Amazon picks former executive Adam Selipsky to lead cloud unit
Amazon.com Inc appointed Salesforce.com Inc executive Adam Selipsky to lead its high-margin cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services. The move comes as AWS’ current lead Andy Jassy is vacating the role to become the chief executive officer of Amazon, after Jeff Bezos announced his exit in February.
Source: reuters.com
Canada: Former Empire president Donald Sobey passes away
Former Empire president Donald Sobey has passed away. He was 86. Sobey, one of the 4 children of Sobeys founder Frank H. Sobey, started with the family business in 1958. He joined Empire’s board of directors in 1963 and served as president from 1969 until he was appointed chair in 1985. Sobey was named chair emeritus in 2004 and actively engaged as a member of the board of directors until 2015.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Imperfect Foods launches grocery delivery service in Denver to reduce food waste
The grocery delivery company was founded in 2015 with the aim of eliminating food waste and building a better food system for everyone. 6 years later, the company delivers groceries to 43 states and the District of Columbia and is now available in the greater Denver area.
Source: dailydenvernews.com
Ecommerce in Belgium: €10.26bln in 2020
Ecommerce in Belgium was worth 10.26bln euros in 2020. That’s a decrease of 10% compared to the situation 1 year before. Of course, the decline has everything to do with the coronavirus outbreak. Belgians bought far fewer services online, but ordered more products. The average Belgian online shopper has also shopped more online than previously. But at the same time, the average order amount has decreased. This is also due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and the accompanying measures by the government. The closure of physical stores has led to more online purchases, which resulted in smaller orders, because consumers now had to buy everyday products online. This is shown in the latest BeCommerce Market Monitor, which gives more insight in ecommerce in Belgium.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
UK: Amazon stands to win big on Deliveroo’s IPO
Deliveroo is planning to raise £1bln ($1.38bln) in its initial public offering next month when it is expected to debut on the London Stock Exchange. Deliveroo’s IPO will value the company between £7.6bln and £8.8bln, which is higher than previous reports had suggested. The biggest individual winner will be Deliveroo CEO Will Shu. Overall, however, Amazon stands to gain the most from the IPO.
Source: cnbc.com
Suning.com wants an IPO for Carrefour China - to fund growth or pay debts?
The Chinese operator of French retail giant Carrefour’s China business is planning an independent IPO for the big-box store chain, according to Chinese Business Network (in Chinese). Tián Ruì, CEO of Carrefour China, said he could not set a timeline for the potential IPO, but the company is seeking out new strategic investors.
Source: supchina.com
India: JioMart inches closer to market leader BigBasket's user base
Reliance Industries' e-commerce venture JioMart has inched closer to market leader BigBasket's monthly and daily active user base, according to a BofA Global Research report. "The DAU/MAU ratio, a function of retention, is also highest for Big Basket and JioMart at 17% and 16% respectively", said BofA which has based the findings on latest trends of key apps in India according to February 21 Sensortower data.
Source: livemint.com
UK: Tesco sets out its climate “manifesto” ahead of crucial COP26 Conference in Glasgow
Tesco has launched a new climate change “manifesto” ahead of this year’s crucial COP26 Climate Change Summit in Glasgow. The retailer has identified 5 key areas of focus where it can make the most difference, including cutting absolute emissions from energy, supporting the UK’s transition to electric transport, tackling food waste, supporting the sustainable production of food, and helping customers eat healthy, sustainable diets.
Source: tescoplc.com
Hungary: SPAR achieves 8.7% sales growth in 2020
SPAR Hungary has reported a very positive year despite the extraordinary challenges caused by the pandemic. Annual sales reached €2.10bln, a considerable growth of 8.7% from the previous year. A total of 500 new jobs were created, growing the number of employees to over 14,000. Highlights of the year were the expansion of several logistics centres and improvements within the retail network. SPAR Hungary also invested a total of €78.3mln in strengthening the business.
Source: spar-international.com
Poland: Carrefour adds 10 new stores to its network
Carrefour Polska has announced that it opened 10 new stores in January and February this year, including 8 Carrefour Express outlets. The retailer's Polish arm now operates nearly 700 convenience stores across the country.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Indonesian social commerce app KitaBeli gets $10mln led by Go Ventures
KitaBeli, an Indonesian social commerce app for group buying, announced it has raised a $10mln Series A. The round was led by Go Ventures, whose cornerstone investor is Gojek, with participation from returning investors AC Ventures and East Ventures. KitaBeli currently focuses on selling fresh produce and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) in areas outside of Indonesia’s major cities, including to people who have never shopped online before.
Source: techcrunch.com
Britain's John Lewis to close 8 more stores putting 1,465 jobs at risk
The John Lewis Partnership will permanently close 8 more stores, jeopardising 1,465 jobs, as it reshapes its business for the digital age, the employee-owned British retailer said. Multiple COVID-19 lockdowns have heaped pressure on store-based groups already struggling with tight margins and intense competition from purely online players.
Source: reuters.com
Finland: Kesko strengthens market share in grocery trade
Finnish retailer Kesko saw its market share in the grocery trade increase by 0.4 percentage points to 36.9% in 2020, according to data from Grocery Store Register published by Nielsen. The performance of its K-Citymarket chain was particularly strong, with a sales increasing by 12.2% and exceeding the average market growth.
Source: esmmagazine.com