocery pickup and delivery center in the United States, in Lincolnwood, Illinois. In honor of the occasion, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based mega-retailer will conduct a tour of the 40,000-square-foot facility, and, during a day-long celebration, vendors will be on site distributing refreshments and giveaways. To use a Walmart pickup point, customers place their orders online or through the Walmart Grocery App, choose pickup or delivery, and select a time window at checkout. After the order is placed, a specially trained Walmart personal shopper selects the order inside the pickup point. Shoppers who have chosen pickup notify Walmart of their arrival by app or phone, and the personal shoppers place the order in the customer’s vehicle. For those who choose delivery, a Walmart delivery partner retrieves the order from the pickup point and delivers it to the customer during a specified delivery window.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: UFCW authorizes strike in Portland
Already facing pressure from union workers prepared to strike in Southern California, grocery retailers Albertsons Cos. and The Kroger Co. may be entering a similar situation in the Pacific Northwest. Workers at Albertsons, Safeway, Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Portland, Oregon, this week have voted nearly unanimously to authorize their union to call a strike. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, based in Portland, said strike authorization votes are scheduled for additional regions across Oregon and southwest Washington in coming weeks. Albertsons and Safeway stores are owned by Albertsons Cos., and QFC and Fred Meyer brands are owned by Kroger. The same two companies have been put on notice by workers in Southern California, where seven UFCW locals representing 60,000 Kroger/Ralphs and Albertsons/Vons workers voted late last month to authorize a strike. Similar to Portland, they characterized employers as unwilling to meet wage and benefit demands despite multiple bargaining sessions.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Kroger CEO to investors: We're not overdoing it with cost cuttingThe Kroger Co. achieved over $1bln in cost savings last year, money that it’s reinvesting in store remodels, price reductions and new ways to boost online sales. Some shareholders are worried that cost cutting has started to impact the quality of the shopping experience at Kroger. “There’s only so many areas where you can cut costs before you skeletonize the store”, said Rich Cagney of Lancaster, who retired from Kroger in 2001 after 33 years. “In the store that I worked in, I can walk around that whole store and only see a few clerks during the day.”
Source: wcpo.com
Frans Muller: "Ahold Delhaize has more knowledge than Amazon and Alibaba"
Online is growing by 30 to 40% at Ahold Delhaize, says Frans Muller, who has been the CEO of Ahold Delhaize since July 1st of last year. The advantage of the supermarkets compared to online giants such as Amazon or Alibaba? Food is local, according to Muller. Retailers have to take up their responsibility, says Frans Muller. That's why the supermarket group is pursuing sustainability and healthy food, employing in-store food experts in the USA and reducing plastic waste. These are some of Muller's insights in a retrospective interview on his first year in NRC Handelsblad. "We have to contribute", Muller told NRC, keeping the next generations in mind. "How do we counter deforestation? What do we do about the plastic problem?" He understands the public's concern, because "there is no reason not to be concerned", but he does point out that change requires time. Muller is less worried about the threat of players such as Amazon and Alibaba. He mentions that online sales are growing at Ahold Delhaize by 30 to 40%. "Companies such as Amazon and Alibaba could be a disruptor. But they'll have to prove it first in the food industry, because food is very different from electronics, clothing or books." In any case, Ahold Delhaize has a strong foundation and the CEO intends to build on it. The group is now turning towards the US, because Ahold and Delhaize generate two thirds of their group turnover on the American east coast, as well as the historical domestic markets.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Singapore: 7-Eleven opens 400th store
7-Eleven Singapore has opened its 400th store at the newly revamped Funan mall. The store also marks the c-store chain’s 36 years of operation on the island. Since opening its first store at Upper Changi Road in 1983, 7-Eleven has evolved to ensure its relevance in the market. The company, owned by Dairy Farm Group, has launched its 7Cafe brand at the mall, which serves 100% Arabica coffee, and introduced ready-to-eat meals. Singapore is also one of the first countries outside Japan to have the 7-Premium range of exclusive Japanese snacks and goodies such as fried garlic, Japanese chocolate brownies, and cheese rice crackers.
Source: insideretail.asia
Lidl the big winner in latest French market share figures
Discounter Lidl was the big winner in the latest market share figures for the French market, published by Kantar. The retailer saw a 50-basis-point increase in value sales, to sit on 5.9% market share in the period from 13 May to 9 June (P6), attracting 460,000 new shoppers over the four weeks therein. According to Kantar, Lidl has been steadily increasing its customer numbers since the start of the year, and also retaining shoppers.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Costcutter updates ordering app
Costcutter Supermarkets Group has upgraded its mobile app, ActivMobile, which enables retailers to create, build, edit, and fully submit their orders. Version 2.0 of the app also contains a range of features including: planograms, news articles from around the industry, and a push notifications option with reminders and targeted information. Sean Russell, marketing director at Costcutter Supermarkets Group, said: “Many of our retailers work on-the-go and across a number of stores, which means they don’t always have regular access to a desktop PC to place their orders through our ActivHub & OC system. In response to this, we have updated our ActivMobile app to ensure our retailers can not only keep on top of orders while they are on the move but can also completely submit their orders from their mobile devices.”
Source: talkingretail.com
Mercadona in Portugal: "This is the first store"
Mercadona, the supermarket chain chaired by Juan Roig, has opened its first store in Portugal, specifically in the area of Canidelo, in the town of Vila Nova de Gaia, next to the city of Oporto. The president of Mercadona, Juan Roig, and the vice president, Hortensia Herrero, along with the rest of the members of the Board of Directors and the Management Committee of the company, attended the inauguration of their first establishment in the Portuguese country. They were accompanied, among others, by the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Food, Luis Medeiros Vieira; the Secretary of State for Consumer Defense, João Torres; and the president of the Chamber of Vila Nova de Gaia, Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues.
Source: internationalsupermarketnews.com