Small and essential - How Croatia's Studenac is set for growth
Proximity retailer Studenac d.o.o. recently became Croatia’s largest grocer by store count, and it doesn’t plan on stopping there. Stephen Wynne-Jones travelled to Zagreb to meet chief executive Michał Seńczuk.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Alibaba helps Korean grocery pioneer take K-Food to Singapore
Market Kurly became South Korea’s first billion-dollar online grocery app by delivering fresh produce to customers’ doorsteps by dawn the next day. Now it’s expanding to Singapore by offering products on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s RedMart.
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca
Holland: Supermarket retailer Ahold shelves plan to spin off Bol.com
Supermarket major Ahold Delhaize said it was postponing plans for an initial public offering (IPO) of its non-food retailer, Bol.com, because of unfavourable market conditions. The group had planned to list Bol.com in the second half of the year, but said in a quarterly earnings statement it had decided to suspend this, adding that it would revisit the plans when equity market conditions are "more conducive". Ahold said total second-quarter group sales increased 15% to 21.4bln euros ($21.85bln), in line with an average company-compiled analyst consensus. Underlying operating income of 880mln euros beat an 815mln euro company-compiled estimate based on 16 analysts, it said.
Source: reuters.com
7-Eleven stores slowly reopen in Denmark after hack
7-Eleven said Tuesday its stores in Denmark were slowly reopening after a hacker attack knocked out cash tills in locations across the country. "Yesterday, we were the victims of a computer hack. We resumed operations in some stores overnight", 7-Eleven said. "We expect to open more during the day", it added in its statement.
Source: barrons.com
UAE: Labour shortages fuel increasing demand for automation
Warehouse automation company Acme Intralog, headquartered in Dubai, said demand for its systems had risen 22% in the last two quarters, compared to the same period last year. Navin Narayan, CEO of Acme Intralog, said: “The intralogistics sector in the region is investing more in modernisation and technology”. He added: “We are currently working on a project for a large regional retailer and automating their distribution centres in Saudi Arabia. And here in the UAE we are working with one of the largest supermarket chains in the region to provide a sorter for their fruit and vegetable distribution centre”.
Source: cips.org
China: Beijing consumer rights group summons grocery firm Missfresh over complaints
A Beijing consumer rights group said it had asked Missfresh to work on plans to refund its customers and explain how it will rectify its business after receiving a number of complaints, adding to pressures facing the Tencent Holdings and Tiger Global-backed grocery startup.
Source: reuters.com
Holland: Supermarket prices up 18.5% in less than a year
Netherlands residents paid an average of 18.5% more for their groceries in supermarkets last month than in September 2021, NOS reports based on a study by market researcher GfK. Pasta, bread, and kitchen towels became much more expensive, while the prices for bananas, chocolates, and cleaning products increased only slightly, if at all.
Source: nltimes.nl
Thailand: Lotus's expansion on track with B13bln to be invested
Ek-Chai Distribution System Co, the operator of Lotus's hypermarkets, is moving ahead with plans to allocate 12.5-13.5bln baht this year to expand its business. Sompong Rungnirattisai, the company's chief executive, said the spending will focus on opening new Lotus's stores, refreshing existing stores to become "Everyday Smart Community Centres" for customers, and upgrading IT infrastructure and online systems.
Source: bangkokpost.com
Canada: Longtime Metro executive André Gagné is retiring
Metro has announced one of its key Ontario executives is stepping away from the company next month. After 19 years with the grocer, André Gagné, vice-president, fresh merchandising is retiring. He will be replaced by Michael Rose effective September 19.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
U.S. online grocery sales jump 17% in July
With many consumers concerned about elevated inflation and the fast spread of the latest COVID-19 variant, the U.S. online grocery market snapped back in July after modest gains the previous month. Online grocery sales climbed 8.3% to $7.8bln for July after a 1.4% month-to-month uptick to $7.2bln in June, according to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. That came after monthly decreases of 12.3% in May and 6.9% in April.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: KeHE Distributors expands its Aurora, Colorado distribution center, providing economic growth and job opportunities to the area
KeHE Distributors® (KeHE), one of the largest and most respected natural & organic, specialty, and fresh distributors in North America, will unveil the expansion of their Aurora, Colorado distribution center on August 31st.
Source: kehe.com
Shopic announces $35mln investment to bring its AI-enabled smart cart to top U.S. grocery chains
Shopic, the smart grocery shopping cart startup, has announced a $35mln Series B investment round led by Qualcomm Ventures, bringing its total funding raised to $56mln. Other participating investors include Vintage Investment Partners and Clal Insurance, together with Shopic’s existing investors IBI Tech Fund, Tal Ventures, Claridge Israel and Shufersal.
Source: startuphub.ai
US: More Whole Foods stores in California to get Amazon One
Amazon has stepped up its rollout of the Amazon One palm-recognition payment system to Whole Foods Market stores across California. Seattle-based Amazon said that more than 65 Whole Foods locations in California will soon provide Amazon One service, which lets customers use their palm to complete their purchase at checkout.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: OneView Commerce supports innovative customer engagement
OneView Commerce announced it successfully delivered a series of key digital initiatives leveraging OneView's Unified Commerce Platform for Kroger. To meet changing shopper needs, America's largest grocer leveraged OneView's headless commerce capabilities to finalize the digital orders when those orders are delivered at curbside pickup or via home delivery. OneView's Unified Commerce platform powers eCommerce pickup and delivery experiences at more than 1,000 Kroger locations.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka team up with HelloFresh to introduce limited-edition recipe series and new creative campaign
HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal kit company, announced a new partnership with beloved couple Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka to promote the ease and deliciousness of cooking with meal kits. Known for having impeccable taste, the partnership provides HelloFresh customers access to new, family-friendly recipes developed exclusively by Chef David Burtka. In addition, consumers can see Neil, David and their kids, Gideon and Harper, in a series of comedic content as they conquer mealtime in their own kitchen.
Source: businesswire.com
This local woman’s app is delivering Puerto Ricans fresh produce - and greater food sovereignty
Crystal Díaz’s grocery-delivery app PRoduce is pushing to revive Puerto Rico’s agricultural sector and reclaim its foodways. Although the island has a tropical climate where crops can grow year-round, natural disasters and economic crises have all taken their toll, and now Puerto Rico imports 85% of its food.
Source: fastcompany.com