Israel: Wolt launches grocery delivery from new Market store in Tel Aviv
Finnish delivery giant Wolt is expanding its footprint in Israel with a new venture that will include grocery deliveries, starting in Tel Aviv, in addition to nationwide food and goods deliveries. Wolt officially opened its first dedicated grocery store called Wolt Market in the upscale Neve Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv from which customers can order their groceries and have them delivered. The store will hold about 3,000 products including dairy goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Bünting cooperates with Norwegian online supermarket Oda
Germany's Bünting Group has entered into a trading partnership with the Norwegian online supermarket group Oda, it said in a statement. Together, the two companies are planning a German launch of Oda, which is planned for the second half of 2022. The online grocery retailer will initially offer a full range of supermarket products in Berlin and Bochum, and deliver groceries and fresh produce at a customer's desired time slot.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Australia: Woolworths announces huge change to fruit and vegetable aisle
Woolworths has announced a major change to its fresh fruit and vegetable section, coming to all stores across Australia. The supermarket giant, in partnership with Tiliter, is introducing new Artificially Intelligent (AI) Scales in the produce aisle. The company said the new scales will help customers manage their budgets by offering a quick and convenient reading of the product weight of fruit and vegetables.
Source: 7news.com.au
Italy: Gruppo Pam rethinks hypermarket concept
Italy’s Gruppo Pam is preparing a series of measures to reconfigure its operations, after closing 2021 with losses of €16.8mln, according to Distribuzione Moderna. Hypermarket sales were in the red for €25mln and superstores achieved a loss of €1.7mln, while only Pam’s supermarket arm was in the black (€5.7mln). In the first quarter of 2022, sales dropped by €15mln, and the margin by €4.7mln, the retailer noted.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Big C buys Cambodia’s Kiwi Mart
Big C Supercenter Plc, a leading retail operator in Thailand, has acquired Kiwi Mart - a convenience store chain in Cambodia - via its Cambodian subsidiary to strengthen its retail business in the neighbouring country. According to Gary Hardy, an adviser of Big C Supercenter, Big C Supercenter (Cambodia) reached an agreement to acquire Kiwi Mart in Cambodia. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
Source: aseannow.com
VegEase launches franchise business model across India - VegEase franchise opportunity
VegEase is an iconic brand in the food segment and it’s owned by Egreen Farms Pvt Ltd. VegEase is a farm-fresh fruits and vegetable delivery service that offers Online and Ve-Cart. VegEase App helps to order farm-fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms and have them delivered right to your door. VegEase uses advanced supply logistics to send customized Ve-Carts containing more than 100 SKUs at the customer’s chosen delivery time slot. VegEase is currently under operation in Delhi NCR and the company has been making aggressive expansion plans to further increase its reach and tap the market potential in Pan India. The company has been planning to increase the number of delivery services across India by 2025.
Source: businesswireindia.com
China: Dingdong offers improved “Mommy’s Select” on International Children’s Day 
Dingdong, a leading and fast-growing fresh grocery e-commerce company in China, announced that the company offers a new and upgraded "Mommy’s Select" Section on its grocery order app. A survey which was conducted recently by Dingdong shows that only 54% of parents in China read and check the ingredient list and nutritional composition when buying food for their children.
Source: 100.me
Italian online retailer Tulips to invest in new dark stores
Italian online supermarket platform Tulips is aiming to raise at least €4mln via the CrowdFundMe platform, to invest in a dark-store network. According to daily Il Sole 24 Ore, the resources will be invested in new dark stores in northern Italy, to expand Tulips’ delivery coverage area; to improve technological and digital efficiencies; to enhance its AI system; and for brand promotion and marketing campaigns.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Holland: Albert Heijn makes 'clean delivery' pledge for city centres
Dutch retailer Albert Heijn has said that by the end of this year, all home and store deliveries in the centre of The Hague will be undertaken with 100% electric trucks, with more cities to follow. The retailer, part of Ahold Delhaize, said that Rotterdam, Utrecht and Amsterdam are next in line for the rollout, which will mean 'quieter and cleaner transport' for customers and local residents.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Brazil retailer GPA approves participation in buyback program of Exito S.A.
Brazil retailer GPA said its board has approved its participation in a buyback program of its subsidiary Exito S.A. In a securities filing, the company said total gross value of the share sale in Colombia’s Exito will stand at around 386.7mln reais ($80.31mln). Currently, GPA holds 96.57% of Exito’s equity, of which 91.57% is held directly by GPA and the remaining 5.00% is held by its subsidiary GPA2 Empreendimentos e Participaçoes Ltda.
Source: reuters.com
Largest U.S. grocers make Top 25 Global Retailers list
Seven of the largest U.S. grocery retailers were among the 10 biggest companies in the GlobalData’s Top 25 Global Retailers list. Ranked by 2021 revenue, the list has Walmart, Amazon, CVS Health and Costco Wholesale as the top four, according to GlobalData. The other U.S.-based grocery retailers in the top 10 were The Kroger Co., Walgreens Boots Alliance and Target at Nos. 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Also making the top 25 list among companies operating in the U.S. grocery arena were Ahold Delhaize (No. 13), Seven & I Holdings/7-Eleven (No. 15), Albertsons (No. 17) and Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K (No. 19).
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Vallarta Supermarkets brings Flashfood to West Coast for 1st time
Vallarta Supermarkets, one of the largest Latino-owned supermarket chains in California, has launched a pilot partnership with Flashfood, a digital marketplace that provides customers access to heavily discounted food nearing its best-by date. The five-store pilot will bring the app to Los Angeles County shoppers in Palmdale and Lancaster for the first time, expanding Flashfood's presence across the U.S. from coast-to-coast.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Albertsons Cos. launches online product reviews
Albertsons Cos. have gone live with consumer-generated product ratings and reviews on the retail websites of 11 of its supermarket banners. Chicago-based PowerReviews said that the launch of its system on such grocery websites as Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco and Shaw’s enables those customers - for the first time - to browse and interact with authentic product ratings and reviews.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Big Tech ramps up efforts to quash milestone antitrust bill
Big tech has launched a media blitz aimed at derailing one of the most ground-breaking bipartisan bills in the U.S. that would bar tech companies, like Amazon.com Inc, from giving preference to their own businesses on their websites. Amazon lambasted the bill saying in a blog post that the bill "jeopardizes two of the things American consumers love most about Amazon: the vast selection and low prices made possible by opening our store to third-party selling partners, and the promise of fast, free shipping through Amazon Prime".
Source: reuters.com