Canada: Metro launches additional online services to meet spike in demand
E-commerce demand surged in Metro’s second quarter as Canadians opted to stay home or limited their visits to the store as they adapted to COVID-19 precautions, says CEO and president Eric La Flèche. “We more than doubled our online volume over night and the current demand is hard to meet as time-slots are filling up as soon as they become available”, said La Flèche during the grocer’s quarterly earnings call with analysts.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
US: Publix first-quarter comp sales rise more than 14%
Publix Super Markets posted double-digit gains in net and comparable-store sales for its fiscal 2020 first quarter, citing a late-quarter spurt in business from the COVID-19 outbreak. Lakeland, Florida-based Publix said that sales for the quarter ended March 28, 2020 totaled $11.2bln, up 16.1% from $9.7bln a year earlier. Same-store sales for the period jumped 14.4% year over year. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic - which triggered high consumer demand as millions of Americans stocked up on groceries and other supplies - lifted first-quarter sales by about $1bln, or 10.3%, Publix estimated.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Uganda: Jumia partners with Carrefour to deliver clients goods home
Carrefour, operated by Majid Al Futtaim in Uganda, has joined forces with Africa’s leading e-commerce platform Jumia, through its subsidiary Jumia Food, to provide Carrefour customers with a secure and convenient way to have their orders delivered to their homes. The partnership comes as the country continues to witness a sharp increase in demand for delivery services following increased movement restrictions, Jumia officials said in a statement. Under this partnership, customers can access Carrefour’s offerings on the Jumia Food app and place their orders for the listed items. Jumia Food will deliver to the customer’s desired location throughout Kampala and payments can be done using various options.
Source: independent.co.ug
Malta: SPAR shows resilience and responsiveness in Covid-19 lockdown
SPAR Malta has prioritised customer convenience by launching its online shopping platform at top speed during the lockdown introduced to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The e-commerce platform has had a positive impact on easing the initial consumer concerns and panic buying that had arisen at the onset of the pandemic, as it provides a convenient, safe way to keep well-stocked pantries without leaving the house. Customers can visit the site (shop.spar.com.mt), create an account, and start shopping immediately from the ease of their home, selecting from thousands of line items. Free delivery is available for orders over €80 to customers living anywhere in Malta on the 13 routes operating; there is a minimum order value of €70. Delivery slots are added regularly to accommodate additional demand, with three broad timeslots from Monday to Saturday. Easy to select categories help customers find the product of choice, including an extensive fresh offer. The range available online currently represents 50% of the total store offer but is being continually expanded.
Source: spar-international.com
India: Reliance Retail Q4 revenue grows 4.2% despite COVID-19 lockdown-related disruptions
Reliance Retail’s revenues increased 24.8% year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs 1.63 lakh crore for the full financial year 2020. Revenue during the quarter grew 4.2% y-o-y despite lockdown-related disruptions in March. Earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) of the retail segment grew 49% y-o-y to Rs 8,263 crore in FY20. “Overall, the year has been a growth year with March being a tepid month due to the COVID-19 lockdown impact,” the company said.
Source: financialexpress.com
Russian retail sales jump in March on panic buying before lockdown
Russia's retail sales rose more than expected in March spurred by panic buying ahead of the lockdown to stem the coronavirus outbreak and as the rouble's plunge boosted demand for imported goods before shelf prices increased, data has revealed. Economic data on the state of Russia's economic health is in focus after the central bank predicted an up to 6% contraction in gross domestic product in 2020, while slashing the key rate by 50 basis points to 5.5%. Retail sales, the gauge for consumer demand, Russia's key economic growth driver, rose 5.6% in year-on-year terms in March, above a 2.6% increase predicted in a Reuters poll of economists, the federal statistics service Rosstat said.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UAE: Noon.com launches next-day delivery of fresh grocery, food essentials
Digital marketplace Noon.com has announced the launch of 'noon Daily', a next-day fresh grocery delivery service in Dubai, via the noon App. The initiative comes in line with ensuring that the community's needs for food supplies are met anytime. Already in development, the launch of 'noon Daily' was expedited in light of the current circumstances to provide customers with a safe and fast grocery delivery service that they can rely on, during this difficult time. Offering a wide assortment of everyday essentials, including fresh fruits & vegetables, bread & bakery, dairy, meat, frozen food, household essentials, baby food and much more, this next day service provides a hassle-free solution to shopping, with orders being delivered all to your doorstep and with no minimum order.
Source: khaleejtimes.com
Turkey: Ecommerce €10.76bln in 2019
Ecommerce in Turkey was worth 83.1bln lira (10.76bln euros) in 2019. This is an increase of 39% compared to the situation one year before, when the Turkish ecommerce industry was valued at 59.9bln liras (7.76bln euros). The average annual growth rate of the ecommerce industry in Turkey was around 35% in the last five years. These numbers come from a joint report by Turkey’s Informatics Industry Association (TÜBİSAD), Deloitte Turkey, SimilarWeb and Inveon.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
COVID-19 likely to impact Greek retail sector beyond 2020, survey finds
The coronavirus epidemic is likely to continue affect the retail landscape beyond 2020, a survey of leading Greek retailers and FMCG executives has found. The survey of 180 industry leaders, carried out by IELKA, the Greek Research Institute for Retail and Consumer Goods, found that a majority (68%) expect the total sales for this year to be unchanged from the previous year, with a surge in sales in the first half echoed by a decline in the second half. Respondents said that they believed sales in the first half will rise by 2.1% on average, while in the second half, their estimation is for a drop in sales of 2% on average.
Source: esmmagazine.com