US: Startup Gatik says it will put self-driving trucks on the road in Kansas
Autonomous delivery truck startup Gatik said it will be putting its box trucks on the road in Kansas after state officials gave it and its partner and customer Walmart Inc the go-ahead. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed into law a bill permitting use of driverless vehicles in the state without a human safety driver behind the wheel.
Source: reuters.com
US: Grocery Outlet stores pilot Uber Eats delivery
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. is testing same-day delivery via Uber Eats at 72 stores in six states. Under the partnership, officially announced by Uber Technologies Inc., Grocery Outlet customers can shop for groceries through the Uber Eats and Uber apps and online marketplaces and have their orders delivered on demand or scheduled at selected stores in California, Oregon, and Washington, including markets such as Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Albertsons to test Veeve smart shopping cart
Albertsons Cos. has partnered with Veeve Inc. to pilot “smart” shopping carts that enable customers to ring up items as they shop and pay without going through checkout. Plans call for Albertsons to pilot artificial intelligence-powered Veeve Smart Carts at “a few dozen stores” across the country later this year, Seattle-based Veeve said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: BJ’s Wholesale Club reaps Q1 sales, earnings gains
BJ’s Wholesale Club posted double-digit sales increases and topped analysts’ earnings estimates in its fiscal 2022 quarter, rebounding from prior-year results constrained by the cycling of pandemic-fueled growth. For the quarter ended April 30, net sales climbed 16.3% to $4.4bln from $3.78bln a year earlier, Westborough, Massachusetts-based BJ’s said.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Vegan meat brand Impossible Foods finally announces UK launch date
California’s plant-based meat brand Impossible Foods has finally announced a UK launch date after years of speculation. The arrival of its ‘chicken nuggets’ and ‘sausage patties’ marks a European debut for the company and both products went on sale on May 19 at restaurants across the country.
Source: codehospitality.co.uk
E.Leclerc study highlights impact of rising food costs in France
A study commissioned by French retailer E.Leclerc has found that almost all French consumers (96%) feel the impact of rising costs in their shopping baskets. When it comes to their average shopping basket, French households devote an average of €29.50 per week to the purchase of fresh fruit and vegetables. Some 69% of French people declare that they deprive themselves of fruit and vegetables regularly because they are too expensive, while 81% of low-income households and 68% of those under 35 regularly deprive themselves of fruit and vegetables for the same reasons.
Source: esmmagazine.com
SPAR Croatia extends store network with two SPAR Supermarkets
SPAR Croatia has continued the expansion of its store network with the opening of one 1,300m2 SPAR Supermarket in Kaštel Sucurc in southern Croatia and one in Donja Stubica about 40km northeast of Croatia’s capital Zagreb. In SPAR Kaštel Sucurc customers can find a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as non-food products. In SPAR Donja Stubica the focus is on locally sourced products including meat, pasta, honey and fresh local fruit and vegetables.
Source: spar-international.com
UK: The Co-op launches ‘walking deliveries’ up to 15 minutes from its stores
The Co-op will be the first UK supermarket to launch “walking deliveries” for households and workplaces up to a 15-minute walk from its stores. The retailer is expected to operate from 200 stores this year following successful trials throughout Cornwall. The rollout is likely to include smaller towns and rural villages often considered “offline” by rapid home delivery providers that focus on urban areas, said the Co-op.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
Australia: Woolworths offers to buy majority stake in MyDeal.com
Australia's Woolworths Group offered to buy 80% stake in online retailer MyDeal.com, as it looks to take on major internet retail giants operating in the country that includes Amazon.com. The A$217.4mln ($152.88mln) deal involves Woolworths paying A$1.05 per share of MyDeal.
Source: reuters.com
Germany: Lidl breaks through the 100bln euro sales barrier
It’s a great milestone for Lidl: The retailer turned over 100.8bln euros in the 2021-2022 financial year, according to figures published by parent company Schwarz Gruppe. That is a growth of 4.7%. The increase in turnover is partly due to the opening of 300 new stores. The entire Schwarz Gruppe recorded strong results: turnover grew from 125.3bln euros to 133.6bln euros. The hypermarket chain Kaufland increased its turnover by 7.4% to 27.3bln euros. The group’s total online turnover was 1.7bln euros. The group operates more than 13,300 stores and invested around 8bln euros in expansion, modernisation and digitalisation last year.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Russian retailer Mere opens first store in Bosnia - report
Russian discount store chain Mere opened its first supermarket in Bosnia and Herzegovina, local media reported. Mere's first supermarket in the country opened in Istocno Sarajevo, daily Nezavisne reported, quoting Kemal Muratovic, director at Express Consulting, as saying. Express Consulting is representing Mere in Bosnia, according to the media report.
Source: seenews.com
Holland: Partnership with Ochama turns Blokker into a platform
Ochama, a subsidiary of the Chinese JD.com group, is opening pick-up points in Blokker stores. A clever win-win: the webshop can scale up faster in the Netherlands, while Blokker expands its range and attracts new customers.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Croatia: Studenac continues expansion with Duravit Trgovina takeover
Croatian retailer Studenac is continuing its acquisition hunt, acquiring the Pula-based retail chain Duravit Trgovina d.o.o., which operates 13 stores. Studenac, which boasts around 50 stores in Pula, said that the acquisition will help 'strengthen its position' in the region. "Studenac continues with its business strategy of growth and development," commented Michal Senczuk, Studenac president.
Source: esmmagazine.com
China: JD.com kicks off 618 Grand Promotion advocating “Responsible Supply Chain”
JD.com will kick off its 618 Grand Promotion 2022 on May 23rd under the theme of “Responsible Supply Chain”, the company said at an online press conference. “Our understanding of supply chain has been evolving and pivoting on responsibilities that will not only create value for business, but also for industries and society”, said Lijun Xin, CEO of JD Retail at the press conference.
Source: jdcorporateblog.com
UK: Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer clash over online tax plans
A battle is shaping up between major retailers over whether the UK should introduce an online sales tax, with Sainsbury’s demanding it to help revive struggling high streets while M&S argues it would have the opposite effect.
Source: theguardian.com