US: Top 5 supermarkets for customer service
Publix has taken the No. 1 supermarket spot on Newsweek's Best Customer Service 2021 list. The news magazine partnered with global data research firm Statista to identify the stores that consistently provide the best customer service by surveying more than 25,000 U.S. customers. 5 supermarkets were ranked on their net promoter score and 5 evaluation criteria (quality of communication, professional competence, range of services, customer focus and accessibility). The winners were: Publix (8.79), Wegmans (8.62), Trader Joe's (8.57), Sprouts (8.54), The Fresh Market (8.35).
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Avocado marketplace gives locally-based independent grocers the power to offer online shopping with same day delivery
Avocado, the online marketplace for the delivery of groceries from local stores, is now making it easy for consumers to quickly purchase and request delivery of items from local, independent grocers. In today’s current economy, e-commerce sales are growing at an unprecedented pace due to the COVID-19 pandemic. US food and beverage eCommerce sales will grow 18.2% to $19.89bln this year according to estimates by eMarketer. By 2021, that figure will reach $38.16bln.
Source: prweb.com
US: Meijer eliminates pickup service fees
Meijer is now offering its pickup service at no charge, and with no need for membership, as part of an initiative to provide customers multiple ways to safely shop its stores during the holidays. The grocer is also in the process of enhancing its capacity for an expected increase in orders during this season. Meijer says it hopes to hire 10 to 15 additional employees at each store.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Lithuania: Maxima Grupė appoints new CEO and board chairman
Lithuanian retailer Maxima has announced the appointment of Mantas Kuncaitis as the CEO of Maxima Grupė UAB and Franmax UAB, effective immediately. He will also take up the role of the chairman of the board of Maxima Grupė, the retailer added. Most recently, Kuncaitis served as the CEO of Maxima Grupė‘s sole shareholder, Vilniaus prekyba, UAB. He succeeds Jurgita Šlekytė, who has stepped down from the position.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Spain: DIA continues transformation, as like-for-like sales rise
Spanish retailer DIA has posted a 7.6% increase in like-for-like sales in its home market in the third quarter, as its business transformation continues. The retailer also saw like-for-like sales rise in Portugal (+1.1%) and Brazil (+17.5%), however its Argentina business slipped back (-3.5%) in the quarter. The group said that its Spain and Portugal business benefited from an 'enhanced fresh offer and updated franchise model' in the period.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Carrefour announces new grocery delivery service in Poland
Carrefour Polska has announced that it is to launch Carrefour Sprint - a new grocery delivery service which will deliver orders within three hours. Initially, the service will be available to shoppers residing within five kilometres of selected stores in Warsaw and Kraków. It will allow customers to order on the Carrefour website or via the app and receive their purchases within three hours.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Germany: Metro Group enjoys strong recovery in Q4
Metro said like-for-like sales had turned positive in Germany, Russia and Eastern Europe, which it notes account for more than half of Group sales, while there had been a sequential improvement in Western Europe and Asia. At the end of its financial year, Metro said it operated 678 stores, flat on the year with one opening in Ukraine and one closing in Russia. In sales terms, it reported: In Q4 total sales fell 5.1% (or -0.6% in local currency terms) to €6.5bln. In FY2019/2020 total sales fell 5.4% (or -4.0% in local currency terms) to €25.6bln. Like-for-like sales fell 0.5% in Q4 and fell by 3.9% in the FY.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Taobao Taiwan to shut operations by the end of 2020
UK-registered Claddagh Venture Investment, which operates Taobao Taiwan, said it will cease operations of the site by the end of 2020 due to “multiple uncertainties in the market”. In August, the Taiwan government said it would give the ecommerce site 6 months to re-register as a Chinese-backed company rather than with international backing, or leave the island. The government claimed that Claddagh Venture Investment is backed by China’s Alibaba and should have registered as a Chinese-backed firm. It was also concerned that the company would send user data back to mainland China. Claddagh’s Taiwan office, however, said Taobao Taiwan is not controlled by the Alibaba group and is a different entity from Alibaba’s Taobao China.
Source: techinasia.com
Holland: Nearly twice as many orders on Takeaway.com
In its third quarter, Takeaway.com received almost twice as many orders and exceeded forecasts. The company is also on track with the integration of Just Eat and GrubHub. Just Eat Takeaway.com is doing well. In the previous quarter, orders increased by 46% to 151.4mln. So far this represents a growth of 37% and 408.3mln orders this year. The Dutch domestic market recorded 12.6mln orders and a growth of 32%.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Waitrose and Deliveroo expand trial early to meet high demand
Waitrose is expanding its on-demand grocery trial with Deliveroo in 25 new locations - taking the total to 30 - reaching 3.1mln households across the UK. Waitrose has added 100 products to the range, meaning Deliveroo customers can now choose from more than 650 products. Rapidly rising customer demand is driving the fast roll-out with half of orders being made by repeat customers.
Source: waitrose.pressarea.com
X5's Pyaterochka a standout performer as Russian retailer unveils Q3 results
Russian retailer X5 Retail Group said that its Pyaterochka banner was the standout performer in its third quarter, seeing like-for-like sales growth of 8.5% and a net retail sales gain of 18.4% in the period. Like-for-like sales growth at X5's Perekrestok banner was more subdued, increasing by 1.4%, however the banner saw a net retail sales gain of 18.7%. At a group level, like-for-like sales were up 6.9% for the quarter, driven by a 8.8% increase in basket size, and offset by a 1.8% drop in traffic. Net retail sales increased by 15.4% year-on-year in local currency, the group's best quarterly performance since early 2017.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Barclays research says more Brits buy locally made products amid Brexit and pandemic
Research released by Barclays has uncovered the impact of the pandemic on consumer grocery shopping habits, as one quarter of Brits now suggest they buy produce in local shops and farm stores, instead of supermarket-only purchasing pre-Covid. Over 7mln Brits had never visited a farm shop prior to the pandemic, but now visit regularly. Further to this, 63% of Brits suggest they will be buying more home-grown produce as a result of the pandemic and Brexit.
Source: finchannel.com