Chinese internet giant Alibaba is seeking Competition Commission of India (CCI) approval to acquire a stake in online grocery startup BigBasket. Alibaba Group Holding and its Indian associate PayTM E-Commerce were reported in July as having a 60-day exclusive pact with BigBasket, according to Deal Street Asia. BigBasket has a presence in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Jaipur, Punjab and Lucknow as well as four other cities, and has raised more than $200 million from investors. (insideretail.asia) UK grocery inflation hits highest level in four years
British grocery inflation hit its highest level since November 2013 in the past quarter, driving supermarkets' sales growth. Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said grocery inflation was 3.4% in the 12 weeks to Nov. 5. It said that over the course of a year, this could add 143.7 pounds ($188.2) to a typical family’s grocery bill. Official data showed overall British consumer price inflation held at an annual rate of 3.0% in October, its highest level in five-and-a-half years. (Reuters)UK: Morrisons adds Alexa voice shopping
Morrisons, UK’s fourth biggest grocery store chain, announced that their customers will soon be able to shop for groceries via Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant. The company’s new Alexa skill will enable Morrisons consumers to add items to their cart via Alexa as well as check the status of their order or edit their basket. Morrisons is the first brick and mortar grocer in the UK to add Alexa. In August, UK online grocer Ocado added an Alexa skill. (thespoon.tech) UK: Sainsbury’s to accelerate energy-savings in supermarket ‘1st’
Sainsbury’s is the first UK supermarket to roll out revolutionary Formula 1 inspired aerofoil technology on fridges in the cold aisles across all of its stores. The new energy saving technology helps to chill food to the same temperature whilst making the aisles warmer for customers. The state-of-the-art aerofoil technology, which borrows from the fast-paced world of Formula 1, prevents cold air from the fridges spilling out into the aisle by steering it directly back down into the fridge unit. The principle for the technology replicates aerofoil design with an aerodynamic ‘profile’ that redirects air flow, similar to those seen on cars. (retailtimes.co.uk) CA: Save-On-Foods expands online grocery in B.C.
Save-On-Foods is expanding its online shopping pickup and delivery service to cities in the B.C. Interior and Okanagan. Shoppers in Kelowna, Prince George and Vernon can order groceries at SaveOnFoods.com and choose to pick them up in store or have them delivered. Meanwhile, four Kamloops locations are adding click and collect. To use the online shopping service, consumers need to create an account on the Save-On-Foods site, fill their online cart, and choose whether they’d like to pick up their orders or have them delivered at a specific time. (canadiangrocer.com) US: New apparel line joins Kroger’s $20+bln private label segment
US largest supermarket chain Kroger is introducing a new private label apparel brand, called “Our Brands,” in 300 Fred Meyer and Kroger Marketplace stores in fall 2018. The active lifestyle brand will launch with children, young men, juniors, men’s and women’s clothing. The move is part of the Restock Kroger initiative, which includes building on the retailer’s private label sales growth, which increased from $15bln in 2011 to $20.5bln in 2017. (retailtouchpoints.com) 
