Five ways Amazon has improved its grocery offer
In the US, Amazon has made significant improvements to its grocery offer. Amazon usually launches new initiatives in the US and then replicates elsewhere. There are three key reasons Amazon is prioritising the US.
Amazon has an established grocery business to develop. The $13.7bn acquisition of Whole Foods Market, means it has 479 stores and $17bn net sales.
Source: https://retailanalysis.igd.com/
Walmart posts strong results ahead of holidays 
Walmart Inc raised its annual outlook on Thursday as a robust economy boosted purchases at its stores and website and the retailer picked up market share in food and other groceries.
The world’s largest retailer posted better-than-expected earnings, comparable sales and e-commerce growth in its largest market during the third quarter. It has now posted a more than five-year streak of U.S. growth, unmatched by any other retail chain.
Source: https://www.reuters.com
Loblaw grocery sales ‘not yet where they need to be
Food retail sales edged up in the fiscal 2019 third quarter at Loblaw Cos., but the drug retail segment proved to be a bigger retail sales driver in the period. For the 16 weeks ended Oct. 5, retail sales totaled $14.42 billion (Canadian), up 2.2% from $14.11 billion a year earlier, Loblaw said yesterday. Excluding the consolidation of franchises, retail sales increased by $226 million, or 1.6%.
Source: https://www.supermarketnews.com
Britain's Asda Blames Brexit Uncertainty For Lower Sales
Asda, the British supermarket arm of US retail giant Walmart, reported a fall in underlying sales in its latest quarter, saying uncertainty surrounding the UK's exit from the European Union had negatively affected spending patterns. The group said on Thursday comparable sales fell 0.5% in its fiscal third quarter, versus a second quarter rise of 0.5%.
Source: https://www.esmmagazine.com
UK Shoppers Buy Less, Adding To Slowdown Signs For Economy 
British consumers, whose spending has helped the economy through the Brexit crisis, cut back on their shopping in October, according to official data that adds to signs the economy is losing momentum. An unexpected fall in sales in October pushed retail growth over the last three months to its weakest since April 2018, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday.
Source: https://www.esmmagazine.com
How a 'Smart Supermarket' could do away with plastic packaging
A hopeful report by Greenpeace envisions a future where supermarkets have gotten rid of superfluous waste.The supermarket of the future will use smart technology to eliminate plastic packaging, to incentivize the use of reusable containers, and to retain loyal customers. This is the message from Greenpeace in its latest report released on Tuesday, "The Smart Supermarket: How retailers can innovate beyond single-use plastics and packaging."
Source: https://www.treehugger.com
Union fined $73,000 and ordered to pay Woolworths $100,000 in compensation for strike
The National Union of Workers (NUW) has been fined nearly $73,000 and ordered to pay a further $100,000 in compensation to Woolworths for an unlawful strike at its liquor distribution centres in Melbourne's west.
Source: https://www.smh.com.au