Ahold Delhaize service company kicks off annual startup program
Retail Business Services, the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, is partnering with nonprofit ADUSA Supply Chain and Innovation Studio for its 4th annual SEED immersion program, which aims to help entrepreneurs and startups in supply chain, grocery retail, logistics, warehouse management, supply chain analytics, and forecasting accelerate their path to market. For the 1st time, 2 winners will be selected this year; one focused on customer experience and the other focused on supply chain efficiency.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Walmart to hire more than 5,000 workers, add 2 new hubs
U.S. retail chain Walmart Inc plans to hire more than 5,000 new associates globally to its tech hubs during the current fiscal year, the company said. The company's technology unit Walmart Global Tech would be hiring for positions such as cybersecurity professional, product manager and data scientist, among others. Walmart Global Tech will also add 2 new global tech hubs in Toronto and Atlanta, taking the total count to 17, according to a Walmart spokeswoman.
Source: reuters.com
US: Retail sales will grow this year, but at a slower rate than in 2021, major trade group says
Retail sales are expected to grow between 6% and 8% in 2022, as consumers spend more on services instead of goods and cope with inflation, the National Retail Federation said. That annual forecast represents a slower pace of growth for retailers than 2021, but it’s higher than the pre-pandemic growth rate. The trade group delivered its outlook as inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine send food and gas prices higher and raise questions about whether shoppers will pull back on spending.
Source: cnbc.com
Amazon Fresh launches plant-based product line
From protein-packed meat alternatives to dairy-free milk options, Amazon has expanded its Fresh food brand to offer a new Fresh Plant-Based product line that’s now available online and in-store at Amazon Fresh. According to the company, the Fresh Plant-Based line offers customers a variety of affordable favorites free from animal products but still full of flavor.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Value and convenience lead the way as Amazon leans toward grocery stores
Total foot traffic at Whole Foods Market stores dropped 15% in the 4th quarter of 2021 compared with the same period during the previous year even as the Amazon-owned upscale grocery chain saw a modest increase in new visitors, according to data by research firm InMarket. By comparison, Amazon's value-focused supermarket chain Amazon Fresh saw total visits rise by 58% during the quarter on a year-over-year basis, with new visitors up by almost two-thirds, InMarket's report found.
Source: grocerydive.com
US: Giant Food now offering FREE pickup, bolstering efforts to help shoppers save time and money
Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional grocery chain, announced that its Giant Pickup service is now free and available same-day within 4 hours of purchase at all 159 Giant Pickup locations.
Source: prnewswire.com
Amazon wins EU antitrust nod for $8.5 bln MGM deal
Amazon gained unconditional EU antitrust approval for its proposed $8.5bln acquisition of U.S. movie studio MGM to help it to compete with streaming rivals Netflix and Disney+.
Source: reuters.com
Finland: Kesko Group posts sales worth €852.1mln in February
Kesko has reported a 6.8% year-on-year increase in sales (+6.9%.on a like-for-like basis), to €852.1mln in February. Sales in the company’s grocery trade amounted to €442.3mln in this period.
Source: esmmagazine.com
India: Zomato to acquire Blinkit in stock deal
Zomato Ltd is set to take control of Blinkit after the food aggregator extended a $150mln emergency loan facility to the quick commerce startup, 2 people familiar with the deal said. The transaction involves an all-stock deal that values Blinkit between $700mln and $800mln, the people said on condition of anonymity.
Source: livemint.com
Carrefour Spain opens it's 1st e-commerce hub for food products
Carrefour inaugurated its 1st distribution hub dedicated exclusively to dispatching online food orders. The facility was officially opened by Carrefour Group chairman and CEO Alexandre Bompard in the presence of Spain’s minister for industry, trade and tourism, Reyes Maroto. Located in the Madrid suburb of Getafe, the new hub has a surface area of 10,000 m2 and capacity to ship 4,000 orders every day.
Source: carrefour.com
China: Online grocery sites going extra miles to fulfill orders amid pandemic
Major online shopping platforms are rushing to address the shortage of delivery staff due to the increasing number of residential complexes in Shanghai under quarantine. Shanghai-based Dada Group experienced a 34% increase in orders between March 7 and March 13. Orders for daily necessities and vegetables were 10 times greater than usual; fruit and dairy orders were 6 times greater than usual.
Source: shine.cn
Bazaar raises $70mln in Pakistan’s 2nd-largest funding round
Bazaar Technologies, a B2B eCommerce startup based in Pakistan, has raised $70mln in what was the country’s 2nd-largest funding round on record, according to published reports. Founded in 2020 by friends Hamza Jawaid and Saad Jangda, Bazaar provides small merchants in Pakistan with services that include procurement, fulfillment, operating software, digital lending and supply chain products.
Source: pymnts.com
Ecommerce in the Netherlands: €30.6bln in 2021
Ecommerce in the Netherlands was worth 30.6bln euros in 2021. This is a 16% growth when compared to the year before. As a result, the online share of total spending by Dutch consumers rose to 31%. The data come from the annual Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, an ecommerce study conducted by the Dutch national ecommerce association Thuiswinkel.org. It shows that the growth in online spending was stronger in 2021, while the growth in the amount of online purchases was stronger in 2020.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Russian investor puts Getir in difficult position
Turkish quick commerce company Getir finds itself on the wrong side of Western sanctions against Russia as oligarch and Putin ally Vladimir Potanin is an investor in the company.
Source: retaildetail.eu
UK: Nectar checkout the nation's food shopping habits
New research from Nectar has revealed the nation’s shopping habits, finding that the tradition of the weekly shop still reigns, as the majority (74%) of Brits still do 1 big shop per week. The study also revealed the nation’s priorities when it comes to scanning the aisles, with price revealed as the most important factor in choosing what to take to the checkout, followed by quality and expiration dates. A quarter (26%) said they enjoy discovering new products while over a 3rd (38%) confessed to being creatures of habit and always opting for the same types of foods.
Source: about.sainsburys.co.uk
Aldi offers employment to refugees from Ukraine
Aldi has over 8,000 roles available and would welcome applications from Ukrainian refugees, subject to their eligibility for UK employment. Aldi has over 950 stores, where most of its vacancies are available, and 11 regional distribution centres serving all parts of the UK.
Source: aldipresscentre.co.uk
Italy: Migross opens 2nd cash-and-carry outlet
Migross, a partner company of Gruppo VéGé, has opened its 2nd cash-and-carry outlet, in line with its aim to expand the business to economic operators and VAT holders. The opening follows the recent acquisition of the L’Alco Grandi Magazzini group and its 8 AltaSfera-branded stores.
Source: esmmagazine.com