US: Changed shopper habits will spur consumer packaged goods demand after COVID-19
The Consumer Brands Association has issued a new report discussing 5 trends that will shape the future of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. According to “The CPG Post-Pandemic Outlook: Five Trends Emerging from COVID-19 That Will Redefine the Industry”, demand for consumer packaged goods will slow from the extreme highs seen during the height of the pandemic, but will remain above pre-COVID norms, even as vaccines become easily available.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Amazon quietly began building a grocery chain during pandemic
As many businesses struggled to survive the pandemic, Amazon.com Inc. was quietly building a national grocery chain. The first Amazon Fresh store opened to the public in Los Angeles in September. Store No. 11 opened Thursday, and Amazon is working on at least 28 more, from Philadelphia to the Sacramento suburbs. The company is also testing the “Just Walk Out” cashierless shopping technology created for its Go convenience stores at an Amazon Fresh location in Illinois.
Source: bloombergquint.com
US: Food innovator Quicklly raises 7-figure investment to expand digital marketplace for Indian and South Asian small businesses
Chicago-based startup Quicklly announced the completion of a $1.27mln pre-seed funding round, led by Founder and CEO of Home Chef Pat Vihtelic, Peapod Co-Founder and Former CIO John A. Furton, Farmer's Fridge Executive and Former Peapod CMO Mike Brennan, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Shiftgig, Angel Investor Eddie Lou, John Cerasani of Glencrest Global (Cerasani Family Office), Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of TechStyle Group (Owners of Fabletics and JustFab) Adam Goldenberg and Don Ressler, and SVP of Operations at Foxtrot and Former General Manager of Instacart Scott Holloway.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Food Traceability Leadership Consortium joins retailers, suppliers
Supply chain compliance and quality management technology solution provider ReposiTrak Inc. is bringing suppliers and food retailers together with the Food Traceability Leadership Consortium (FTLC) to better prepare for upcoming food safety regulations. Retail industry leaders will collaborate on the development of open, low-cost, easy-to-use food-tracing technology to improve foodborne illness outbreak response and recall protocols.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Unions call strike at Amazon's logistic operations in Italy on March 22Unions in Italy said they had called on workers at Amazon’s logistics operations in the country to go on a 24-hour strike on March 22 after talks with a business lobby group over working conditions of delivery service suppliers broke down. It will be the first strike affecting Amazon’s entire logistics operations in Italy and will involve workers at Amazon’s warehouses and logistics hubs as well as external providers of delivery services. The latter are represented by employer association Assoespressi.
Source: reuters.com
Austria: SPAR is new market leader in grocery retail
SPAR Austria's food retail sales reached €8.32bln, an impressive sales growth of 16%. SPAR Austria gained 1.8% market share, making it the new market leader in Austria. The SPAR Austria Group has reported a very positive year with gross sales in all 3 business areas: food retail, sports retail, and shopping centres, growing by 5.6% to a total of €16.60bln. SPAR Austria Group includes SPAR Austria, ASPIAG, Hervis, and SES SPAR European Shopping Centres.
Source: spar-international.com
Singapore: autonomous robots on trial to deliver groceries
FairPrice is working with local agencies to test the use of autonomous robots in providing on-demand deliveries in Singapore. The trial is currently limited to a neighbourhood shopping complex in Punggol and the residential area nearby. After buying groceries, shoppers can drop off the purchases at a concierge counter and continue shopping or dining. The robot will deliver the purchases at the time that the shopper chooses. A mobile app notifies the shopper when the robot is making the delivery and a confirmation of arrival. When the shopper reaches home, she can unlock the robot with a QR code at the point of collection through the mobile app.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
China's JD.com FY20: +29.3%YoY in net revenue
JD.com reported net revenue of CNY745.8bln (US$114.3bln) for the full year of 2020, an increase of 29.3% from 2019. The key performance indicators for the full year ended December 31, 2020, are: Net revenues: CNY745.8bln (US$114.3bln), +29.3%YoY. Net service revenues: CNY93.9bln (US$14.4bln), +42.0%YoY. Annual active customers: 471.9mln, +30.3%YoY.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
Holland: Jumbo tests smart shopping cart
Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo is testing a smart shopping cart in Veghel, near Eindhoven. The retailer wants to find out to what extent the new technology adds value for its customers. The smart shopping cart is equipped with cameras and a touch screen and uses artificial intelligence to independently recognise and register the products added to the cart. On the touch screen, customers can keep track of the total amount of the groceries and receive notifications of which products are on offer. In the future it should also be possible to allow customers to pay via the screen.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Which? names Lidl as cheapest supermarket in February
Which? compared prices for a trolley of 19 items every day throughout February and found that on average, shoppers would have paid £19.13 at Lidl, beating the big four and Aldi to the accolade. Products checked included own-brand products such as apples, eggs and tomatoes, as well as branded goods such as Hovis wholemeal bread, to see how UK supermarkets compared.
Source: retailtimes.co.uk