Gopuff acquires U.K. platform to expand internationally
Gopuff is going global. The Philadelphia-based delivery platform is expanding beyond the U.S. for the first time with the acquisition of a delivery platform in the UK. By bringing Fancy into its company infrastructure, Gopuff will enter a new market - and continent - to provide shoppers with home delivery of everyday essentials. Fancy’s vertically integrated operation, which includes several micro-fulfillment centers across England, will enable a swift execution of delivery services. According to Gopuff, the move represents a $30bln market opportunity.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Costco sees April sales climb more than 30%
Costco Wholesale Corp. continued to build on strong pandemic-propelled gains a year ago, as April sales growth surpassed 30%. In the 4 weeks ended May 2, net sales jumped 33.5% to $15.21bln from $11.39bln a year earlier, Costco reported. For the 35-week year to date, the warehouse club retailer tallied net sales of $126.58bln, up 17.6% from $107.64bln over the prior-year period.
Source: supermarketnews.com
Amazon invests in B.C. to create more than 2,000 jobs, boost opportunities for local businesses and enhance the delivery experience for customers
Amazon announced its continued investment in British Columbia’s economy and Metro Vancouver through an expansion that includes 5 new buildings: a fulfillment centre, sortation centre and 3 delivery stations. The investment will create more than 2,000 safe jobs with competitive pay, industry-leading benefits and career growth opportunities starting on day one.
Source: press.aboutamazon.com
US: Despite e-commerce momentum, in-store shopping reigns supreme, survey finds
A recent poll by Survey Monkey found that 86% of adults in the U.S. want to buy groceries themselves at the store. Meanwhile, e-commerce split the remaining respondents, with 7% saying they prefer pickup, while the other 7% favor delivery for their groceries. In-store shopping maintained strong preferences of 80% or more across gender (90% of men and 82% of women), age groups and income groups, according to the poll. After a year of pandemic-induced online shopping, the survey shows that in-store grocery trips still reign supreme.
Source: grocerydive.com
US: HelloFresh expands West Coast production and distribution capabilities with new Phoenix facility
HelloFresh, America’s leading meal kit company, announced plans to open a new distribution center in Phoenix, Arizona. The nearly 440,000 square-foot facility located at 1850 South 71st Avenue will become the company’s largest shipping and fulfillment center globally, supporting growing demand for HelloFresh meal kits and enabling HelloFresh to better serve new and existing customers on the West Coast.
Source: businesswire.com
US: PriceSmart announces April net merchandise sales
PriceSmart, Inc. announced that net merchandise sales in April increased 22.0% to $263.4mln from $216.0mln in April a year earlier. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by 1.6%, or $3.4mln, versus the same one-month period in the prior year. There were 47 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of April 2021 and 45 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of April 2020.
Source: prnewswire.com
UK: Asda is trialling ‘secure boxes’ so your food can be delivered when you are out
Asda is testing out secure “delivery boxes” outside customer homes so drivers can leave your shopping even if you’re not in. It works by the delivery driver entering a code on the box so they can open it and put the goods inside. They’ll then lock it up so the delivery order is safe until the customer gets home.
Source: mirror.co.uk
Germany: REWE tests 'Pick & Go' technology in Cologne
REWE Group is testing a new 'Pick & Go' technology in a market in downtown Cologne to enable shoppers to purchase their groceries easily and with minimal contact. The pilot includes a select group of employees who will test the technology at the REWE store on Zeppelinstrasse. The retailer plans to roll out the service late in the summer. The retailer has partnered with Trigo Vision Ltd, a company specialising in computer vision technology, for this project.
Source: esmmagazine.com
‘Russian Lidl’ supermarket chain is opening in the UK and says it's the cheapest
A supermarket chain dubbed the “Russian Lidl” is opening its first stores in the UK this summer - and it claims to be cheaper than any other store. Svetofor, which was founded in Siberia in 2009 but trades under Mere in Europe, says it costs up to 30% less than other budget shops like Aldi. The Russian chain has 3,200 stores internationally and opened its first European Mere store in 2018. It now trades in Germany - where rival Aldi started - and Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. But now reports say its first UK store will open next month in Preston in a former Nisa branch.
Source: mirror.co.uk
Edeka expands stake in Picnic
Edeka has increased its stake in Picnic. Since last week, the top man of the German group, Markus Mosa, is also board member at the Dutch online supermarket. The news about Edeka has meanwhile been confirmed by Picnic-director Michiel Muller. Yet he does not want to reveal how big the interest of the Germans has become. "I keep the percentage to myself", he told Dutch newspaper FD. Before the expansion of its stake, Edeka already had 10% of the shares in Picnic and 35% of the shares in the German subsidiary of the web supermarket.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Germany: HelloFresh moves to expand grocery offeringBerlin-based HelloFresh is in the process of expanding what it calls its HelloFresh Marketplace store available in Europe that provides customers who use the service to buy their bundled recipes for meals the option of adding additional groceries to the order. In Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, where the service quietly pioneered late last year, the assortment of these extra items has grown to 150 products and is driving increased rings, profits and customer loyalty, officials said. This is encouraging the company to further expand assortment in Benelux, while launching similar offerings in additional markets, including taking steps to expand the U.S., WGB has learned.
Source: winsightgrocerybusiness.com