Buying groceries the Amazon way
Happy Birthday, Amazon Fresh! This month marks the one-year anniversary of the opening of Amazon.com Inc.’s physical grocery store. Today, there are 18 locations clustered in and around southern California, Chicago, Seattle and Washington. Amazon has confirmed that seven additional locations are in the works. Meanwhile, news reports and store permitting documents suggest that the company is plugging away on dozens more.
Source: bloomberg.com
US: Walmart to hire 20,000 supply chain workers ahead of holiday season
Walmart Inc said it planned to hire 20,000 workers at its supply chain division and raise wages ahead of the busy holiday season anticipating higher demand. The roles, which will be a mix of part time and full time jobs, would be hired at across more than 250 Walmart and Sam's Club distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation offices, the retailer said in a statement.
Source: reuters.com
US: FreshDirect cuts prices on center store products
FreshDirect is implementing unspecified price reductions on a "wide selection" of center store items for all of its customers, the New York City-based online grocer announced. The e-grocer has also added 250 center store products carrying private labels owned by parent Ahold Delhaize to its selection. FreshDirect's latest moves follow the company's absorption by Ahold Delhaize earlier this year.
Source: grocerydive.com
US: Autonomous-truck maker Gatik drives into Texas
Gatik has expanded customer deployments into Texas and opened a new autonomous-trucking facility in Fort Worth. The new facility serves as a hub for the company’s operations in the Lone Star State, enabling new and existing customers to take advantage of lower supply chain costs, operational efficiencies and shorter delivery times on what Gatik refers to as the “Middle Mile.” The company has also raised $85mln in Series B funding, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, to scale its fleet of Class 3-6 autonomous box trucks across new markets in North America.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Singapore's Shopee changes the game in Brazil's e-commerce sector
Sea Ltd's Shopee took just 2 years to become Brazil's most-downloaded shopping app, winning users to its low-cost marketplace with its game-changing approach to e-commerce: in-app mini-games offering coupons to winning users. The Singapore-based company has combined online shopping with the gaming nous of its separate mobile game arm Garena - creator of "Free Fire", Brazil's most-downloaded title for 8 consecutive quarters - to generate sales analysts estimated at almost a 3rd of local champion Magazine Luiza SA.
Source: reuters.com
Yandex takes more control of Russian venture with Uber in $1 bln deal
Russian internet giant Yandex said it would buy Uber's stakes in their joint foodtech, delivery and self-driving businesses, and increase its stake in their ride-hailing joint venture as part of a $1bln deal. The restructuring of the MLU ride-hailing and car sharing joint venture, which includes Yandex.Taxi, will see Yandex own 71% while Uber's stake falls to 29% from 33.5%, Yandex said, adding it had taken out a $2bln call option to buy out the rest if it chooses to do so.
Source: reuters.com
India: Amazon Retail launches agronomy services to empower farmers with technology
Amazon Retail has launched its agronomy services to empower farmers through an initiative that gives them timely advice and enables them to make accurate decisions on actions required for their crops. This includes introducing machine learning technology for better produce and building a robust supply chain infrastructure. “We are excited by the role we can play in empowering Indian farmers and the agricultural community through pioneering technology that improves farm yield and quality of fruits and vegetables”, said Sameer Khetarpal, Director, Grocery, Food and Health, Amazon India.
Source: business-standard.com
Croatia: Fortenova Group sees revenue up 35% in first half
Fortenova Group has reported a 35% year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue from continuing operations in the first half of its financial year. The adjusted consolidated EBITDA for the period increased 14%, with net profit amounting to HRK318mln (€42.45mln) from a loss in the same period last year. The company also reported strong liquidity in the first half, with cash worth more than HRK1.8bln (€240mln) in its account.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Discounter Aldi expands presence in Poland
Aldi is planning to open 7 stores in Poland in September, as it plans to reach a milestone of 200 outlets across the country by the end of the year. Since the start of the year, the discounter has opened 14 outlets, with new stores set to open over the coming month in Starogard Gdański, Słupsk, Gdańsk, Płock, Łomża, Nowy Sącz and Mikołów.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Dealz announces €20mln investment fund for Ireland
Dealz has confirmed it has an Irish investment fund of €20mln earmarked for store expansion in the Republic of Ireland over the next 3 years. The group said it is actively exploring opportunities across Ireland, particularly within smaller, regional areas including Galway, Donegal, Mayo, Tipperary, Wicklow, Leitrim, Meath, Kildare, Kerry, Clare, Louth, Sligo, Limerick and Waterford, as well as suburbs of Dublin.
Source: checkout.ie
Australia: Online-only supermarket delivers groceries in 15 minutes or less
Australia’s first online, delivery only supermarket, SEND, is changing the way Australians shop for groceries by fulfilling orders in 15 minutes or under. The SEND app offers fresh local produce for the same retail price sorted in seconds, currently servicing most suburbs in and around Sydney and Melbourne CBD.
Source: retailbiz.com.au
UK: Issa Brothers planning to open hundreds of Asda forecourt convenience stores
The Issa brothers are reportedly planning to roll out Asda convenience stores across their EG Group forecourts estate. According to The Sunday Times, Mohsin and Zuber Issa want to introduce ‘Asda On the Move’ stores to around 300 of their 400 EG forecourts in the UK following the success of trials at 5 sites that began last October.
Source: kamcity.com
SPAR Better Together philosophy still growing the brand almost 90 years on
SPAR found its roots in the Netherlands in 1932, when a group of small and independent retailers came together to work and better serve their communities. Since then, SPAR has become a community favourite across the globe and now operates in 48 countries and across four continents.
Source: spar-international.com
France: Sale of Carrefour shares by Agache 
The Agache Group announced its decision to sell the remainder of its stake in the Carrefour Group. This announcement concludes the gradual exit from the capital initiated in September 2020. Alexandre Bompard, Chairman and CEO of the Carrefour Group, said: “Agache has backed the Carrefour Group reliably for the past 14 years. Since my arrival, I have benefited from the trust and unwavering support of Bernard Arnault at every stage of the Group's transformation. I thank him very much”.
Source: carrefour.com