Amazon to lay off thousands of employees - source
Amazon.com Inc is planning to lay off around 10,000 employees in corporate and technology roles beginning this week, a person familiar with the matter said, in what would amount to its biggest such reduction to date. The cuts, earlier reported by the New York Times, would represent about 3% of Amazon's corporate staff. The exact number may vary as businesses within Amazon review their priorities, the source told Reuters.
Source: reuters.com
U.S. online grocery sales decline over 3% for October
The online grocery market decreased for the third straight month in October, reflecting changes usage, users and retail channel dynamics, the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey shows. October online grocery sales totaled $7.8bln, declining 3.7% from $8.1bln a year ago but flat versus the $7.8bln tally in September, which marked a 2.5% year-over-year decrease. Both market totals were down from $8.5bln in August, when sales dipped around 1%.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Getir goes bananas celebrating one year U.S. anniversary!
Getir, the pioneer of ultrafast grocery delivery, celebrates one year of launching in the United States in Chicago, New York, and Boston. Through its revolutionary last-mile grocery delivery service, the Getir app has been opened in the U.S. more than 40mln times, saving users over 700,000 hours. To celebrate, bananas, the most popular selling product on the U.S. app, are available for nine cents. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of bananas is $0.64 per pound, approximately $0.21 each. Top 10 selling products: 1. Bananas; 2. Avocados; 3. Navel Oranges; 4. Fuji Apples; 5. Roma Tomatoes; 6. Gala Apples; 7. Lemons; 8. Sparkling Water; 9. Blueberries; 10. Bottled Water.
Source: newsdirect.com
US: New collaboration between WA DOH and Amazon brings SNAP Produce Match to more households
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and Amazon have teamed up to provide Washingtonians with more money to buy fruits and vegetables. People who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Pandemic EBT benefits in Washington can now use SNAP Produce Match for Amazon Fresh purchases.
Source: doh.wa.gov
US: sweetgreen opens first order ahead drive-up format, “sweetlane”
sweetgreen, the mission-driven restaurant brand serving healthy food, announced the opening of its first advanced order vehicle pickup window, “sweetlane” located in Schaumburg, Illinois. The grand opening of “sweetlane” on November 15 serves as the latest iteration of the company’s evolving restaurant experience, testing new formats to meet customers where they are.
Source: businesswire.com
India: Swiggy Instamart expands the selection of fresh fruits and vegetables in Hyderabad, Vizag and Vijayawada
Swiggy Instamart, Swiggy’s quick commerce grocery service announced it is expanding the choice of fruits and vegetables available for customers in Hyderabad, Vizag and Vijayawada. To facilitate this, the sellers on Swiggy Instamart are looking to onboard more local fruit and vegetable vendors.
Source: orissadiary.com
UAE: Barakat reveals bio-degradable packaging across product range
Barakat, the UAE’s leading produce brand, has launched its bio-degradable packaging across its entire product range, taking a big step into the world of sustainability. Barakat’s new packaging contains an organic compound that degrades 90% faster in landfills than regular plastic and biodegrades 30% in just the first year, leaving behind nutrient-rich soil instead of microplastic waste.
Source: khaleejtimes.com
South Africa: Shoprite Q1 sales jump as shoppers look for discounts
South Africa’s biggest grocery retailer Shoprite Holdings reported first-quarter sales growth of 18.6% as financially constrained consumers flocked to its budget chains for discounts. The group’s core Supermarkets South Africa segment, represented by budget chains Shoprite and Usave, and upmarket chains Checkers, Checkers Hyper and LiquorShop, grew sales by 19.9% in the first quarter ended September, lifted by rising customer numbers, volume growth and higher average basket spend.
Source: reuters.com
Lidl Portugal generates over €7bln for Portuguese economy
Lidl Portugal generated over €7bln for the Portuguese economy in the period from 2019-2021, according to a study carried out by KPMG. In 2021 alone, the company's contribution was €2.6bln, representing 1.2% of GDP that year, and meaning that for every €1 spent by Lidl, €1.73 was generated for the Portuguese economy.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Belgium: Spar Lier reopens as Spar Colruyt Group on 17 November
On Thursday 17 November, Spar Lier reopens its doors as a Spar Colruyt Group store. In the new store, the customers enter via the bakery department, to then pass via the cheese and sliced cold meat to the vegetables and fruit, butcher's and catering departments. "In fact, this follows the course of the day, where you also begin with breakfast, then lunch and eventually dinner", store manager Tim Anthonis explains.
Source: press.colruytgroup.com
India: Agritech startup WayCool backs logistics startup AllFresh
Agritech startup WayCool has invested in supply chain management startup AllFresh. The investment is part of Waycool’s strategy to create a Keiretsu in the global food supply chain. With this investment, WayCool will be using AllFresh’s apples and oranges farmers’ pool working in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and other states. The startup will further connect these farmers with its more than 1.2 Lakh retail clientele.
Source: inc42.com
China: Missfresh files annual report on Form 20-F for fiscal year 2021
Missfresh Limited (“Missfresh” or the “Company”), an innovator in China’s neighborhood retail industry, announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on November 14, 2022. The annual report can be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.missfresh.cn/ as well as the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov/.
Source: globenewswire.com
Mercadona set to open one of its largest Spanish stores in Cabo de Palos
Murcia's favourite supermarket Mercadona has been granted the licence to open one of its biggest stores in Spain in the new Las Dunas Cabo de Palos shopping centre. The impressive venture will cost 5.2mln euros and the 4,500 square metre building should be complete within 11 months.
Source: murciatoday.com
Philippines: AllDay improves core net income to P270mln
AllDay Supermarket, a leading player in the Philippines’ mid-premium supermarket segment, posted a 1.9% growth in core net income to P270mln from January to September 2022 from the P265mln posted in the same period last year.
Source: mb.com.ph
Australia: Mango King opens largest fruit and veg shop on Brisbane’s northside 
A better choice! retailer and Mango King, Sam Etri, is opening his third fruit and veg shop, Skippy’s Market Fresh at Rothwell. The 1,000 m² store will be the biggest on Brisbane’s northside and is set to employ 30 staff from the Moreton Bay community.
Source: abetterchoice.com.au
HelloFresh responds to accusations of forced monkey labour
HelloFresh is under fire as PETA claims a new investigation shows suppliers of the meal kit provider using chained monkeys to pick coconuts in Thailand. After an eight-month probe, PETA Asia says investigators discovered baby monkeys were being kidnapped, chained and forced to spend long hours climbing trees and picking heavy coconuts. In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, HelloFresh has denied sourcing coconut products from suppliers that put monkeys to labour.
Source: au.news.yahoo.com