Asda trials UK-first indoor map service for blind & visually impaired shoppers
Asda is trialling new technology with an indoor map service to help blind & partially sights shoppers navigate its stores. Asda’s flagship technology store in Stevenage will be the 1st supermarket in the UK to be integrated into the GoodMaps smartphone app.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
Indian salesmen threaten supply disruptions in protest against Reliance
India's household goods salesmen have threatened to disrupt supplies to mom-and-pop stores if consumer companies provide products at lower prices to Reliance Industries, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
Source: reuters.com
Australia: Metcash profit up despite lockdown issues
Australian Associated Press reported: "Food and grocery distributor Metcash, which supplies the IGA supermarkets network, has lifted its 1st half profit as more people shopped local during COVID-19 lockdowns. Net profit rose 3% to $128mln, while underlying pre-tax earnings expanded by almost 14% to $231.2mln in the 6 months ended October".
Source: au.news.yahoo.com
Kenya: Court bars Naivas sale as brothers squabble
A sibling rivalry over the control of retail chain Naivas has intensified after one of the sons of its founding owner obtained a court order barring his brothers from selling more stakes in the company. The Court of Appeal allowed an application by Mr Newton Kagira Mukuha to stop his siblings from selling additional shares until his appeal is heard and determined.
Source: nation.africa
Tesco: Distribution centre workers plan pre-Christmas strikes
Up to 1,200 workers at Tesco distribution centres across the UK are set to strike in the run-up to Christmas, the Unite union says. The workers, including warehouse staff and HGV drivers, are based at sites in Antrim, Belfast, Didcot and Doncaster. It comes after the supermarket offered a 4% pay rise which Unite said amounted to a "real terms pay cut" due to inflation. Tesco said the deal was fair and that it would mitigate any disruption.
Source: bbc.com
Taiwan's PX Mart to hand out fruit, vegetables and bread with vaccines
When supermarket chain PX Mart begins hosting COVID-19 vaccinations, the inoculated will receive free fruit, vegetables, and bread, reports said. PX Mart was the 1st chain to announce it would welcome the government’s new campaign to vaccinate people at supermarkets, department stores, and shopping malls.
Source: taiwannews.com.tw
France: Carrefour launches its subscription service on Carrefour.fr
Carrefour has just launched a new subscription service to get everyday products delivered via its website. Customers simply choose the products they want to have delivered to their home on a regular basis, and then decide on the frequency based on their supply needs.
Source: carrefour.com
Dutch online retailers unite to form labor agreement
Dutch online retailers have formed an employer’s organization called E-commerce Netherlands. The organization is supposed to strengthen the branch, which is growing quickly. It will also bring Dutch ecommerce closer to forming a collective labor agreement.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
US: Costco Wholesale Corporation reports November sales results
Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) reported net sales of $18.13bln for the retail month of November, the 4 weeks ended November 28, 2021, an increase of 15.7% from $15.67bln last year. For the 12-week 1st quarter ended November 21, 2021, the Company reported net sales of $49.42bln, an increase of 16.7% from $42.35bln last year. For the 13 weeks ended November 28, 2021, the Company reported net sales of $54.10bln, an increase of 16.8% from $46.33bln last year.
Source: globenewswire.com
US: Delivery robot company Coco launches new model in partnership with Segway
Coco, the robot based delivery service, has launched Coco 1, a larger, more advanced version of its signature pink bot. The Coco 1 is a 1st of its kind delivery robot designed and manufactured in partnership with the largest micro mobility hardware manufacturer, Segway.
Source: roboticsandautomationnews.com
Where grocery retailers are investing in fresh for 2022
Just how important is the grocery perimeter to driving store sales and loyalty? According to a new survey of food industry executives, the fresh department is the No. 1 strategic component of their companies' overall revenue growth plans for the next 1 to 3 years. In fact, more than 80% of respondents from 29 food industry companies surveyed by FMI - The Food Industry Association and Deloitte said they're dedicating more floor space for fresh, bringing in expanded fresh product offerings and/or adding fresh-department staff.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com
US: Big Y's myPicks rolls out same-day ordering and pickup
Shoppers can now access same-day ordering and pickup via Big Y’s e-commerce platform, myPicks Online Ordering. Customers can place orders online up until 10 a.m. for pickup on the afternoon of the same day. The online ordering service is available at Massachusetts Big Y locations in Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Ludlow, South Hadley, Cooley St. Springfield, Big Y at Fresh Acres, Westfield, Westfield Shops, West Springfield and Wilbraham.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: The future of food: KeHE Distributors releases 2022 top 10 list of food & beverage trends to watch
KeHE®, the largest distributor of natural & organic, specialty, and fresh products in North America, has identified its macro trends in the food and beverage industry to inform retailers’ product selections for 2022. Trend experts from KeHE identified 10 predicted trends in the new 2022 Macro Trend Guide through their expertise in observing consumer shopping behaviors, analyzing consumer data, and foraging for emerging products: 1. Cuisine Exploration; 2. Food Tech Boom; 3. Sober-Curious Drinkers; 4. Dual Purpose Brands; 5. Convenience Continues; 6. Flexitarian Diets; 7. Permissible Indulgence; 8. Shopping Local; 9. Getting Grain-ular; 10. Functionality Collab.
Source: kehe.com
Amazon is making its own containers and bypassing supply chain chaos with chartered ships and long-haul planes
For years, Amazon has been quietly chartering private cargo ships, making its own containers, and leasing planes to better control the complicated shipping journey of an online order. Now, as many retailers panic over supply chain chaos, Amazon’s costly early moves are helping it avoid the long wait times for available dock space and workers at the country’s busiest ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. By chartering private cargo vessels to carry its goods, Amazon can control where its goods go, avoiding the most congested ports.
Source: cnbc.com