US: Costco elevates Ron Vachris to president, COO
Costco Wholesale has quietly promoted chief operating officer Ron Vachris to president. Issaquah, Washington-based Costco reported the appointment in an 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Vachris, formerly executive vice president and COO for merchandising, picks up the president’s title from Costco CEO Craig Jelinek.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Footprint tackles every aisle with sustainable supermarket solutions
Footprint, a global materials science technology company focused on creating a healthy planet, announced the launch of a customized and tested portfolio of solutions for supermarkets designed to replace single-use plastics and foam, building on plant-based fiber solutions the company currently provides to individual food producers.
Source: businesswire.com
US: The GIANT Company launches new partnership with Ship2Me™
Taking the next step in its omnichannel offerings, The GIANT Company announced the launch of Ship2Me™ by GIANT and Ship2Me™ by MARTIN’S, giving customers access to an expanded assortment beyond traditional grocery categories and all delivered directly to one’s home.
Source: giantfoodstores.com
US: Gatik CEO sees future of autonomous trucking in short hauls
Late last year, autonomous vehicle startup Gatik announced a big step: It eliminated the safety operator from behind the wheel of two self-driving trucks as part of its partnership with discounter Walmart. Now, the Mountain View, California firm is looking to speed up the process of fully driverless truck operations in the next few years.
Source: apnews.com
Canada: Voilà by Sobeys is launching in B.C.
Voilà by Sobeys is headed to The Pacific Province. Empire Company Limited announced that its 4th, fully-automated e-commerce customer fulfillment centre would be located in the Greater Vancouver Area. Delivery in the province is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Brazil: GPA to invest R$1bln in operations this year
Brazilian retail giant Grupo Pão de Açúcar (GPA) plans to invest around R$1bln (€164mln) in its operations this year, up from R$750mln (€123mln) last year, its chief executive Jorge Faiçal has said. Speaking to daily newspaper Valor Economico, Faiçal said that since mid-2021, the industry has been suffering from double-digit food inflation, lower salaries and high unemployment.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Bananas secures $1mln to speed up grocery delivery in Indonesia
Bananas, an Indonesian rapid commerce startup, has raised $1mln in seed funding that will fuel its goal of speeding up the grocery delivery in Indonesia. The funding round was led by East Ventures and backed SMDV, ARISE, MDI Ventures, and a few angel investors.
Source: asiatechdaily.com
Thailand: Central Retail plans $3.3bln investment by 2026
Thailand's Central Retail Corporation Pcl (CRC) said it plans to invest 100bln baht ($3.03bln) over the next 5 years to expand its retail businesses. The Southeast Asian country's biggest retailer also said in a statement it aims to boost revenue growth and market capitalisation by 2.5 times over the period.
Source: reuters.com
UK: Ocado's core earnings weighed down by tech investment
Ocado Group, the British online supermarket and technology firm, reported a 12.1% fall in annual core earnings, with investment in the business more than offsetting an increase in revenue. Revenue rose 7.2% to 2.5bln pounds, while capital expenditure increased 154.8mln pounds to 680.4mln pounds reflecting increased investment in the roll-out of automated warehouses in Britain and overseas, along with investment in technology development and platforms.
Source: reuters.com
Amazon.de revenue €31bln in 2021
Ecommerce giant Amazon has reached a sales worth of 31.6bln euros in Germany during the past year. This is a growth of almost 6bln euros when compared to the year before. The company grew in its other markets as well, but not as strong as in Germany.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Aldi partners with British Land to open 4 new stores
Property and investment company British Land has agreed leasing deals with the discount supermarket chain Aldi for 4 retail park sites. With the total space spanning around 85,000 square feet, Aldi will open 20,000 square foot shops at at Crown Wharf in Walsall and the Crownpoint Shopping Park in Denton. In addition, the supermarket will launch a 24,000 square foot store at Kingston Centre in Milton Keynes and a 21,000 square foot expanded shop at Mostyn Champneys Shopping Park in Llandudno, which will be double the size of its current store.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
UK: Potato milk hits Waitrose shelves
Waitrose has unveiled its latest alternative milk Swedish brand Dug’s potato milk, which will be available across its 220 stores this week. The potato-based drink has been described as “deliciously creamy” and “makes perfect foam in coffee”, according to the supplier.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
HappyFresh launches HappyFresh Supermarket to meet the needs of Southeast Asian consumers
The fastest-growing online grocery platform in Southeast Asia, HappyFresh, has launched HappyFresh Supermarket to extend fresh and dry grocery accessibility by significantly growing its dark store presence in the region. HappyFresh aims to provide an easy and convenient online grocery shopping experience, with high-quality and freshly handpicked products brought right to their customers’ doorsteps with free delivery for every order.
Source: indianretailer.com
Britain's M&S makes strong start to new year - NielsenIQ
Marks & Spencer has maintained its position as Britain's fastest growing food retailer, market researcher NielsenIQ said, indicating its turnaround plan is gaining momentum. It said M&S's sales rose 12.3% in the 12 weeks to January 29 year-on-year, giving it a UK grocery market share of 3.6%, up 0.4 percentage points on the year. NielsenIQ's data showed market leader Tesco was the best performer of Britain's so-called Big Four grocers. Its 0.3% sales decline significantly outperformed Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons, which had falls of 3.7%, 4.3% and 6.9% respectively.
Source: reuters.com
Belgium: Jumbo kicks off cooperation with Gorillas in Antwerp
Flash delivery company Gorillas now delivers Jumbo products in Antwerp. The strategic partnership between the 2 players will also soon be rolled out in various Dutch cities.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Asda in cheap food promise after Jack Monroe complaints
Asda has promised to stock its budget ranges in all 581 supermarkets and online after complaints from anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe. The retailer said it had "taken on board" her comments about availability of cheaper food for households struggling to make ends meet.
Source: bbc.com
Holland: Sligro Food Group sees turnover down 2.5% in full-year 2021
Dutch wholesaler Sligro Food Group has reported a turnover of €1.9bln in its financial year 2021, down 2.5% compared to 2020. The company’s net profit amounted to €20mln - an increase of €90mln compared to a year earlier. EBITDA increased by 45.3% to €109mln during the financial year, from €75mln in 2020.
Source: esmmagazine.com
China: Missfresh provides express delivery and smart vending machines for Beijing Winter Olympics' support staff
Missfresh Limited ("Missfresh" or the "Company"), a pioneer in China's neighborhood retail industry, is excited to provide express food delivery and Convenience Go smart vending machines for support staff stationed in Taizicheng Snow Town, Zhangjiakou, the main zone of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Hebei Province.
Source: prnewswire.com