Morrisons begins search for new CEO
Morrisons’ owners Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) have launched a search for a new chief executive as David Potts announced he would step down in about 2 years. CD&R are working with headhunters from Skill Capital to find a replacement. The headhunters began the search towards the end of last year, with the executive recruitment firm already approaching some potential candidates.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
Gorillas to acquire Frichti in latest instant grocery consolidation
German startup Gorillas has announced that it plans to acquire Frichti, a French startup that delivers both ready-to-eat meals and groceries. The acquisition hasn’t closed just yet but both companies have entered exclusive discussions.
Source: techcrunch.com
India's Future launches court challenge to avoid insolvency - filing
Indian retailer Future Group challenged its own lenders in the Supreme Court to avoid facing insolvency proceedings over missing payments, citing its dispute with partner Amazon.com Inc, according to a legal filing reviewed by Reuters.
Source: reuters.com
Japan's retail giant Seven & i to face investor calls for a split - FT
Some major shareholders of Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd are considering submitting proposals at the company’s annual meeting to pressure Japan’s largest convenience store chain to split, the Financial Times reported. The Japanese owner of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain has been under pressure to consider changes from investors including ValueAct Capital, which has said that the sum of its parts is worth much more than its current market value.
Source: reuters.com
Getir to create thousands of jobs in the UK with £100mln investment
Getir, one of the pioneers of rapid grocery delivery, has marked its 1st anniversary of operating in the UK by outlining investment plans for the market. Getir’s e-bikes and e-mopeds began making deliveries in London in January 2021. It is now operational in around 20 cities and towns, including Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Portsmouth, creating around 4,000 jobs.
Source: kamcity.com
Spain: Grupo DIA sees sales drop 3.4% to €6.65bln in 2021
Spanish retailer Grupo DIA reported a 3.4% year-on-year decline in sales in 2021 to €6.65bln, according to provisional data sent to local market regulator CNMV. However, like-for-like sales were up 5% compared to 2019. In the Spanish market, sales fell 6.6% to €4.21bln, and the Portuguese market saw a 5.9% decline, to €592.9mln. Sales in Brazil fell by 13.7%, to €802.1mln, while the Argentinian market saw a 28.2% growth, to €1.04bln.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Newion-backed Deliverect is now a unicorn: Belgian food tech startup raises €132.6mln
Belgium-based online food delivery management company Deliverect announced that it has raised over $150mln (€132.6mln) in a Series D round of funding. Deliverect has now raised a total of $240mln to date and reached a valuation of $1.4bln. The round was led by Coatue Management LLC and Alkeon Capital Management. Existing investors Newion, OMERS Ventures, DST Global, Redpoint Ventures, and Smartfin also participated.
Source: siliconcanals.com
Poland: Eurocash Group's ABC opens 500th renovated store
In December of last year, Eurocash Group's ABC retail chain opened its 500th store featuring its new concept in Warsaw. The Polish retailer started the process of rebranding the ABC network in September 2020.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Grocers must connect the digital dots or risk losing customers to competitors
As grocers look to escape their reliance on 3rd parties such as Instacart by building their own eCommerce businesses, there are many factors they must juggle. They must assemble orders, they must manage or outsource their drivers and routes, they must track their inventory and keep the eShelves stocked, they must keep in communication with their customers and more. Inefficiencies at any point can both send costs soaring and have ramifications for consumers’ experiences that could send them running to competitors. In an interview with PYMNTS, Guy Bloch, CEO of delivery and fulfillment cloud platform Bringg, noted that, when the pieces of the puzzle are not connected, things can fall through the cracks, and customers are not quick to forgive.
Source: pymnts.com
Walmart's Mexico unit considers 'strategic alternatives' in Central America
Walmart's Mexico unit said it is considering "strategic alternatives" to its operations in Central America, including a sale or joint venture, a move analysts said would help it focus on the more profitable Mexican market. Walmart de Mexico, known locally as Walmex, runs about 860 stores in Central America, making up almost a 4th of its footprint. "We think there can be attractive opportunities for greater growth in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua," the company said in a statement.
Source: reuters.com
US: Price Rite’s Jim Dorey to become Inserra Supermarkets president
Jim Dorey, president of value grocer Price Rite Marketplace, has joined ShopRite operator Inserra Supermarkets Inc. as senior vice president, a stepping stone to becoming the grocer’s president and chief operating officer. Mahwah, New Jersey-based Inserra said that Ron Onorato, its current president and COO, aims to retire within the next 2 years, and Dorey will eventually transition to that role. He starts at Inserra as senior vice president effective immediately.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Convenience store count in the US declines by 1.5%
The number of convenience stores in the US saw a 1.5% decline, to 148,026 by the end of December 2021, from 150,274 in the previous year, according to data from the 2022 NACS/NielsenIQ Convenience Industry Store Count. It is the 4th-straight yearly decline as single-store operators continue to exit the industry, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) added.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Amazon’s mandatory ‘wellness huddles’ tell workers to eat their vegetables
In Amazon fulfillment centers across America, Amazon warehouse workers are being summoned for mandatory group huddles designed to improve their wellbeing. In the middle of their shifts, the summoned Amazon warehouse workers stand before a TV or laptop, and watch a short animated video. In the videos, warehouse workers and an animated robot demonstrate bending over and using their “powerzone” (core muscles) to lift bins, gripping, and stretching. Workers are invited to follow along to the video, which lasts a few minutes. Then back to work. Amazon workers said they are asked to participate in wellness “huddles” roughly once a month. Workers told Motherboard that some huddles also focus on healthy eating, such as cutting back on sweets and carbs and eating more vegetables.
Source: vice.com
US: Fresh Thyme Market tallies sales gains from ‘smart’ shelf tags
Fresh Thyme Market has seen a sizable sales lift since deploying enhanced QR code technology on shelves for some products over a year ago. Business management software provider Cornerstone for Natural said Fresh Thyme products merchandised with its Smart Shelf Tags generated more than three times the sales of other items within their respective categories, based on SPINS retail sales data. Equipped with patented ELi Codes, the interactive shelf tags display videos, PDFs, web content, images, and product information and attributes when scanned by a smartphone.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: BJ’s on the March in Michigan
BJ’s Wholesale Club is expanding its footprint in Michigan, opening its latest location in the state capital of Lansing. The new membership warehouse club at 825 N. Marketplace Blvd will welcome shoppers starting Friday, January 28.
Source: progressivegrocer.com