To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world:
April 23 – Walmart China Has Competitive Advantage with JD.com Alliance in Highly Competitive Market
With 433 retail outlets in China, including 412 Walmart supercenters, Walmart plans to add 23 Sam’s Clubs by 2020. In 2018, Walmart and JD.com jointly invested $500 million in online-to-offline grocery business Dada-JD Daojia as well as launching online stores for both Sam’s Club and Walmart on JD.com. From Digiday
April 17 – Canadian Tire Expands Loyalty Program
Canadian Tire is expanding the reach of its loyal program members by offering collection and redemption at more than 100 new partner locations including Atmosphere Hockey Experts, L’Entrepôt du Hockey, Sports Rousseau and some Sports Exports outlets. The majority of the new partner locations are in Quebec. From Canadian Tire Corporation
April 16 – Germany’s Edeka Targets Organic, Enters Drugstore Market
The first of the Edeka co-op stores featuring organic products is slated to open in late summer, with the concept to expand across the co-op if successful. In addition, the retailer is entering the drugstore market through the Hamburg chain, Budnikowsky, with a target of 15 additional markets. From International Supermarket News
April 16 – Alibaba/Tmall Launches Gateway for New Products
Alibaba Group’s B2C e-commerce marketplace, Tmall, launched a new gateway for consumers to find new products on its sister-company, Taobao’s app. This dedicated gateway aims to position the app as the go-to for consumers looking for products make their debuts in China. From Alizila
April 16 – Lidl Italia Opens Store with Rooftop Garden
Schwarz Group’s Lidl Italia has opened a store in Turin, Italy featuring a rooftop urban garden to grow fresh produce for sale in the store. From Trade Magazin
April 16 – Amazon India Works on New Deal Structure for Future Retail
Amazon India is working on a new deal structure that will enable it to own stake in Future Retail indirectly. The new deal structure would allow Amazon to own about 9 percent stake in Future Retail. From CNBCTV18
April 15 – UK’s Sainsbury’s Begins Delivery by Electric Vans
Sainsbury’s will be making home deliveries by electric vans for a trial period through May to reinforce its commitment to sustainable practices. As the first supermarket in the UK with electric vans, Sainsbury’s commits to expanding the program after May. From Essential Retail
April 14 – UK’s Tesco Trials Giving Lower Prices to Loyalty Card Holders
Tesco is experimenting with offering its UK loyalty card holders lower prices at the checkout. The grocery store ran a week-long trial in which card holders received discounts on selected products when they were scanned for purchase. From The Times
April 9 – UK Retailer Debenhams Falls into Administration
Debenhams, operating for the past 240 years, has fallen to administration. The retailer has confirmed that that despite the administration, all 165 of its stores will operate as per usual and relationships with suppliers, employees and pension holders will remain unaffected. From Retail Gazette
April 9 – Japan’s Aeon to Convert Chinese Stores to Smart Stores
Japanese retail group Aeon plans to convert 80 of its 480 Chinese retail outlets into smart stores that will anticipate customer purchasing behavior. From Nikkei Asian Review
April 9 – Google Wing Receives Approval for Drone Delivery in Australia
After 18 months of trial and 3,000 deliveries, Wing, owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has been granted permissions for deliveries in the Canberra region of Australia. From The Verge
April 7 – Germany’s Metro Grows in Russia Under Fasol Banner
Metro plans to grow its Fasol small-box franchise network in Russia. Metro is prepared to invest €5 m in the project to open 100 outlets in Moscow within a year, according to Rbc Daily. From PMR Market Experts
April 8 – Staples Canada Partners with Instacart
Instacart has expanded beyond grocery in Canada by increasing its retail partner network into the home and office supply category. Since 2012, Instacart has focused on grocery, but has now started with Staples Canada to trial same-day delivery service in the Greater Toronto Area. From Retail Insight Network
April 6 – Germany’s Lidl Plans to Cease Online Operations in China
Schwartz Group’s Lidl, currently trading in China on Alibaba Tmall, JD.com and Netease Kaola, plans to cease online sales in China due to economic considerations. Article written in German. From Business Insider Deutchland
April 5 – Billa Bulgaria to Invest over EUR 17.4 m in Opening and Renovation of New Stores
Billa Bulgaria, part of Germany’s Rewe Group, will focus investments on opening two new stores and renovating current stores. The retailer entered the market in 2000 and currently has 124 outlets in 38 cities. From SeeNews
April 5 – Carrefour Kenya Reports Larges Jump in Sales
Majid Al Futtaim, Carrefour’s franchise partner in Kenya, announced a 71% jump in sales for the year end 2018. From Business Daily
April 3 – Casino’s GPA Brazil Introduces Delivery Service
GPA Brazil has officially launched a new delivery platform for GPA’s Extra and Pão de Açúcar networks, called James. James, acquired by Casino GPA at the end of 2018, will initially service the city of Sa will initially service the city of São Paulo with plans for further expansion. From Kantar Retail IQ
April 3 – Germany’s Rewe Group Has Strong 2018 Growth
Rewe announced that 2018 revenues rose 4.7%, store count increased 5.1% in Germany, and outside of Germany the group’s supermarkets and drugstores saw 6.2% revenue growth. From IGD RetailAnalysis
April 3 – Carrefour Brasil Expands Partnership with Rappi for Customer Experience
Carrefour Brazil has expanded its partnership with Colombia’s Rappi to guarantee speed and product range and to offer another shopping channel in 12 cities in Brazil. From Carrefour.com
April 2 – Co-op UK Launches New 2-Hour Delivery Service
British convenience store, Co-op launched online delivery service allowing customers to receive delivery within two hours within a specified radius in London. Additional stores within the Co-op network are slated for the new, ultra-fast delivery service. From Internet Retailing
April 2 – Amazon Australia Reports Results of First Full-Year Cycle
Revenue was reported as AU$292 m with retail sales accounting for AU$106 m. Amazon began operations in Australia in December 2017 and has gradually enhanced its operations. From IGD RetailAnalysis
The International Business Council is a special interest group of IHA members, dedicated to helping its membership market and sell their products internationally by sharing information, providing networking opportunities and offering programs to assist, support, and educate. Membership is free to all regular, IHA members – visit the IBC website to learn more.
