Walmart is doubling down on China with 500 new stores
The Arkansas-based retailer announced Thursday that it plans to open 500 new stores in China over the next five to seven years. That would more than double Walmart's (WMT) footprint in China, which is expected to become the world's biggest grocery market by 2023. Walmart is leveraging "multi-format strategies to bring customers freshness, value and convenience," James Ku, a senior vice president with Walmart China, said in a statement. "We will continue to collaborate with partners and policymakers in China to accelerate our expansion," he added.
Walmart sold its Chinese e-commerce site, known as Yihaodian, to JD.com in 2016. JD.com (JD), China's second largest e-commerce player after Alibaba (BABA), now hosts Walmart's groceries and other various products on its own online shopping platform. And more than 100 of Walmart's roughly 400 stores in China double as warehouses for JD.
Source: www.cnn.com
Carrefour tests paying with fingerprint in Brussels European District
The Belgian branch of supermarket chain Carrefour is testing payments with the MyFinger system, using only the customer’s fingerprint, in the European District in Brussels. Between March and June 2019, a test phase with the MyFinger system took place in the Carrefour supermarket in the Rue Froissart, in the European District of Brussels. About 800 customers participated in the test. Making payments was not yet possible, but the customers’ fingerprints were linked to their bonus cards.
“Just like me, a lot of customers do not immediately find their physical bonus card in their jacket or pocket. Fingerprint recognition offers a quick alternative,” said Arnaud Lesne, the innovation director of Carrefour Belgium, reports Business AM. The goal is to launch a test system allowing customers to pay with their fingerprint in early 2020 in a still to be determined store in Brussels, most likely also in the European District. The fingerprint will then be linked not just to the customers’ bonus cards, but to their bank account. Customers will be able to pay by pressing their finger on a screen next to the cash register.
Source: www.brusselstimes.com
Aldi launches new policy to tackle child labour in supply chain
Aldi Australia introduced an independent child labour policy this week to support efforts to eliminate child labour in Australia and in its global supply chain. The move, led by Aldi South, offers local and international suppliers an internal guideline, e-learning and workshops to educate them on Aldi’s standards and requirements to prevent child labour.
“Aldi is aware of the risk of child labour and is committed to finding solutions for preventing and addressing the issue,” Daniel Baker, corporate responsibility director, Aldi Australia, told Inside FMCG. “Our newly published Child Labour Policy details our understanding and expectations to help our business partners protect and respect the rights of children. The policy provides rigor around identifying, addressing and remedying children at risk and ensuring the child’s safety is prioritised.” The policy will be introduced across all Aldi South markets.
Source: www.insidefmcg.com.au
Crawley Morrisons owner looking for new retailers to move in to vacant supermarket
The owner of the vacant Morrisons supermarket site in Crawley is looking for new retailers to move in. Morrisons announced it was closing its store in Crawley High Street in August, with the decision affecting more than 100 employees. The supermarket shut for good on November 3, although the 500-space car park on the ground floor remains open.
Retailers are being encouraged to make offers to move in, whether that's to fill the whole of the store or just part of it. "The lease on the store is offered for assignment and offers are invited," an advertisement brochure reads. "Offers will also be considered for a sub-lease of the whole of the store for a term up to the tenant’s first break date on January 5, 2029. "Alternatively, Morrisons will consider sub-letting the store premises in parts and interested parties should contact the agents to discuss their space requirements and terms. ”
The supermarket giant currently pays more than £2.24 million to rent the site every year.
Source: www.mylondon.news
Morrisons shoppers hit by disappearing loyalty card points just before Christmas
Disgruntled Morrisons shoppers have slammed the supermarket for wiping off their loyalty points ahead of Christmas. After a number of shoppers complained about their More loyalty card points vanishing, the supermarket chain blamed the problem on a surge in cards being targeted by fraudsters over the past few months. Some More card customers found that their points were being spent in other parts of the country, leading them to believe that their accounts were hacked.
One customer, Jim Ainsworth, told the Mail that he tried to redeem 5,000 Morrisons points for a £5 voucher but was told he didn't have enough points. After trying to explain that he did in fact have the required amount, a staff member told him that there'd been hundreds of complaints about vanishing points over the past few weeks, Mr Ainsworth was told to call the number on the back of his More card or let a member of staff do it for him.
