7-Eleven dives deeper into sustainability with Moomin-themed recycled bags
7-Eleven dives deeper into sustainability by launching a series of Moomin-themed bags made with recycled materials, in an effort to contribute to sustaining the planet by offering eco-friendly products and reducing the carbon footprint at source. To further enhance DFI Retail Group's sustainability developments, 7-Eleven has created the first-ever eco-friendly bag series “Have a Moomin Christmas!” in collaboration with the Moomin, the renowned characters from Finland.
The new collectable series “Go Green Bags” features eight designs and intricately combines eco-friendliness with fun and style. The bags are made with recycled materials and manufactured with lower carbon emissions. This series of bags will be available at 7-Eleven on 23 November at 7am. The collection has been successfully certified by two internationally recognised standards to verify its green credentials – the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) and Intertek’s Green Leaf Mark (GLF-07-APAC-22-1557).
Source: Marketing-Interactive
Amazon workers in the U.S. and 30 other countries plan Black Friday protests
Amazon workers and labor activists in roughly 30 countries, including the U.S., plan to walk off the job and stage other protests on Friday to demand better pay and working conditions. The campaign, which the groups are promoting on Twitter under the hashtag #MakeAmazonPay, is timed to coincide with Black Friday, a key shopping day for Amazon and other retailers.
As part of the protests, Amazon employees at a company warehouse in St. Peters, Missouri, plan to stop work on Friday, according to Athena, a coalition of local and national groups pressing for worker rights at the e-commerce giant. Labor actions are also planned at Whole Foods stores, which Amazon owns, and other locations in Bessemer, Alabama; Columbia, Maryland; Detroit, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina; Garner, North Carolina; Joliet, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; and Washington, D.C.
Source: CBSNews
Walmart uses AI to know how much pumpkin pie you’ll eat this holiday
Turkey gets all the attention. Cranberry sauce ruffles feathers. But pumpkin pie is the lovable staple many Americans crave on Thanksgiving. Sam’s Club, a retail and grocery warehouse owned by Walmart, is using artificial intelligence to predict how much pie each of its nearly 600 stores needed to make for the holidays.
Their model uses a wide variety of data, according to Sam’s Club officials. Things like local temperatures (hot weather often means less pies bought); whether the Sunday football game is home or away (home games can mean more pies are needed); how popular are pecan pies this year (more pecan pies can translate into less pumpkin pie sales).
Those data points, and others, plug into an artificial intelligence model they’ve made. It spits out recommendations to each store leader, such as how many pies need to be on-hand in their shops by the hour.
Source: WashingtonPost
Aldi set for ‘biggest Christmas ever’ as price-conscious customers flock to discounter
Aldi is gearing up to sell almost 50 million mince pies in what it anticipates will be its “biggest Christmas ever” as shoppers navigate the cost-of-living crisis. The discounter, which attracted an extra 1.5 million new customers and was named the fastest-growing supermarket in the 12 weeks to October by Kantar’s most recent market share data, also predicts it will shift more than 38 million pigs in blankets. Squeezed households were thinking about Christmas “even earlier” this year and “having to plan their spend over the festive period much more carefully,” the discounter said.
Source: Retail-week
China: Members-only supermarkets becoming popular amid consumption slowdown
Domestic and overseas supermarket brands are speeding up the opening of members-only supermarkets in China following the business success of leading members-only supermarkets like Sam's Club and Costco, undeterred by the ongoing coronavirus situation which has cast a shadow on China's consumption sector. Alibaba's supermarket chain Hema Fresh has announced it will open its eighth Hema X members-only outlet on Friday. Hema Fresh is the first Chinese supermarket brand that entered the members-only supermarket sector in China.
Located in Shanghai and with a size of more than 16,000 square meters, the new outlet offers many imported or exclusive goods, like bluefin tuna imported from Japan, oysters shipped from France or snacks for the World Cup, the Global Times observed on site.
Source: GlobalTimes
Netherlands: Jumbo partners with Hanshow to expedite digital transition
Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has partnered with Chinese retail technology provider Hanshow in an effort to expedite its digital transformation. The collaboration is part of Jumbo‘s digitisation strategy and will involve Hanshow installing more than 11 million electronic shelf labels (ESLs) at all 700 of the retailer’s stores. Hanshow has deployed its solutions in more than 250 Jumbo stores to date.
The adoption of ESLs is intended to enhance inventory management and speed up order picking, as well as to provide centralised price updates and error-free labelling for customers. “Correct prices on the shelf and the ability to react quickly and efficiently to market developments are essential for this. The technology of Hanshow contributes to this.” In addition, the use of ESL aligns with Jumbo’s sustainability efforts by saving ‘hundreds of thousands’ of paper price tags each year.
Source: Retail-Insight
Turkey: Retailers may face harsher punishments
Supermarket chains may face some harsher punishments and new regulations may be introduced in the industry as authorities are scrutinizing their prices and other practices. After President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier this week said that fines do not appear to be enough, now all eyes are on possible measures to be taken in the retail industry.
“We have taken necessary steps following the inspections and will do so. Some other measures may be needed,” Erdoğan said. Steps to be taken other than fines could be discussed at the next cabinet meeting, he added. Last week, the Trade Ministry imposed fines on 21 supermarket chains and companies amounting to 9.4 million Turkish Liras over the exorbitant prices they charge and for engaging in stockpiling.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
New Zealand: Retail sales lift in September quarter but consumers are already tightening their belts
Retail sales lifted, but not by as much as the rate of inflation. The total volume of retail sales increased 4.9% in the September 2022 quarter compared to the same time last year, Stats NZ said on Friday.
But Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford says the statistics show consumers are already tightening their belts. The total value of retail sales was $29 billion, up 15% ($3.9 billion), compared with the September 2021 quarter. The volume of sales in the food and beverage services industry, which includes cafes, restaurants, bars, and takeaways, increased 30% year-on-year, helping to drive the rise in total retail sales.
In the September 2021 quarter, sales volumes were affected by a national lockdown for part of the quarter, as well as extended restrictions in Auckland and Northland. “We’re now into the busiest quarter of the year for retail, and retailers are hoping that consumers will be out making the most of Black Friday deals today.”
Source: Stuff