Russia: X5 tests shop-in-shop format in Karusel stores
Russia's X5 Retail Group has partnered with household retailer Hoff to test a shop-in-shop format in Karusel stores to expand its non-food offering. Four X5 hypermarkets located in Moscow, the Moscow region, and St Petersburg have subleased floor space to Hoff Home for the summer to carry out the pilot project. Hoff co-founder, Mikhail Kuchment, said: "We are convinced that Karusel customers will embrace our non-food expertise, while cooperation with the hypermarket format will increase our brand awareness by giving Hoff a presence in areas with high customer traffic."
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Asda and Just Eat launch 30-minute grocery deliveries
Asda is teaming up with Just Eat to offer customers the chance to order groceries to their door in just 30 minutes, the supermarket said. The grocer will also expand a previous trial with the food delivery service to allow hungry shoppers to order freshly cooked pizzas from Asda stores. Chief executive Roger Burnley explained: "Our partnership with Just Eat that launched last year to deliver pizza direct to customers was a huge success, so much so that we’re rolling it out to up to 50 stores by the end of the year."
Source: aol.co.uk
Georgia: Nikora to open 100 new stores and create thousands of new jobs
The Nikora supermarket chain is continuing its development in Georgia, offering a delivery service for its products through the Glovo mobile application, and opening stores at Lukoil gas stations throughout the country. “The Nikora supermarket chain always tries to indulge its customers with different interesting novelties. One of them is giving the opportunity to our customers to order products available at the Nikora supermarket chain via the food delivery company Glovo. Customers are free to order as many products as they want and can also pay with credit card as well as cash”, said David Urushadze, Director General of the Nikora supermarket chain.
Source: inchannel.com
Amazon Business Prime launches in the United Kingdom
Amazon has announced the launch of Amazon Business Prime in the United Kingdom. The new service offers one membership for a company’s business account and gives access to Prime delivery benefits like unlimited one-day, same-day and nominated-day delivery. With Amazon Business Prime, businesses in the United Kingdom can also visualize their spend data, set policies to improve compliance with their purchasing policies and maximize their budget. The announcement follows just after Amazon revealed this year’s Prime Day will be held on the 15th and 16th of July.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
India: Walmart opens its 25th cash-and-carry wholesale store in Indore
Walmart India has announced the opening of its 25th cash-and-carry store in the country in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, as the global retailer looks to increase its reach in India. The store in Indore, which operates under the Best Price brand name, is the second in the city and fourth in Madhya Pradesh. According to Walmart India, the store will cater to the business needs of small businesses such as kiranas/resellers, offices and institutions, and the hotels, restaurants, and caterers (HORECA) of the region.
Source: yourstory.com
UK: The Co-operative cuts greenhouse gas emissions
Retailer The Co-operative is accelerating steps to curb its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is backing global goals to limit warming, it said in a statement. The retailer halved its GHG emissions in the the decade from 2006 to 2016, and has committed to further reductions of 50% by 2025. In the past year, the Co-op has reduced GHG emissions by 20%, amidst calls for targets to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees, with the risk of extreme weather, sea level rise and habitat loss. The move was backed by Co-op members at the group's AGM in May, who voted in favour of accelerating actions to tackle environmental issues.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Spain: Carrefour takes measures to reduce the use of plastic in its stores
The French supermarket chain Carrefour has decided to take measures to reduce and eliminate the use of plastic in the packaging of its products. Measures that are produced as a result of the direct listening of consumers, increasingly aware of the damages that are caused by the use of these materials as resistant as polluting agents. According to the Gala company, the aim is to reduce plastic consumption by more than 80% with some initiatives. It will be a progressive process that has already begun with the deletion in the fruit and vegetable sections of the organic stores. Instead, sustainable materials, such as cardboard or cellulose, will be used. Plastic jars of olives or other pickles will also be replaced by glass jars. In addition, meshes will be used at fruit sales counters.
Source: internationalsupermarketnews.com
UK competition watchdog to examine Amazon's Deliveroo investment
Britain’s competition regulator took action to pause Amazon’s investment in online food delivery group Deliveroo by serving an initial enforcement order on the two companies. Amazon led a $575mln fundraising in Deliveroo in May, pitting itself against Uber Eats in the global race to dominate the market for takeaway meal deliveries. The Competition and Markets Authority’s initial enforcement order is used when the watchdog has a concern about a transaction. It prevents businesses from pressing ahead with a tie-up, while the regulator decides if it needs to launch a formal investigation. The regulator uses it if it suspects that two enterprises “have ceased to be distinct”, or that arrangements are in place or contemplation, which could result in the enterprises “ceasing to be distinct”.
