Russia: Magnit may raise dividends, hints at M&A opportunities - CEO
Russian retailer Magnit may be able to return more money to shareholders through dividends even as it keeps the door open to acquisitions, CEO Jan Dunning told Reuters. Magnit, one of Russia’s largest food retailers, earlier this month reported 2021 revenues of 1.9tln roubles ($25bln), up 10.8% year-on-year when accounting for the purchase of rival Dixy, which bolstered its store network by 2,500.
Source: reuters.com
Amazon opens 1st Belgian delivery centre
Ecommerce giant Amazon is opening its 1st logistics centre in Belgium. The location is planned for the end of this year. Amazon recently opened a site in the Netherlands and announced plans for German expansion. The news was shared by Belgian newspaper De Standaard. Amazon’s 1st Belgian logistics centre will be located in Antwerp. It is planned to be ready at the end of 2022. According to the company, the new location aims to meet the growing demand and expand their delivery network capacity.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Italy: Iper, Eurospin, Coop Alleanza 3.0. announce grocery delivery partnerships
Iper La Grande i has partnered with Glovo Italia on a partnership that offers grocery deliveries in less than 35 minutes and with no minimum order. Food delivery start-up Alfonsino, active in small and medium-sized Italian towns and cities, has signed an agreement with Zero1, part of Gruppo Balletta, and franchisee of several Eurospin branded discount stores in southern Italy. Online shopping marketplace Everli announced a partnership with regional cooperative and supermarket chain Coop Alleanza 3.0, which will offer food delivery services to shoppers.
Source: esmmagazine.com
South Africa: Massmart flags wider annual loss of $106 mln
South African retailer Massmart Holdings flagged a wider annual loss of up to 1.6bln rand ($106mln), hurt by store damage and lower trading income due to looting during the country's civil unrest last year. The retailer, majority-owned by Walmart Inc, said it expects its 2021 headline loss, the main profit measure in South Africa, from total operations to come in between 1.478bln rand and 1.571bln rand. That is at least 60% to 70% wider than the loss of 924mln rand reported in 2020.
Source: reuters.com
Emart, Kurly and food-tech startups go after Korea’s oldest organic store Chorocmaeul
Multiple big e-commerce players as well as food tech startups have jumped into the race for the controlling stake in The Chorocmaeul Co., South Korea’s oldest organic fresh food vendor with over 20 years history, amid fiery competition in the fresh food and grocery delivery market. According to multiple sources from the investment bank industry, Daesang Holdings Co., the holding company of food conglomerate Daesang and Chorocmaeul’s largest shareholder, is offering near 50% stake in the well-established organic grocery chain for about 100bln won ($83.4mln).
Source: pulsenews.co.kr
Marks & Spencer to increase hourly pay rates across the UK
Retailer Marks & Spencer is increasing its hourly rate of pay, with every store employee across the UK set to earn at least £10 (€11.98) an hour. The increase in the hourly rate of pay is part of a broader package that the retailer is rolling out.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Estonia: New entrant in AI market aims to help grocers reduce food waste
AI startup Cognitiwe is out with a predictive vision AI platform designed to prevent food waste by monitoring the freshness of fruits and vegetables at retail produce departments. According to the Estonian company, the AI solution can be used to determine the environmental footprint of the retail industry’s food waste, including the amount of prevented waste.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Amazon Go cashierless supermarkets to arrive in Spain within 2 years
Online retail giant Amazon launched its supermarket chain under the name Amazon Go back in 2016 and since then, the concept has really taken off in the UK and US, with half a dozen stores dotted around London and more than 20 in cities such as New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago. So far, the cashierless stores haven’t made a huge impact on the rest of Europe but this is all set to change, as the online shopping operator plans to open 100 of its Amazon Go supermarkets in Spain, Germany and Italy between 2023 and 2024.
Source: murciatoday.com
Hard bargains as European retailers take on food giants
European retailers are locked in extended price negotiations with giant food companies - including the world's biggest, Nestlé - as they fight to retain shoppers and protect their profits. Ahold Delhaize - the owner of more than 20 retail brands including Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and Stop & Shop in the United States - told Reuters it had kept underlying operating margins stable at 4.4%, in part, by negotiating prices.
Source: reuters.com
Australian state sets minimum pay for Amazon contractors in landmark stepAustralia's New South Wales state ordered employers of freelance delivery drivers such as Amazon.com Inc to pay a minimum rate, a decision hailed by a union as making it the world's 1st jurisdiction to compel the retailer to follow laws on such payments.
Source: reuters.com
US: Kroger fulfillment network expands to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Kroger Co., America's largest grocery retailer, announced it will offer more Americans delivery through the addition of a spoke facility in Oklahoma City powered by the Ocado Group. As a continuation of Kroger's successful entry into Florida in 2021, Oklahoma will serve as another new geography for the company, bringing innovation and modern e-commerce to the area, extending the grocer's reach and ability to provide its customers anything, anytime, anywhere.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Albertsons tapped to debut DoorDash express grocery delivery
DoorDash has enlisted retail partner Albertsons Cos. for the launch of express grocery delivery service, in which customers receive their orders in 30 minutes or less. Safeway, Vons, Acme Markets, Jewel-Osco, Tom Thumb and other Albertsons Cos. supermarkets are now offering DoorDash express grocery delivery in more than 20 major cities, including Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle, San Francisco-based DoorDash said. Plans call for DoorDash to roll out the rapid delivery service - accessed through the DoorDash mobile app - to more Albertsons Cos. grocery store banners in the coming weeks.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: DoorDash revenue beats as food-delivery boom continues, shares soar 24%
DoorDash Inc reported quarterly revenue that beat estimates as food delivery demand showed no sign of slowing, indicating ordering habits have changed permanently, sending the company's shares up 24% after the bell. San Francisco-based DoorDash also forecast 1st-quarter marketplace gross order value, the total value of all app orders and subscription fees, between $11.4bln and $11.8bln, versus $11.2bln in the reported quarter.
Source: reuters.com
US: Walmart says shoppers are on alert as grocery bills climb
Walmart Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs said the retailer’s own research shows consumers are paying attention to prices, even if they aren’t trading down to cheaper brands or buying smaller packages. The big-box retailer said it has the same number of rollbacks, or temporary price reductions, as it did at the end of the 1st quarter in 2021. “During periods of inflation like this, middle-income families, lower middle-income families, even wealthier families become more price sensitive,” CEO Doug McMillon said on an earnings call. “And that’s to our advantage”.
Source: cnbc.com