South Korea: Homeplus' online delivery sales up 980% in one year
Homeplus is setting new sales records with its express delivery service that started in February 2021. Its marketing strategy to send online orders within 1 hour and offer items at comparatively lower prices than those of its rivals have effectively appealed to consumers, the company said. Homeplus customers can receive their groceries within 60 minutes on average on purchases made before 10 p.m. The delivery time may change depending on traffic or weather conditions, but most customers have been highly satisfied with the service that the retailer has brought to 33 cities across the country. This helped the sales growth of Homeplus' express delivery service in the first quarter of this year skyrocket by 980%, year-on-year. The most popular items sent by the express delivery service are fresh foods such as vegetables, meat, dairy products and eggs.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
UK: Tesco teams up with Uber to deliver groceries from 20 stores
Supermarket Tesco has teamed up with ride-hailing company Uber to expand its grocery delivery service. Deliveries will come from 20 stores across the UK, including Edinburgh, Bradford, Portsmouth, Norwich, St Albans and Letchworth. Uber Eats couriers will deliver products ordered via the supermarket's Whoosh service.
Source: bbc.com
Maxima Latvija posts turnover growth of 4.2% in FY 2021
Maxima Latvija has reported a 4.2% year-on-year increase in turnover, to €915mln, in its 2021 financial year. The company’s pre-tax profit amounted to €32.7mln - down by 2% year on year - due to cost increases and the company’s investments in price reduction initiatives.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Scottish convenience group takes a new name and plans expansion
Scottish-based convenience group Eros is re-naming itself Greens Retail next month. The group has stores operating under the Greens and Nisa brands throughout Scotland at locations including Kirkcaldy, Markinch, Leven, Crossford, Ellon, Peterhead, Inverurie and Kinross.
Source: talkingretail.com
Sweden: ICA Real Estate acquires Alecta Fastigheter’s share in Långeberga Logistik
ICA Real Estate entered into an agreement and took possession of Alecta Fastigheter’s 50% share in the jointly owned company Långeberga Logistik AB. ICA Real Estate has carried out the acquisition by exercising a buy-back option. The acquisition gives ICA Real Estate sole right of disposal over the property and ICA Real Estate the ability to develop ICA’s largest logistics property in a more agile way. ICA Real Estate and Alecta Fastigheter continue to jointly own Ancore Fastigheter together.
Source: icagruppen.se
Italy: SPAR announces strong 2021 results, boosted by innovation and investments
SPAR Italy has announced its 2021 financial results: €4bln in turnover, over 90 new store openings, and a 20.6% Own Brand share of total grocery sales. Total turnover grew by 2.2%, driven particularly by growing SPAR store numbers and private label appeal among consumers. The SPAR country organisation also has strong expansion and innovation plans for 2022 that are well underway.
Source: spar-international.com
European project to bring together managers of agricultural co-ops
Romanian co-ops are coordinating a European project to help managers of agri co-ops exchange best practices. Led by the National Union of Vegetable Co-operatives (UNCSV), the project is spread across 2 years and will be run in partnership with institutions and experts in France, Greece and Estonia. The first training session, in Athens, Greece on 20-26 November 2022, will look at strategic entrepreneurship and business in agricultural co-ops.
Source: thenews.coop
UK: Tesco fridging the gap to net zero
Tesco has introduced HGV trailers with refrigeration units powered by solar panels rather than using traditional diesel engine technology. The first 13.6 metre refrigerated trailer based at Tesco’s Peterborough Distribution Centre has already hit the road and is delivering stock to stores across the East of England, with 3 more destined for Peterborough later this year. The joint initiative with Marshall Fleet Solutions will see each trailer save circa 2,000 litres of diesel per year and over 5 tonnes of carbon per year.
Source: tescoplc.com
UK: New Morrisons owner avoids deal probe with petrol station sale
Britain's competition regulator has proposed to accept an offer from supermarket group Morrisons' new private equity owner, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), to sell 87 petrol stations to address concerns over higher fuel prices, it said. CD&R completed its 7bln pound ($8.8bln) purchase of Morrisons, Britain's fourth biggest grocer, last October.
Source: reuters.com
France: Supermarket chain freezes prices of 120 most-bought items
French supermarket chain E.Leclerc has announced that it plans to freeze prices on its 120 most-bought items, guaranteeing that the cost of buying them will not change between May 4 and July. The list of products includes rice, coffee, flour, sugar, dairy products, eggs, certain fruits and vegetables, fruit juice, nappies, washing up liquid and other cleaning and toiletry products.
Source: connexionfrance.com
US: Quicklly introduces Alphonso mangoes for nationwide delivery
Quicklly announced the addition of Alphonso mangoes, also known as the "King of Mangoes", to their expansive offering of delicious and authentic Indian food items. As the nation's largest marketplace for South Asian groceries and meal delivery, the addition of this delectably rare fruit is the latest example of their commitment to uniquely serving the needs of the South Asian consumer.
Source: prnewswire.com
Instacart now partners with Canada's top 5 grocers
Instacart, a leading retail enablement company in North America, announced partnerships with more than 10 new retailers to make same-day delivery more accessible countrywide, including retailers such as food and pharmacy leader Metro Inc., discount retailer Giant Tiger, specialty grocer Galleria Supermarket and more. Following its launch with Metro, Instacart now partners with the top 5 grocers across Canada, including Costco, Loblaws and Walmart. Same-day delivery via Instacart is available to approximately 90% of Canadian households and all 10 provinces.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Albertsons expands grocery delivery with Uber EatsAlbertsons Cos. is extending its online grocery delivery partnership with Uber Eats to more than 2,000 of its stores. San Francisco-based Uber Technologies said that about 800 new Albertsons Cos. supermarkets in Connecticut, Indiana, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont and Rhode Island now offer Uber Eats on-demand grocery delivery.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Whole Foods to shut a half-dozen stores
As parent company Amazon adjusts its brick-and-mortar retail operations, Whole Foods Market plans to close 6 stores in 4 states. Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods confirmed published reports that stores in Montgomery and Mobile, Alabama; the DePaul section of Chicago; Tarzana, California; and Brookline, Massachusetts, are slated to be shut on May 6. Another store, in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, is due to close in the coming months, a company spokesperson said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: EasyBins aims to change online shopping
Online delivery service EasyBins is pioneering the idea of eliminating the store as a shopping constraint by allowing consumers to order groceries from various stores at once through its service. The rapidly growing service is a first-of-its-kind grocery delivery experience because, unlike competitors such as Gopuff and Instacart, Easybins offers items from multiple stores rather than just one retailer, has no delivery fees or minimums, and targets a consistent delivery time for guaranteed service.
Source: progressivegrocer.com