Source: reuters.com
Eurostat: Euro zone May retail sales unexpectedly fall 0.3% month-on-month
Euro zone retail sales fell in May, bucking economists’ expectations of a slight increase, European Union data showed. The EU statistics office Eurostat said high-street sales in the 19 countries sharing the euro dropped 0.3% in May compared with April, below the average forecast of a 0.3% rise by a Reuters poll of economists. Year-on-year, retail trade rose by 1.3% in the euro zone, slightly less than market expectations of a 1.6% rise. The data showed the second straight month of negative figures in retail trade, with euro zone shoppers spending 0.5% less on food, drinks and tobacco on the month.
Source: reuters.com
UK: Asda boss sees possible stock market listing in two to three years
The timescale for a possible stock market listing of British supermarket group Asda, by its U.S. parent Walmart, is two to three years, Asda’s boss said. Walmart said in May it would look at an initial public offering (IPO) for Asda after Britain’s competition regulator blocked a 7.3bln pound ($9.2bln) takeover by rival Sainsbury’s. “If I was a betting man, I just think that is the sort of time the process will probably take”, Asda Chief Executive Roger Burnley told Reuters.
Source: reuters.com
US: Kroger enhances the food experience
The Kroger Co. is sweetening its appeal to foodies with the rollout of a new private-brand merchandising concept and a new urban supermarket with in-store dining. Over the summer, Kroger plans to roll out the Treasure EmporiYUM to about 200 Marketplace format stores and their online shopping sites, Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said at the company’s annual shareholders meeting. Banners with Marketplace locations include Kroger, Smith’s, King Soopers, Dillons and Fry’s.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Sustainable supermarket refrigeration systems becoming the norm
Refrigeration is one of the supermarket systems ranking highest in terms of energy use, and suppliers and retailers are working constantly to lessen its impact on the environment. It’s good business in so many ways. “Food Lion has been committed to zero-ODP [ozone-depleting potential] and low-GWP [global-warming potential] refrigerants for several years”, says Wayne Rosa, director of maintenance for the Salisbury, North Carolina-based Ahold Delhaize USA banner. “We have also undergone a multiyear program retrofitting older R-22 systems with zero-ODP and low-GWP refrigerants.” Additionally, Food Lion has committed to test alternative refrigeration systems in some of its stores in Virginia and the Carolinas, Rosa notes.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Amazon: 25 years
Jeff Bezos filed the paperwork to create the e-commerce retailing giant Amazon 25 years ago. His genius was to recognise the potential of the internet long before others. Amazon is known for its disruption of well-established industries through technological innovation and mass scale. But its dominance is problematic. Its growth has displaced traditional retail jobs. And it's faced criticism over worker conditions at its warehouses.
Source: bbc.com
US: Lucky's Market expands distribution center in Florida
Lucky’s Market will be unveiling a new, 120,000-square-foot central distribution center in Orlando, Florida, this fall after already successfully opening its Tampa Bay store last year. This location will primarily house produce and bulk foods to better serve Lucky's plans in servicing its stores. “Not only will the (distribution center) enable Lucky’s to bring in more products and options, it will help decrease our cost of goods and help us pass more savings along to our customers", stated Stacey Dark, Vice President of Distribution, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Source: delimarketnews.com
US: Walmart’s e-commerce biz is reportedly racking up $1bln in losses and that’s only one problem it has
Walmart’s attempt to catch up with Amazon comes at a huge cost - and it’s stirring up hard feelings within the company. While Walmart has been making investments - like buying Jet.com for $3.3bln - to try to compete with Jeff Bezos’ behemoth, it’s been a drag on the big-box business’ profitability. So much so that Walmart is now projecting losses of over $1bln for its U.S. e-commerce division, helmed by Marc Lore, this year, on sales of between $21bln and $22bln, according to a report by Vox, citing discussions with multiple sources familiar with those financials. Walmart didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on this story.
Source: cnbc.com