US: Robomart officially drives into West Hollywood
Robomart, which bills itself as the world’s first store-hailing platform, has officially launched its fleet of on-demand mobile mini-marts in West Hollywood, California. The company successfully completed a pilot test in the area last December. Using the proprietary Robomart app, consumers can hail an automated store on wheels and have it arrive at their location in less than 10 minutes, making it the fastest delivery service currently available, according to the company. For the West Hollywood launch, Robomart has teamed with Miami-based REEF, the largest operator of mobility and logistics hubs and neighborhood kitchens in North America, to manage product stocking, tagging, scanning, integrity and replenishment.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Food Lion To Go service now at 14 more stores
Food Lion has expanded its Food Lion To Go grocery pickup service to 14 additional stores in North Carolina and Virginia. Customers can confirm availability and place orders through either the Food Lion To Go website or the Food Lion To Go app. Groceries can be picked up on the same day they’re ordered, with the same fresh items and low prices offered in the grocer’s brick-and-mortar stores.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: Whole Foods expands footprint and local product portfolio
Whole Foods Market is paying homage to its new location, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, by offering more than 700 local products throughout the store. The 41,436-square-foot store, located at 1600 Woodbury Ave., opened on June 25. Local produce offerings include Brookdale Fruit Farm and lēf Farms.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: First BJ’s Wholesale Club coming to Indiana
Hamilton County is getting its first wholesale retail club. BJ’s Wholesale Club has proposed a 104,458-square-foot building on 12.28 acres on Tegler Drive in Noblesville’s Hamilton Town Center. The Noblesville location will be BJ’s Wholesale’s first in Indiana, and a completion date is not yet known.
Source: eu.indystar.com
Grocery and foodservice industries to leverage new GS1 US implementation guideline
GS1 US has published a new implementation guideline for the grocery and foodservice industries, advising how extended product data can be captured using Electronic Product Code-enabled/Radio Frequency Identification (EPC/RFID). The document, “GS1 US EPC Extended Attributes Implementation Guideline for the Food Industry”, provides direction for leveraging EPC/RFID technology to track cases and cartons for improved traceability and food safety, enabling better recall management, freshness management and operational efficiencies. EPC/RFID solutions provide inventory visibility without line-of-sight scanning, which can save time and labor.
Source: gs1us.org
Grocery sales decline in Northern Ireland
Data from Kantar shows the grocery market in Northern Ireland grew by 5.9% over the 52 weeks to 13 June. However, in the most recent 12 weeks, sales declined by 7.4% as the market continued to annualise against the exceptionally high spending in supermarkets at the height of the first national lockdown.
Source: kamcity.com
Portugal: Aqui é Fresco sees sales, profits up in 2020
Portuguese independent grocery network Aqui é Fresco reported €437mln in revenue in 2020, up 12% year-on-year. Despite a positive performance from its stores and above average turnover growth across its network, chief executive Carla Estevez admitted that 2020 “was a challenging year” due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Co-op businesses more resilient to Covid
Co-op businesses are more resilient to the economic devastation caused by Covid according to a new report, prompting a call for more government investment led by CEO of The Co-op, Steve Murrells. The Co-op Economy 2021, compiled by trade body Co-operatives UK, reveals that co-ops were 4 times less likely to go bust in 2020 than businesses generally, despite the global pandemic. The number of co-ops (a diverse sector of member-owned businesses from community owned sports clubs to housing associations and credit unions) is also on the increase across the UK – bucking an overall trend of declining business numbers.
Source: uk.coop
Kaufland Poland under investigation over alleged unfair contract terms
Poland’s Competition Authority, UOKiK, has instigated proceedings against retailer Kaufland, accusing the retailer of ‘unfairly exploiting’ its contractual advantage when it comes to dealing with suppliers. In a statement, UOKiK said that it was focusing on 2 specific contract agreements that it says Kaufland Polska Markety, the Polish arm of the Schwarz Group-owned retailer, takes with suppliers.
Source: esmmagazine.com
UK: Grocery sales flat as lockdown eases
Grocery sales at supermarkets remain largely unchanged at -2.4% in the 4 weeks ended 19 June, new data reveals. Data released by NielsenIQ show a late May bank holiday weekend, combined with a short heatwave and the beginning of Euro2020, helped to maintain grocery sales, which remained flat (-0.1%) over the past 12 weeks.
Source: talkingretail.com
UK: Ocado expands partnership with CitrusAd to help suppliers grow business
Ocado Retail has announced it is expanding its partnership deal with CitrusAd which will deliver a retail media proposition to help suppliers grow their business on the Ocado website. The 2 brands will utilise retail media tech and grocery delivery to develop new features which will make it easier for brands of all sizes as well as media agencies to plan, buy and optimise their media campaigns.
Source: chargedretail.co.uk
Coop Switzerland partners with Too Good To Go
Coop Switzerland has partnered with the food waste prevention service Too Good To Go for its restaurants. Guests can reserve meals at discounted prices and pick them up at a Coop restaurant of their choice.
Source: esmmagazine.com