US: Hy-Vee enhances customer experience through partnership with Simbe
Hy-Vee, Inc. announced a partnership with Simbe to roll out its autonomous inventory management and retail intelligence solution, Tally, to stores across Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri to improve the in-store experience for customers and store teams.
Source: globenewswire.com
Instacart’s impact on America’s grocery industry, by the numbers
Instacart reported: “As the North American leader in online grocery, Instacart’s many benefits for families and shoppers have been well documented. However, our company’s impact on grocers, grocery workers, and the overall U.S. grocery industry has been more difficult to quantify – until now. A new study by Dr. Robert Kulick of NERA Economic Consulting reveals the uniquely positive impact Instacart has had on the U.S. brick-and-mortar grocery industry and the American economy – both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using rigorous statistical methods and analyzing data from across all 50 states and Washington D.C., the research reveals the relationship between Instacart’s operation in local markets and employment, revenue, and wage growth across the grocery industry.”
Source: instacart.com
US: Kroger ready to pilot reusable packaging program with Loop
The Kroger Co. is set to test reusable packaging at Fred Meyer stores in the Portland, Oregon area. The pilot test with Loop, a circular economy platform centered on reusable packaging for branded products, will launch in October at several locations, according to reports.
Source: progressivegrocer.com
US: ShopRite pilots remote-controlled delivery robots
ShopRite will be the first supermarket chain on the East Coast to utilize Tortoise delivery robots. Part of a new pilot program between ShopRite parent Wakefern Food Corp. and Tortoise, the remote-controlled, robotic delivery carts will roll out at a ShopRite store in Yardley, Pennsylvania before the end of September 2021, and at a ShopRite store in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in October 2021.
Source: chainstoreage.com
US: Target to hire 100,000 additional workers for forthcoming holiday season
Retailer Target Corp has announced plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers this year, fewer than last year, to prepare for the holiday season at a time when the industry grapples with tight labour supply. Instead of hiring more seasonal workers, the company said it will offer more work hours to existing employees during the busy period, resulting in about $75mln (€63.4mln) more into their paychecks.
Source: esmmagazine.com
US: Albertsons, Pinterest partnership aims to inspire meal shopping
Albertsons Cos. has entered a multi-year agreement with image-based social media platform Pinterest to roll out first-to-market online food shopping experiences. San Francisco-based Pinterest said that, under the partnership, it will leverage artificial intelligence and API technology to help Albertsons grocery shoppers plan “inspired, fresh meals.” The collaboration also will tap into Pinterest’s creator ecosystem, forward-looking trends and new formats like Idea Pins, the social media platform’s multi-page video format.
Source: supermarketnews.com
UK: Morrisons wins ‘Supermarket Of The Year’ at Retail Industry Awards 2021
Morrisons has been named ‘Supermarket Of The Year’ at this year’s Retail Industry Awards 2021. Taking the top title, Morrisons was praised for strong financial results that saw sales increase by 9% in the 12 months to the end of March, online capacity up five-fold with sales tripling, and the launch of the same-day Morrisons on Amazon service which rolled out to 50 towns and cities.
Source: morrisons-corporate.com
Starship Technologies brings delivery robots to Talllin, Estonia
US-based autonomous delivery company Starship Technologies is launching in Tallinn, Estonia. “We’re expanding our clean, low cost and convenient delivery service in cooperation with national grocer Selver and new dark store, Bloom”, the venture tweeted.
Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com
Germany: Delivery Hero is set to invest in Gorillas at $3bln value
German food delivery company Delivery Hero SE plans to invest in grocery startup Gorillas Technologies GmbH as part of a $1bln funding round, according to people familiar with the matter. The new financing will value Gorillas at about $3bln after the deal is closed, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. Delivery Hero is set to invest close to $200mln, the people said.
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca
Lidl to invest 1.5bln euros in Spain over 4 years
German discount supermarket chain Lidl said it would invest 1.5bln euros ($1.8bln) in Spain between 2021 and 2024. Lidl, which currently has over 17,000 employees across 630 shops in Spain, plans to open more than 150 new locations and four logistics hubs by 2024.
Source: reuters.com
Ocado moves north of the border with £80mln Scottish hub
Scottish shoppers may soon be able to get Ocado deliveries after the online supermarket confirmed plans for a new warehouse near Glasgow. It has applied to North Lanarkshire council for a hub at Eurocentral, one of Scotland’s major industrial estates. If approved, 29,000 square metres of warehouse, offices and maintenance floorspace will be built on the 24-acre site.
Source: grocerygazette.co.uk
Czech online grocer Rohlik to invest 400 mln euros in automation
Czech online grocery delivery startup Rohlik Group said it will invest 400mln euros ($469.32mln) in warehouse automation by the end of 2025 to boost efficiency and capacity.
Source: reuters.com
UK: Sainsbury’s relaunches same-day online delivery across 250 stores
Sainsbury’s is relaunching its ‘super-fast home delivery’ service offering its shoppers same day deliveries from over 250 UK stores. The UK’s second largest supermarket announced plans to relaunch its same day delivery and click & collect offering, while ramping up its other one-hour delivery service Chop Chop.
Source: chargedretail.co.uk
Britain’s Tesco extends net zero pledge
Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco said it would extend its green targets by promising net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across its operations together with those generated by the products it sells and its supply chains.
Source: reuters.com
Fast grocery delivery app Jiffy raises $28mln to fuel growth around UK as sector competition intensifies
Jiffy has announced it has raised $28mln (£20.4mln) to fuel expansion outside London as the UK’s speedy grocery delivery market sees competition intensify.
Source: standard.co.uk
Delivery robots take the strain out of shopping in UK townIt’s famous for its roundabouts and statues of concrete cows. But the English town of Milton Keynes now has another claim to fame – a trundling army of shopping delivery robots. “Everyone was so in need of contactless delivery during the pandemic”, Andrew Curtis, head of UK operations at Starship Technologies, told AFP. The US company, which has quadrupled its deliveries in the UK, now makes 1,000 deliveries a day.
Source: rfi.fr
Hema pulls out of Spain
Dutch retail chain Hema wants to focus on its core markets and has therefore decided to close all six shops in Spain in the course of 2022. Earlier this summer, the retailer also announced its withdrawal from the UK.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Consumer NZ proposes 10 quick actions to deal with supermarket ‘dishonesty’
Consumer NZ has proposed 10 key interventions to break the power of the county’s 2 supermarket chains. If the suggested measures are ineffective in bringing greater fairness to the grocery sector, the consumer advocate suggests supermarkets should be forced to sell some of their stores. “This unfairness of high supermarket prices exists because of the duolopy of Foodstuffs and the Woolworths Group, and this needs urgent reform because shoppers are suffering,” Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said.
Source: stuff.co.nz