US: July online grocery sales hold steady
U.S. online grocery sales fulfilled by delivery and pickup stayed level for the 3rd straight month in July, even as the overall market dipped due to declined ship-to-home sales. The latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey tallied $6.7bln in online grocery sales for July, down 1.5% from $6.8bln in June and a 4.3% decrease from $7bln in May. Delivery and pickup sales in July totaled $5.3bln - the same as in June and May - while ship-to-home sales (delivered by parcel services) fell by 6.7% to $1.4bln from $1.5bln in June and by 4.3% from $1.7bln in May.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Walmart launches delivery business to connect other local retailers with consumers
Walmart announced the launch of a delivery service called GoLocal. The white-label service will deliver goods from other local retailers to customers. Walmart said the delivery fleet will include newer technologies, such as self-driving vehicles and drones.
Source: cnbc.com
US: Doordash pulls from Gorillas investment
As the US within-the-hour delivery giant reportedly eyes up a European launch, Doordash has pulled out of negotiations to buy a large stake in German within-the-hour delivery firm Gorillas. Doordash is reported to have been preparing to invest $400mln into Gorillas but the deal collapsed within a few days. The investment would have valued the German delivery firm at $2.5bln, far lower than its own $6bln valuation. The UK Telegraph newspaper understands that a letter of intent had been agreed between the 2 companies but when Gorillas became known to have sought a higher investment from rival bidders Doordash is reported to have pulled the plug on the deal. Neither firm has commented on what happened.
Source: apex-insight.com
Australia: Coles praised for produce innovation amid calls for wider change
Coles has been praised for implementing a new award-winning approach to selling fresh produce, with customers calling for it to be rolled out to all their stores across the country. The supermarket recently won the award for the Most Innovative Supermarket at the Finder Innovation Awards for 2021. The award recognises that the supermarket's Moonee Ponds store, which was designed to set a new standard in sustainability and help create opportunities to reduce Coles' environmental impact into the future.
Source: au.news.yahoo.com
China: JD.com's profits fall sharply
In the second quarter, Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com's revenue rose sharply again, but its profits took a hefty hit: -95%. The total turnover of the Chinese e-commerce giant increased by more than 26% to 253.8bln yuan (nearly 35bln euros). The revenue from services (marketplace, advertising, etc.) grew significantly more than the revenue generated by the sales of products. The fall in profits is striking: the operating result came to 300.8mln yuan (40mln euros), compared to 5.0bln yuan in the same period last year. The drop of no less than 95% is exclusively due to red figures from the group's side businesses, such as JD Logistics and "New businesses". JD.com's retail arm remained highly profitable, posting an operating profit of 5.97bln yuan (780mln euros).
Source: retaildetail.eu
South Africa: Retail giant Shoprite launches 1st shop without cashiers or tills 
Shoprite Checkers announced the opening of a new facility to ensure customers can make purchases without a cashier or till points. The retail group has released a video showing all their plans going forward and media reports announced that the Shoprite Checkers Group opened a ShopriteX store in Cape Town. The cashier-less outlet becomes the first in South Africa and follows Amazon’s idea which was recently launched in Europe.
Source: briefly.co.za
Belgium: Revamped OKay Beaumont reopens as a sustainable neighbourhood supermarket on 27 August
On Friday 27 August, OKay Beaumont reopens its doors after undergoing a thorough facelift. The neighbourhood supermarket expanded from 475 to 650 m² and was renovated in the newest generation OKay-store style. It has a revamped freshmart, freezers with glass lids, a new bread corner and its environmental impact is as low as possible. Store manager Marie-Claude and her 13-member team are happy to welcome their customers in compliance with the current corona measures. Thanks to the fresh and modern interior, customers of OKay Beaumont can find their way even more easily in the wide range of super fresh products. "In the new freshmart for instance, our broad supply of fresh fruit and vegetables can stand out completely", says store manager Marie-Claude.
Source: colruytgroup.com
Shoppers can now return all their soft plastic packaging to recycling points at every large Tesco store in the UK
Shoppers at all of Tesco’s large stores will be able to bring back any soft plastic packaging for recycling. The supermarket expects to collect more than 1000 tonnes a year and will recycle as much of this material as possible back into products and packaging sold in Tesco stores.
Source: tescoplc.com
Irish grocery sales decline as life edges back to normal: Kantar
Grocery sales in Ireland dropped 3.9% year-on-year in the latest weeks to 8 August 2021 as people ventured back to offices, and coffee shops and indoor dining resumed for fully vaccinated people, according to the latest data from Kantar. Shoppers spent €333.2mln more on take-home groceries in this period, compared to 2019, up 13.4% in 2 years.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Japan: 7-Eleven to offer super-fast delivery to compete with Amazon - Nikkei
Japan's 7-Eleven convenience stores chain plans to launch a super-fast delivery service in 5 years, stepping up competition with Amazon.com, the Nikkei financial daily reported.
Source: reuters.com
South Africa's Shoprite to exit Uganda and Madagascar
Reuters reported: South Africa's largest grocery retailer Shoprite Holdings said it is withdrawing from Uganda and Madagascar, adding to its growing list of African departures. Shoprite has been reviewing its long-term options across Africa over the past year as currency devaluations, lower commodity prices and high inflation have hit household incomes and weighed on earnings.
Source: nasdaq.com
UK: Sainsbury’s shares hit 7-year high amid takeover reports
Around £1bln was added to the value of Sainsbury’s after reports that the supermarket chain could be the latest UK company to receive a buyout bid from a private equity firm. Shares in the UK’s second-largest supermarket jumped just over 15% to 340p, reaching levels not seen since February 2014. Sainsbury’s was the day’s biggest climber on London’s FTSE 100 index.
Source: theguardian.com
South Africa: Woolworths CEO Zyda Rylands to step down
Chief executive officer of Woolworths South Africa, Zyda Rylands, is stepping down from the role, effective from 30 September 2021. Woolworths will not retain the Woolworths South Africa CEO position as the retailer seeks to streamline its operating model. The retailer said in a Sens announcement that Rylands has decided to step down as Woolworths CEO and as executive director of Woolworths Holdings Limited, due to "personal circumstances" and to pursue early retirement.
Source: bizcommunity.com