UK: Aldi gives all store colleagues a New Year pay rise
Aldi has recognised the contribution of its store colleagues by giving them a New Year’s pay rise and increasing its minimum hourly rates from 1 February 2021. All of Aldi’s 30,000 Store Assistants will benefit from the pay rise, with Aldi paying a minimum hourly rate of £9.55 nationally, up from £9.40. Those working within the M25 will earn £11.07 an hour instead of £10.90. Store colleagues will now be able to earn up to £10.57 after three years nationally and £11.32 after two years in London.
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
Qatar: Sainsbury's to open its first branch in Lusail City
Sainsbury's, the UK's second largest chain of supermarkets, will open its first branch in Lusail City as part of its expansion strategy in the Gulf country. In this regard, Qatari Diar and Ariane Holding Group have signed an agreement to open the first branch of the Sainsbury's chain in Qatar. It is expected to open in the first quarter of 2022.
Source: gulf-times.com
Exclusive: an interview with Alibaba Freshippo’s Chief of Staff
Freshippo, Alibaba’s grocery retail chain launched in 2016, is the gold standard for the integration of online, offline, technology and logistics to create a greatly enhanced shopping experience. In an exclusive interview with IGD, Guo Xulin, Chief of Staff of Alibaba’s Freshippo Business Group, highlights the aspects that distinguish the New Retail, which Freshippo represents, from old retail. Different to traditional supermarkets that add online elements to their exiting offers, Freshippo integrated all channels right from the start. Stores are designed as mini warehouses to fulfil online orders and deliver goods to customers at home within 30 minutes.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
UK: Deliveroo appoints Next CEO Simon Wolfson as a non-exec director
Britain’s Deliveroo said Simon Wolfson, the long-standing chief executive of retailer Next, had joined its board as a non-executive director, shortly after a new funding round valued the food delivery company at more than $7bln. Deliveroo founder and chief executive Will Shu said that Wolfson would bring great knowledge and insight to the board.
Source: reuters.com
Spain: Carrefour’s purchase of Supersol supermarket chain costs 338 jobs
French multinational Carrefour’s acquisition of supermarket chain Supersol has been given the go-ahead by the National Market and Competition Commission, but will cost 338 people their jobs. According to union Comisiones Obreras, the aim of the new owners is to apply a Labour Force Adjustment Plan for financial and organisational reasons. The aim is to avoid redundancies and make savings which will improve accounts and competitiveness of the company.
Source: euroweeklynews.com
US: Kroger testing smarter carts
Kroger is getting smarter about its carts. Caper, which describes itself as the creators of the world's first AI-powered shopping cart, says that Kroger has selected Caper's AI-powered shopping cart to test at a Cincinnati store. The new "KroGO" branded smart cart, powered by Caper, offers customers a seamless shopping experience where they can scan items and pay directly on the cart, eliminating the need to stand in line and checkout.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Ingles Markets updating network ops
Southeastern regional grocer Ingles Market is modernizing its network operations with technology from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. Beginning with access points two years ago, the update grew to include the full Aruba wireless infrastructure and increased density. Since Aruba’s new generation of Wi-Fi 6 APs interoperate with the older models deployed by Ingles, upgrading the retailer's network became much easier and more cost-effective.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Walmart Canada, Thrive Global partner to help employees cope with stress
Walmart Canada is partnering with Thrive Global, the New York-based behaviour change technology company founded by Arianna Huffington, to help its employees deal with stress and anxiety triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Thrive Global platform, Walmart Canada will provide its 100,000 employees–including corporate executives, management, frontline store managers and store associates–with a number of resources aimed at helping to reduce stress and build mental resilience.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Supermarket chain Aldi to pay U.S. workers who get COVID-19 vaccinationGerman supermarket chain Aldi became the latest firm in the grocery sector to offer incentives for U.S. employees getting a COVID-19 vaccine, saying it would give up to four hours of pay to those who choose to receive inoculations. The retailer, which has more than 2,000 stores in 37 U.S. states, said it would cover costs associated with vaccine administration and implement on-site vaccination clinics at its warehouse and office locations.
Source: reuters.com
Canada's Fergus: A new online organic grocery market
Fergus is a friendly online grocery store offering easy and convenient delivery without a subscription plan. Fergus makes enjoying various organic foods delivered to your home not only a possibility but a pleasure. Beyond providing seasonal fruits and vegetables, this online market carries a wide range of other certified organic grocery items, including a selection of meats, personal care products, and other household goods.
Source: newswire.ca
Amazon to open 5 facilities in Quebec
Amazon says it will open 5 facilities in Quebec that will create more than 1,000 jobs and speed up customer deliveries. The U.S. online retail giant says it will add two sorting centres and its first three delivery stations in the province. Its largest sorting centre in the province, a 48,300-square-metre facility, will open this year in Coteau-du-Lac, about 60 kilometres west of Montreal, that will create at least 500 jobs. Another centre will open in Longueuil, on the south shore of Montreal.
Source: canadiangrocer.com