US: Swisslog and Berkshire Grey partner to bring AI-enabled robotic solutions to global warehouse operations
Berkshire Grey Inc, a leader in AI-enabled robotic solutions and Swisslog, leading provider of future-ready, data-driven robotics solutions, announced a partnership to provide robotic solutions to help grocery / e-grocery, e-commerce and retail customers meet the demands of today's connected consumers while managing widespread labor shortages. The partnership will initially focus on the American market.
Source: prnewswire.com
Canada: Empire celebrates the launch of Voilà par IGA in Montreal, Quebec
Empire Company Limited ("Empire" or the "Company") announced that following the launch of Voilà par IGA on March 7, it is now ramping up operations of its new online grocery home delivery service in Quebec. The rollout is progressing well and once complete, Voilà par IGA will service more than 100 municipalities from Gatineau to Montreal to Quebec City. Customers can order online at voila.ca or by downloading the Voilà mobile app.
Source: newswire.ca
US: Giant Eagle launches digital tool to ramp up food safety
Giant Eagle has extended its partnership with SmartSense by Digi - part of internet of things provider Digi International - in an effort to beef up its commitment to food quality and safety. Through the use of SmartSense digital temperature monitoring devices, the grocer will be able to remotely and continuously monitor its food products.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
Chinese regulators ask some U.S.-listed firms to prepare for audit disclosures - sources
Chinese regulators have asked some of the country's U.S.-listed firms, including Alibaba, Baidu and JD.com, to prepare for more audit disclosures, sources said, as Beijing steps up efforts to ensure domestic companies remain listed in New York.
Source: reuters.com
2 years on: How Covid has changed the UK’s grocery sector forever
One of the biggest trends of the pandemic has been the rise of online shopping. This is true across all of retail, including grocery. Ecommerce accounted for 8.7% of all grocery sales before the pandemic hit in February 2020, by February last year it peaked at 15.4%, according to Kantar Worldpanel data.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
Abu Dhabi retail giant LuLu in talks to open in Israel
Retail supermarket giant Lulu Group International is in talks with Israeli government officials at the Ministry of Economy and Industry about the possibility of operating stores in Israel. The Indian company, which is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has stores throughout the Arab world and East Asia. LuLu has an annual revenue of $8bln and operates 227 stores and 24 shopping malls in 22 countries in the Middle East, Asia, the US and Europe. About 1mln consumers shop in its stores worldwide every day. In addition, the company has 1.1mln consumers who buy online from its website.
Source: en.globes.co.il
Italian food retail to grow by 1.3% in 2022, after negative 2021
In 2020, Italian large-scale food retail distributors saw 5.7% sales growth on the previous year and 10.9% growth compared to 2016 (a 2.6% annual growth average). Despite a negative 2021 (-0.1% in sales), the sector should recover in 2022, with growth of 1.3%. The data is from a Mediobanca report on the large-scale food retail trade, based on the economic and financial data of 116 Italian retailers and 30 major international players for the 2016-20 period.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Morrisons weighs options for struggling convenience store group McColl's
Wm Morrison, the privately owned supermarket chain, has drafted in City advisers as it considers how to contend with the financial struggles of its convenience store partner, McColl's Retail Group. Sky News understands that Morrisons has appointed Houlihan Lokey to explore options for its exposure to the embattled London-listed retailer.
Source: news.sky.com
New Zealand: Warehouse Group keen to compete with supermarket chains
The Warehouse Group says it would be "very happy" to fully compete with the big 2 grocery chains that dominate the New Zealand market, providing measures are put in place to ensure a level playing field. The Commerce Commission's review of the sector stopped short of a radical shake-up of the sector, despite finding market competition between Woolworths and Foodstuffs was not working well for New Zealanders.
Source: rnz.co.nz
Israel: Shufersal Group reports on financial results for 2021 and the 4th quarter of this year
Shufersal Group continues to demonstrate excellent business results, confirming its leadership in the Israeli retail market. Operating profit in 2021 increased to NIS726mln and its share of revenues was 4.9%, compared to 4.7% in 2020. Sales of Shufersal Online in 2021 totalled NIS2.8bln, equalling ~ 20.5% of total food retail sales, compared to ~ 20.3% in 2020.
Source: prnewswire.com
EuroCommerce tracks retailer response to Ukraine crisis, seeks to 'inspire more actions'
EuroCommerce, which represents the retail and wholesale sector in Europe, has launched a new website, www.commerceforukraine.eu, which will track the efforts made by retailers and suppliers to support Ukraine to date, and seek to "inspire more actions", according to EuroCommerce director general Christel Delberghe.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Ahold Delhaize loses another tax dispute
Just a month after Ahold Delhaize was ordered to pay back taxes to the Belgian tax authorities, the retail group was judged to be ineligible for a tax benefit in the Netherlands. Put together, both cases amount to more than half a billion euros.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Holland: Jumbo expands Gorillas delivery service into 8 cities
Online delivery service Gorillas and Dutch retailer Jumbo have expanded their partnership for rapid grocery delivery to customers in Haarlem, Leiden, Enschede, Utrecht, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Leeuwarden. After the partnership's 1st launch in Groningen, Rotterdam, and Tilburg at the beginning of March, the service has now been expanded to more Dutch cities where Gorillas is active.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Spain: Covirán cuts water consumption by 29% in 6 years
Spanish cooperative and supermarket chain Covirán has reduced water consumption by 29% in the last 6 years. The company attributed this achievement to investments in the modernisation of its facilities, and the addition of economisers and cleaning machinery to optimise water consumption.
Source: esmmagazine.com
ABC on wheels expands operations in Poland
Polish retailer Eurocash has announced that its mobile grocery chain ABC on wheels is entering the province of Podlaskie. The chain plans to roll out 20 new mobile stores, serving the vicinity of Białystok, Łomża and Suwałki.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: FDF calls on the government for help to tackle food price inflation
The Chief Executive of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has urged the Government to act now to ease soaring food price inflation by enabling the industry to react to real-time to supply chain impacts and review all upcoming regulation. Speaking at the organisation’s annual conference, Karen Betts said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a genuine geopolitical, energy and commodity shock that “will have serious ramifications for us all, across Europe and globally”.
Source: kamcity.com