August 18 – Carrefour Belgium Introduces Eco-Score
Initially launched in Belgium by Colruyt, followed by Lidl, Eco-Score is an ecological evaluation of products. Carrefour will launch this system by applying the score to rate a product’s sustainability to 1500 products online and plans to roll the program out to additional products and eventually to products sold instore. Article written in Dutch. From Gondola Magazine
August 18 – Australia’s Coles Announces Positive Figures
Australia’s Coles Group announced net profit after tax increased by 7.5%. The group announced that sales revenue increased by 3.1% to AUD 38.6 billion with ecommerce sales reaching AUD 2.1 billion. From Coles Group
August 18 – Sweden’s ICA Gruppen Announces Increase in Sales
ICA Gruppen’s consolidated net sales increased by 1.5% and operating profit to EUR 1 million. Consolidated sales and operating profit were affected by the continuing pandemic and the estimated overall effect on consolidated operating profit for the first quarter was EUR 2 million. From ICA Gruppen
August 18 – Germany’s Penny to Become First Discounter to Offer Online Fulfillment
Rewe Group’s Penny will be the first discounter in Germany to offer online grocery fulfillment. Penny’s new service comes at a time when online grocery fulfillment has been expanding rapidly in Germany. Article written in German. From Business Insider
August 17 – Rappi Opens Stores in Argentina
Rappi has announced the opening of 50 delivery stores in Argentina. Initially, there will be a catalog with more than a thousand warehouse products from packaged foods, fresh foods, hygiene products and baby products. Rappi anticipates expanding its networking within Argentina and increasing its product options for fast delivery to include additional categories. Article written in Spanish. From On24
August 17 – Flipkart to Expand Number of Facilities in Maharashtra, India
Walmart-run ecommerce giant, Flipkart, announced plans to open four additional fulfillment and sortation centers in Maharashtra, India. The opening of these new Flipkart centers will create an anticipated 4000 jobs and will add to the network of 12 supply chain facilities that Flipkart already has in the state. From Economic Times Retail
August 16 – Spain’s El Corte Inglés Reduces Electricity Consumption
El Corte Inglés has reduced its electricity consumption by almost 25% in the last five years. The reductions this year have been greater due to limited business hours and state restrictions due to the pandemic. However, this initiative of electricity consumption is planned to be an ongoing focus of the retailer. (Spanish) Article written in Spanish. From El Corte Iglés
August 13 – Carrefour Poland Adds Additional Stores
To date in 2021, Carrefour Polska has added 52 new convenience stores, including 36 convenience stores and mini-markets in the Carrefour Express format, 8 gas stations and 8 under the Globi brand. These new outlets are added to the more than 700 stores in the Polish Carrefour chain. Each month, 5 million Polish consumers buy more than 21.5 million products in Carrefour convenience stores. Article written in Polish. From Carrefour
August 13 – Cencosud Annouces Positive Results
LATAM retail group, Cencosud, announced earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margin of 11.9% in the second quarter of 2021, reflecting triple-digit increases in Chile as well as positive figures in Argentina and Colombia. From Cencosud
August 12 – Brazil’s Lojas Americanas Announces Positive Results
Lojas Americanas’ net sales were up by 46.1% in the second quarter of the year. In 2021 there was gradual reopening of stores and reduction of pandemic operating and assortment restrictions. Despite 31% of the sales area being impacted by restrictions, stores sales have grown 18.2% to date in 2021. From Lojas Americanas
August 12 – Hudson’s Bay Company Splits Ecommerce and Brick and Mortar
Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company plan to separate its Hudson’s Bay store fleet of 86 outlets and ecommerce business into two separate businesses with dedicated leadership teams. From Chain Store Age
August 11 – UK’s John Lewis Opens New Distribution Center
To meet online demand, John Lewis Partners has planned a deal with Tesco to lease a one million square feet distribution center. The retailer anticipates that the new distribution center will help meet growing customer demand for online orders which have grown from 40% to over 60% of John Lewis’ total sales since the start of the pandemic. From Retail Technology Innovation Hub
August 11 – Carrefour to Launch Sale of Taiwan Business
Anticipated to begin after summer, France’s Carrefour is anticipated to launch the sale of its business in Taiwan, valued at around EUR 1.6 billion. Carrefour has approached a number of potential buyers, including private equity firms to gauge interest. From Reuters
August 11 – Australia’s Woolworths to Open First eStore
Woolworths has opened its first eStore in Queensland amidst a major increase in online demand. The space houses micro-fulfilment technology to sort and move products from automated storage units, which accommodate up to 10,000 of the most in-demand grocery products, directly to team members hand-picking customer orders. From Inside Retail
August 11 – Mexico’s Bed, Bath & Beyond to Personalize Customer Searches
The Mexican banner of Bed, Bath & Beyond will begin to use a technology to algorithmically personalize ecommerce searches on its digital store. This solution will be integrated with a platform to leverage real-time shopper behavior to personalize search results. From Chain Store Age
August 5 – JD.com to Have its Own Airline
Chinese e-commerce giant, JD.com is on track to become China’s first ecommerce player with its own air cargo fleet. From South Morning China Post