"I have called the number myself twice and also got a lady at the store to do it twice," he explained. "Each time, we got through to someone who takes the card details and then says: "I have reloaded your points, so next time you shop, when you hand over your card you should get your voucher"." Despite the promise from Morrisons staff, the points were never reloaded.
Source: www.dailypost.co.uk
"Some Aldi store openings in Phoenix area might be delayed" 
Discount grocery store chain Aldi is expected to bring its national expansion to metro Phoenix, but plans for Phoenix-area stores appear to have slowed down. Despite buying more than a dozen buildings in the Valley, permits with several cities have expired. Locations that were expected to open late this year or early in 2020 don't have expected opening dates anymore.
An Aldi distribution center in Goodyear could still be several years out, according to a city spokeswoman. A Buckeye spokeswoman said the store planned there wouldn't happen until after the distribution center is open. Aldi spokeswoman Olivia Johnson in a written statement said the company doesn't have "specific information about expansions or potential locations in Arizona," although she said she would share that as "plans are solidified."
She emphasized the expansion plans of Aldi, which operates more than 1,900 stores in 36 states. "Through our aggressive national expansion plans, we’re on pace to become the third-largest grocer by store count by the end of 2022," the Aldi spokeswoman wrote in an email.
Source: www.azcentral.com
Kroger slows down pace of store refurbishments
After attempting to renovate too many locations and sell too many new products at once, Kroger Co. is going back to the basics of grocery retail. The U.S. supermarket company is intending to refresh stores at a slower clip to keep more locations fully operational, The Wall Street Journal reported. Kroger initiated its plan to revitalize its business following over 10 years of same-store sales growth that concluded in 2017. According to that plan the company would, over three years, invest in technology with the inclusion of complex ways to mine shopper information and refresh stores. It said the project would make $400 million of operating profit by next year.
The grocer has since renovated approximately 20 percent of its 2,700 locations with its plan for “Restock Kroger.” The profit rise, however, hasn’t reportedly come to fruition. In September, the company pulled its 2020 profit guidance. And its shares have fallen almost 40 percent since their late 2015 peak. Kroger laid off close to a thousand managers and other employees to reduce costs last month. Some operational changes as well as a new marketing campaign are intended to put the focus on driving sales of groceries, which make about three-quarters of the retailer’s sales. Chief Executive Rodney McMullen said, according to the outlet, “It took us too long to do it. We put too many things on our stores to execute.”
Source: www.pymnts.com
Ahold Delhaize pilots checkout-free store technology
Ahold Delhaize has developed what it calls a new "frictionless" store technology that lets shoppers scan into a store using an app, select products and then walk out, according to a company release.
The technology is currently on trial at a small format store called Lunchbox located at the company's Retail Business Services (RBS) office in Quincy, Massachusets. Shoppers use a proprietary app to enter and pay, and can select from an assortment of snacks, fresh foods and beverages. Up to 12 people at a time can shop inside Lunchbox, and to date the location has logged thousands of transactions, the company said.
RBS spearheaded the projects' app development, technology connectivity and food retail operations while UST Global, a digital technology solutions company, provided artificial intelligence and developed the store's physical infrastructure.
Source: www.grocerydive.com
Loblaw is launching an online marketplace selling everything from toys to furniture
Loblaw Companies Ltd. is launching an online marketplace featuring toys and furniture from new vendors, as Canada’s largest retailer seeks to be more like Amazon.com Inc. or Walmart Inc. in the home delivery of a multitude of products.
“Through this expanded PC Express offering, we will provide (customers) with a curated, edited assortment of products that complement their current shop, from some exciting new vendors,” Garry Senecal, Loblaw’s chief customer officer, said in a statement. The new offerings include products by Canadian design and décor firm Umbra and Lennox Furniture Inc. and other products from baby-care to pets the grocery and pharmacy chain owner hasn’t traditionally stocked in a bid to boost complementary sales, it said in a statement Thursday.
Source: www.business.financialpost.com