US: Instacart takes step toward IPO
After years of industry buzz, Instacart has taken a preliminary step to pursue an initial public offering. San Francisco-based Instacart said that it has filed a confidential S-1 draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The online grocery delivery company said the registration statement is expected to become effective after the SEC completes its review, subject to market conditions and other considerations. SEC Form S-1 is used to register a company’s securities before listing them on a public exchange.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: SpartanNash projects strong preliminary results for first quarter
SpartanNash has released preliminary fiscal 2022 first-quarter results that include solid sales gains and raised guidance for the full year and long-term financial targets. For the 16-week first quarter ended April 23, net sales are projected at $2.74bln to $2.77bln, up between 3% and 4.1% from $2.66bln a year earlier, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based SpartanNash said. Those totals mark a rebound from the 2021 first quarter, when net sales were down 7% after the grocery distributor/retailer cycled a pandemic-driven sales surge.
Source: supermarketnews.com
US: Gautam and Arjun Narang discuss commercialization of Gatik’s fully autonomous operations at FreightWaves industry event
Gatik CEO Gautam Narang, and Gatik CTO Arjun Narang both spoke at FreightWaves’ Future of Supply Chain event in Rogers, Arkansas, providing leadership insights on Gatik’s journey, long-term commercial partnerships, and the company’s approach to the development of autonomous technology purpose-built for B2B short-haul logistics.
Source: businesswire.com
Have Canadians lost their appetite for meal-kit services? (Survey)
In search of new meal ideas during the pandemic, many home cooks turned to meal-kit delivery services. Post-pandemic, it appears demand has peaked. A recent survey conducted by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, in partnership with Caddle, found that 8.4% of Canadians subscribe to a meal-kit service provider today. That’s down from 12.8% in November 2020.
Source: canadiangrocer.com
Modern grocery retailers continue expansion in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Retailing in Bosnia and Herzegovina remained affected by the political and economic situation in 2021, according to an analysis by Euromonitor International. However, modern grocery retailers continued to gain market share from traditional grocery retailers by offering larger retail spaces, loyalty schemes, more competitive prices, and frequent discounts and offers. Market leaders Bingo (with more than 200 outlets) and Konzum (which opened 11 stores last year) continued to expand their networks.
Source: esmmagazine.com
New Zealand: $900,000 funding for Otago health researchers
An apple a day keeps the doctor away - so will 12 weeks of free, healthy food delivered to a patient’s door keep the cardiologist at bay? That’s what Dr Andrew Reynolds, of the University of Otago’s Department of Medicine, is hoping to find out with funding from the Health Research Council. Dr Reynolds is one of six Otago researchers to be granted a $150,000 Explorer Grant - funding allocated to support transformative research ideas that have a good chance of making a revolutionary change to managing New Zealanders’ health.
Source: otago.ac.nz
40% of Polish B2Bs sell online
Over 90% of Polish B2B-companies plan to develop ecommerce channels. Around 40% of business providers already sell online. For one in four companies in Poland, ecommerce drives over 80% of revenue. These are some of the findings of a new report commissioned by E-commerce Poland.
Source: ecommercenews.eu
Trusted brands and fresh foods at your fingertips from "yuu to me"
“yuu to me” assembles Hong Kong’s most trusted and well-established brands that range from fresh produce and groceries from Wellcome and Market Place, health and beauty products from Mannings, to a selection of convenience store favourites from 7-Eleven. “To best meet our customers’ needs, we will continue to expand the yuuinverse with our trusted partners, and provide the freshest possible items with unprecedented convenience, enabling members to shop whenever and however they want”, says Johnny Wong, CEO of DFI Digital. “yuu to me” guarantees the same quality and freshness that customers have always trusted. Fresh produce like fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, and dairy products are sourced from the most reliable suppliers which are then hand-picked by a professional logistics team that have been serving Hong Kong for decades, delivering the exact crispness and flavour to customers’ homes.
Source: thestandard.com.hk
Deliveroo's UK riders win collective bargaining rights under union deal
Deliveroo has signed an agreement with trade union GMB to give the food delivery firm's 90,000 self-employed riders in Britain the rights to collective bargaining on pay and consultation on benefits. The British company said a pay floor will be guaranteed to riders as part of the deal and will be discussed annually with the GMB Union.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Belgium: Delhaize launches delivery subscription Delivery+
Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize has launched the first delivery subscription for groceries in Belgium. The Delivery+ formula guarantees customers unlimited home deliveries at no extra cost, following in the footsteps of Amazon Prime and other foreign examples.
Source: retaildetail.eu
Lidl raises minimum entry-level wage in Germany
Discounter Lidl has announced that it will increase its minimum hourly entry-level wage in Germany to €14 gross, effective 1 June 2022. The retailer added that its minimum starting wage can go up to €18.26 gross per hour plus Christmas and holiday bonuses, based on the classification in the respective regional collective agreement and the experience of candidates.
Source: esmmagazine.com
Boss of Britain's Tesco made $5.8mln in 2021-22
Ken Murphy, the CEO of Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, received a total pay package of 4.75mln pounds ($5.8mln) in 2021-22 and has been awarded a salary increase for the current year, the group's annual report showed.
Source: reuters.com