US: Meijer surprises more than 200 customers with free grocery pickup order
Busy customers picking up groceries at their local Meijer stores were welcomed with a pleasant holiday surprise. While parked at their designated Pickup spot, Meijer team members rolled out their orders and - from a socially-safe distance - shared the good news that their orders were free. With a "Happy Thanksgiving" and a $50 coupon towards their next order, the customers were on their way.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: ShopRite makes hazard pay deal
ShopRite has struck a hazard pay deal with about 50,000 union grocery workers. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which represents 1.3mln food and retail workers - announced a new agreement on hazard pay for nearly 50,000 union grocery workers in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Shipt announces first-of-its-kind partnership with Midtown Global Market
Same-day delivery marketplace Shipt announced a new partnership with Midtown Global Market, offering the community's small, locally-cherished businesses access to delivery for their customers for the first time. In a holiday season like none before, more consumers are avoiding crowds and shopping online during the pandemic. In a recent nationwide survey, 83% of survey respondents indicated that contactless shopping is important to them. Shipt is proud to provide Midtown Global Market vendors a stress-free e-commerce solution to connect with their customers and gain access to Shipt's existing customer base. Through this exciting new partnership, residents across the Twin Cities metro area can now take advantage of convenient same-day delivery from Midtown Global Market.
Source: prnewswire.com
Canada: Inabuggy, McEwan partner on 3D shopping experience
Inabuggy has further refined its online grocery model, offering shoppers a virtual recreation of the in-store shopping experience, minus the hard-to-find parking and the long wait at the checkout. Capitalizing on a growing virtual shopping trend, the online grocery service has partnered with Toronto grocer McEwan Fine Foods (Don Mills) to launch a shopping portal that enables shoppers to roam through a 3D representation of the North York, Ontario store.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Billions in consumer spending are shifting as COVID-19 forces widespread retail disruption
Some of the highest revenue-generating grocery stores in the world are facing sweeping changes to their customer bases and their ability to deliver value to brands as people change where they shop - a change that, for some, may be permanent. The shifts come as COVID-19 forces millions of people to spend more time at home and less time commuting, a key driver of the shift. A Nielsen Intelligence Unit investigation of sales at store level across 15 countries reveals a retail environment in major flux due to these altered travel routines. The shift will force retailers to recalibrate their thinking on the location and format of stores. It will also force FMCG brands to overhaul long-running product distribution strategies.
Source: nielsen.com
Russian retailer X5 considers IPO for online business
Russia’s largest food retailer X5 is discussing plans for an initial public offering (IPO) for its online business, a company official said, honouring a pledge to place online expansion at the heart of its latest strategy. The group’s food delivery business - online shop Perekrestok Vprok (Perekrestok.ru) and the express delivery service from its Pyaterochka and Perekrestok stores - could go public within the next 2 to 3 years, said Andrei Vasin, the group’s head of investor relations.
Source: reuters.com
Foodservice driving the future of convenience store retail growth for FreshStop at Caltex, South Africa
Over the last 5 years, fuel retail convenience stores have been developing and expanding their in-house food service offering as part of their growth strategy. This international trend took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumers began to rely on their local c-stores for fresh fruit and vegetables, grocery store items as well as fresh, fast, quality takeaways. The solid food strategy built up by FreshStop at Caltex stores across South Africa over the past few years resulted in many of their retailers being able to ride out the various stages of lockdown, and in some cases increase turnover, despite the drastic drop in fuel sales.
Source: retailtimes.co.uk
European ambitions for Monoprix
Monoprix, the urban store banner of French retail group Casino, has ambitious plans for expansion throughout Europe. The retailer aims to double its turnover in ten years time. Within the Casino group, Monoprix is the store banner that concentrates on city supermarkets and convenience stores. Recently, the retailer opened a 5,000 square metre flagship store of the latest generation in the centre of Paris. Monoprix Montparnasse is a trendy supermarket that combines the latest technology - including a new type of connected shopping trolley - with a focus on traditional French craftsmanship in fresh food.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Brackley bags a new Sainsbury’s supermarket
Sainsbury’s has welcomed customers through the doors of its newest supermarket. The state-of-the-art 20,000 sq ft store in Brackley, Northamptonshire, is the first new supermarket the retailer has opened this year and is a great example of Sainsbury’s strategy to put Food First and to offer customers great value, high quality and tasty products. Sainsbury’s is proud to offer customers delicious food and as soon as customers enter the new store they’re greeted with the retailer’s fresh produce offering, from potatoes to parsnips, beans to bananas and corn to cauliflower. Sainsbury’s has also fitted its Brackley store with a brand new Bee Hotel, as it works to help the bee population thrive and to protect the environment now and for future generations.
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
Black Friday strike at Amazon in Germany
German trade union Verdi is currently taking action at seven distribution centres of e-commerce company Amazon. It is no coincidence that the strike takes place during the Black Friday bargain festival. Workers in the distribution centres in Leipzig, Bad Hersfeld (2 warehouses), Rheinberg, Werne, Graben bei Augsburg and Koblenz resigned from work. The strike will last three days. For the time being, it is unclear how many workers are taking part in the actions.
Source: retaildetail.eu