US: Food Lion opens 75th store of 2021
Food Lion’s newest supermarket opened in Garner, North Carolina, last month and became the grocer’s 75th new store this year. The new store features an extensive product assortment, including fresh in-store made sushi, a self-service hot and cold food bar, in-store fresh-cut fruit and a wide variety of affordable and easy “grab-and-go” options for meal solutions.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: DoorDash launches 15-minute grocery delivery in NYC
Online food delivery platform DoorDash is introducing “ultra-fast” grocery deliveries in 15 minutes or less beginning with a new DashMart location in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, with more locations and partners coming over the next few months.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: BJ’s pushes westward
Traditionally known as a leading membership warehouse club in the eastern part of the United States, BJ’s Wholesale Club continues to push westward with an entry into the Pittsburgh area. The new club will open in South Fayette Township, Pennsylvania, on December 10. The company’s 1st club in the Pittsburgh market will bring the retailer’s total number of U.S. locations to 223, with 18 of those being in the state of Pennsylvania.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: JOKR raises $260mln to become latest speedy grocery unicorn
JOKR, a New York-based delivery startup, has raised a $260mln Series B round, bringing its valuation to $1.2bln 9 months after launching. The startup is currently active in Austria and Poland but says it will now focus its efforts on growing its presence in the US and Latin America instead of Europe. Its latest funding comes from a long list of investors: Activant Capital, Balderton, Greycroft, GGV Capital, G Squared, HV Capital, Kaszek, Mirae Asset, Monashees, Moving Capital and Tiger Global.
Source: sifted.eu
Dia Supermarket long term vision in Argentina
DIA, leader of neighborhood supermarkets, reaffirms its commitment to the country by announcing its plans for investment and job creation in Argentina for 2021-2023, rebuilding its store network and adding 3,000 new direct and indirect jobs.
Source: internationalsupermarketnews.com
UK grocery sales drop 3.8% year-on-year, says Kantar
Grocery sales in the UK fell 3.8% in the 12 weeks to 28 November, new data from Kantar has shown, however sales compared to the corresponding period 2 years ago are up 7.0%. According to Kantar, the dip in sales during the current period is due to the re-introduction of lockdown measures in the autumn of last year, which led to the closure of restaurants and bars, and subsequently more trade at the tills.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Japan court overturns suspension of Kansai Super, H2O merger
A high court in Japan overturned a lower court's suspension of a merger planned by retailers Kansai Super Market Ltd and H2O Retailing Corp., Kansai Super Market said in a statement. Given the ruling, Kansai Super Market and H2O Retailing plan to proceed with their merger, the statement said.
Source: reuters.com
Hungary: SPAR invests over €6.9mln in store modernisation
SPAR Hungary recently modernised 4 supermarkets in 3 counties. All stores now feature a clear layout and a modern store design. Following external and internal redesign, the stores offer both convenient and quick shopping for customers. SPAR Hungary continues its modernisation programme, focused on providing high-quality customer service and reducing environmental impact. Investment in the latest 4 stores totalled over €6.9mln.
Source: spar-international.com
Alibaba overhauls e-commerce businesses, names new CFO
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said it will reorganise its international and domestic e-commerce businesses and replace its CFO - changes that come as the tech giant grapples with an onslaught of competition, a slowing economy and a regulatory crackdown. It will form 2 new units - international digital commerce and China digital commerce which it said was part of efforts to become more agile and accelerate growth. The international digital commerce unit will include AliExpress which sells to retail buyers particularly in Europe and South America, its Southeast Asian e-commerce business Lazada and Alibaba.com which is more focused on selling to overseas business customers. It will be headed by Jiang Fan, who had been in charge of its main Chinese retail marketplaces.
Source: reuters.com
Social unrest now also reaches Ahold Delhaize
After strikes broke out earlier this year in Belgium at Lidl, Aldi and Carrefour Groupe Mestdagh, some Delhaize and Albert Heijn stores also remained closed on Monday. The high workload and the impact of corona lead to tensions.
Source: retaildetail.eu
India: Ola launches 10-minute grocery delivery in Mumbai and Bangalore, hits 1,000 orders a day
IPO-bound Ola has taken the plunge into online grocery delivery once again with the launch of its services across Mumbai and Bangalore with almost 15 dark stores, according to sources privy to the development.
Source: moneycontrol.com
Spain: Consum supermarkets adds 43 stores in 2021
Consum establishment has opened 2 new stores: 1 in Almàssera, in the area of València, and 1 in Gavà, in Barcelona. With these new stores, the Consum establishment arrives at 43 openings in 2021.
Source: internationalsupermarketnews.com
Australia: Woolworths Group starts construction on 1st automated online fulfilment centre in the heart of Western Sydney
Woolworths Group has commenced building its 1st ever automated customer fulfilment centre to better serve the online grocery needs of Western Sydney customers. Set to open in 2024, Woolworths’ Auburn Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) is being built by Vaughan Constructions and will be equipped with Knapp’s automation technology.
Source: woolworthsgroup.com.au
Landmark Supermarket launches LANDMARK.PH
E-commerce has been on a steady growth path in recent years. But the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the game - rapidly hastening its expansion and pushing more and more retailers into online channels. Adapting to this trend, pioneer retailer Landmark Supermarket is now ready to offer a fully digital shopping experience with the launch of Landmark.ph.
Source: business.inquirer.net
Russia: X5 Group pilots new Jam Perekrestok store format
Russian retailer X5 Group has unveiled a pilot new store format for its Perekrestok banner, which boasts a smaller sales area and a range consisting entirely of products that have scored highly among consumers. The 1st store under the new 'Jam Perekrestok' banner has opened in Moscow, with 2 more outlets to be tested in Saint Petersburg by the end of the year.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Some UK Spar grocery shops forced to close due to online attackSome Spar grocery stores in Britain have been forced to close because of an online attack, the company said. "There has been an online attack on our IT systems which is affecting stores' ability to process card payments, meaning that a number of SPAR stores are currently closed", the company said on Twitter. "We apologise for any inconvenience, we are working as quickly as possible to resolve the situation".
Source: reuters.com
India: 10 minute grocery delivery app Zepto eyes unicorn status
10 minute grocery delivery startup Zepto has been garnering lots of interest from consumers and investors alike. While customers are amazed with its ultra-fast delivery, large US-based tech investors are bullish on the company’s future prospects. Mumbai-based Zepto is likely to end up raising over $250mln in a new round, said 3 people aware of the details of the transaction.
Source: entrackr.com