Bigger customer base portends more growth for U.S. online grocery market
Despite a drop-off from a June peak, U.S. online grocery sales are nearly five times what they were a year ago, according to the Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. Sales from online grocery delivery and pickup services came in at $5.7bln in August, down 20.8% from $7.2bln in the previous Brick Meets Click/Mercatus survey in June but up 475% from $1.2bln in August 2019. The study, conducted August 24 to 26, polled 1,817 U.S. adults who participated in the household’s grocery shopping.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Kroger’s identical sales jump nearly 15% in second quarter
The Kroger Co. tallied a nearly 15% gain in identical sales for its fiscal 2020 second quarter, with adjusted earnings per share hitting the high end of Wall Street’s forecast. For the quarter ended August 15, sales climbed 8.2% to $30.49bln from $28.17bln a year earlier, Kroger said. The Cincinnati-based supermarket giant noted that sales were up 13.9% excluding fuel. Identical sales excluding fuel surged 14.6% year over year, compared with a 2.2% uptick in the fiscal 2019 quarter.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: How grocery-delivery firm Weee! grew 600% in a year
There aren't a lot of companies that capture their enthusiasm like Weee! The online grocery service, which caters to the Asian-American community, puts feeling into every “e” and exclamation point in its unorthodox name. “There are a couple of reasons for the name”, Founder and CEO Larry Liu tells PYMNTS. “First, we believe grocery shopping should be a social activity. In the early days of the company, we observed that a lot of people actually buy things together, sometimes to find food on social platforms like WeChat and Facebook. The second reason is that we believe grocery shopping should be exciting, because we also observed that when people were waiting for us to deliver those products, they were super excited. That excitement is rarely found when people shop at supermarkets, but we think it should be part of the experience”.
Source: pymnts.com
Tiliter launches contactless and checkout-free shopping in the US with FutureProof Retail
Tiliter, the world's most accurate and flexible product recognition technology, and FutureProof Retail (FPR), the leading provider of line-free mobile checkout solutions, have partnered to deploy the first self-service scale with product recognition integrated with Scan and Go in the United States. FPR's solution enables customers to use their smartphones to scan and bag items while they are shopping. They can then pay on their phone and skip the lines at checkout. FPR's mobile platform seamlessly integrates with the Tiliter Scan&Go Scale that assists shoppers in adding weight items such as produce and bulk foods to their shopping basket. Instead of entering a PLU number, Tiliter's software automatically identifies the item and shows a barcode on the screen that the customer can simply scan with FPR's Scan and Go app. The first integration has been deployed in New York City's Westside Market and a range of supermarkets across the U.S. will follow this year, overtaking competitor check-out free solutions.
Source: prnewswire.com
Canada: Inabuggy introduces 30-minute delivery with the launch of Inabuggy-Mart offering quick delivery of convenience-store items, flowers, produce, meats and more from neighbourhood shops
Canada's leading on-demand grocery delivery service Inabuggy has launched Inabuggy-Mart to offer customers hyperlocal delivery from neighbourhood convenience stores, flower shops and butchers in 30 minutes. The launch of Inabuggy's new neighbourhood marketplace offering 30-minute delivery windows is a first for grocery delivery services in Canada. "The expansion of Inabuggy's retailer networks in neighbourhoods across Canada will give customers the ability to support small, local businesses and give quick, convenient access to fresh local produce and meats", said Julian Gleizer, CEO and Founder of Inabuggy. "For store owners, Inabuggy-Mart is providing a more localized approach that gives them more exposure to customers in their area".
Source: newswire.ca
Canada: Loblaw opens new, modern store at an historic Toronto location
Loblaw chose an historic location for it newest and most modern store, which opened in Toronto last week. The West Block building was built in 1928 and once housed the first Loblaws Groceterias Warehouse in the city. Following a complete renovation and restoration - at a cost of $400mln - the location is now home to a massive Loblaw, along with a Shoppers Drug Mart and Joe Fresh store, as well as office space for teams from Loblaw Digital, PC Optimum, and PC Financial.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Australia: Woolies CEO worried over impact of Vic restrictions on Christmas supply
Supermarket giant Woolworths has raised concerns that tight Covid-19 restrictions in Victoria could hamper the distribution of groceries to its stores in the lead up to Christmas. Woolworths and Coles were among 100+ business leaders invited to take part in an industry round table with the Victorian government led by The Business Council of Australia (BCA).
Source: insidefmcg.com.au
Philippines: GoRobinsons expands grocery delivery reach
Since its launch last June, GoRobinsons, Robinsons Supermarket’s online store has expanded its reach to 13 new cities. The grocery delivery service now covers the following areas: Marikina, Cainta, Pasig, San Juan, Makati, Mandaluyong, Taguig, Pateros, Manila, Quezon City, Pasay, North Caloocan, and Lower Antipolo.
Source: philstar.com
Hungary: SPAR expands the brand with 200th independent retailer store
SPAR Hungary recently celebrated the opening of its 200th independent retailer store in the town of Kunhegyes, in the northeast. SPAR Hungary plans to open 20-22 independently owned stores per year, with the focus on bringing the SPAR Brand to smaller communities. In 2019, the SPAR store network of independently owned stores generated a total turnover of almost €155mln and provided employment to 1,800 SPAR colleagues nationwide.
Source: spar-international.com
UK: Aldi to trial click and collect
Aldi is trialling its first UK click-and-collect services, it confirmed today. The supermarket is currently running a trial of the service for Aldi colleagues from a store in the Midlands and plans to extend that to customers in the coming weeks. During the current trial, Aldi colleagues can choose from a full range of grocery items online, then drive to their local store where they can have their shopping brought to their cars by store colleagues contact-free, in line with social distancing rules. If it continues to prove successful, the trial will be extended to customers and at further stores across the country in the near future.
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
China: Alibaba's GM for Xianyu Business resigned
According to reports in Chinese local media, Chen Lei, general manager of Xianyu Business Division, has departed Alibaba. Public files show that Chen is the 422nd employee of Alibaba and he led the development of various Taobao content products. In July 2019, Alibaba Group announced organizational restructuring and Chen was transferred to Xianyu Business Division, reporting to Tmall president Jiang Fan. Prior to that, he was senior director of Taobao live streaming and content ecology division.
Source: chinaretailnews.com