To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world:

December 18 – China’s JD.com’s JD Central Commerce forms JV with Thailand’s Central Group
JD Central Commerce, the joint venture between Chinese internet giant JD.com and Thailand’s largest retail firm Central Group, has teamed up with the government and a private university to enhance the competitiveness of Thai small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) via the online platform. From Bangkok Post

December 18 – Google Expands Online Shopping to India
Google is expanding its capabilities for the Indian consumer to shop, allowing consumers to search multiple channels for products from a range of retailers, reportedly including the country’s two largest e-commerce players Flipkart and Amazon. From Retail Dive

December 17 – France’s Casino Opens First 24-Hour Supermarket in Lyon
Casino has extended its 24H store concept to a supermarket in Lyon, France. The retailer already has some Parisian Franprix stores open 24 hours a day. From International Supermarket News

December  17 – JD.com Rolls out Fleet of AI-Equipped Delivery Robots
China’s online retailer’s new fleet of delivery robots has capacity to deliver goods up to 5k from its base. The robots, introduced in November, will help with the skyrocketing cost and shortage of labor in China. From Nikkei Asian Review

December 17 – Carrefour Italy Partners With Online Shipping Company
Carrefour Italy has partnered with Supermercato24, a leading Italian online shopping player, to offer same-day delivery service. *This article written in Italian. From GDOWeek

December 17 – Carrefour Poland Rolls Out Self-Checkouts
Carrefour Poland has launched mini self-service checkouts at two Carrefour Express franchise stores in Warsaw and Gdansk. Another 20 locations planned for early 2019. From European Supermarket Magazine

December 17 – Carrefour Middle East Partners with Ecommerce Platfor
Carrefour’s partner in the Middle East, Majid Al Futtaim, has partnered with Basket.jo to enhance Carrefour’s online shopping experience in Jordan. The partnership is in line with Majid Al Futtaim’s omnichannel strategy to implement e-commerce formats across all countries in which it operates, allowing more customers access to a larger assortment of Carrefour’s products. From Trade Arabia

December 14 – Sainsbury’s and Asda Earned Extra Time to Respond to Merger Investigation
UK’s Sainsbury’s and Asda have won extra time to respond to a competition authority investigation into their planned £7.3bn merger after a competition appeal tribunal hearing in London. The Competition and Markets Authority must give the attorneys more time over the Christmas period. The new deadline is anticipated to be around December 21. From The Guardian

December 13 – Korea’s Lotte Brings in Furniture from the UK
London-based high-end furniture and home furnishing store chain, The Conran Shop, plans to open its first Korean outlet in the second half of 2019 in partnership with Korea’s largest department store chain, Lotte Department Store. From Pulse

December 13 – Shoprite Opens in Kenya
Cape Town-based Shoprite is aiming for foothold Kenya’s retail industry, where the collapse of two local supermarket chains has created opportunities for Africa’s biggest grocer and its international rivals, Carrefour and Walmart. The first store opened last week in Nairobi in a location previously occupied by Nakumatt, which closed all but size of it’s stores in East Africa’s largest economy. From Fin24

December 13 – UK’s Ocado Ends Year With Strong Results
The online grocer saw its shares rocket to more than £11 this summer. The stock really took off when Ocado secured a deal with US grocery giant Kroger to supply its cutting-edge technology, including food-packing robots. From This is Money

December 13 – Canada’s Dollarama Launches Online Store in Quebec
Canadian retailer Dollarama is launching its first ecommerce website in a pilot project that will offer home deliveries in Quebec. In the initial roll-out shoppers will have access to over 1000 items. From Global News

December 13 – India’s Reliance Retail to Leverage Jio Point Stores for Ecommerce
Reliance Retail has planned to utilize its over 5,100-plus smaller Jio Point stores in more than 5,000 Indian cities and towns as the last mile connection point for its ecommerce venture to reach consumers without internet access or who have never shopped online. From Economic Times

December 12 – Auchan Romania Plans Major Warehouse Build
Belgian logistics property developer has signed an agreement for 45 million Euro for the development and lease of 77,000 sq m of warehouse space for Auchan in Bucharest. The Romanian arm of French retailer, Auchan, will lease the warehouse for a 7 year period. From See News

December 12 – Amazon to Offer Subscribe & Save to Australian Consumer
Amazon Australia has confirmed it is looking to launch Subscribe & Save, a discounted subscription service fast-moving consumer goods that consumers tend to buy on a regular basis, such as toilet paper, toothpaste and dish soap. The introduction of Subscribe & Save is likely to add to concern about Amazon’s impact on the local food and grocery stores in Australia. From Financial Review

December 12 – Google Launches Google Pay in France
Google Pay joins Samsung Pay and Apple Pay, already available in France. Customers of six different French banks can now begin using Google’s mobile payment service. The payment method can be used at several online services and retailers. From Ecommerce News Europe

December 11 – Amazon Launches Web Services in Sweden
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the opening of the AWS Europe Region in Stockholm. With this launch, AWS will provide 60 “availability zones” across 20 infrastructure regions globally, with another 12 “availability zones” and four regions in Bahrain, Hong Kong, Italy, and South Africa all anticipated by the first half of 2020. From Forbes

December 11 – Mega Image Opens First Stores in Eastern Romania
Ahold Delhaize’s Mega Image opened its first stores in Bacău and Iași, Romania. Further stores are planned for the region. There are already 600 stores in Romania, where the retailer has operated since 1995. From European Supermarket Magazine

December 10 – Apple Pay Launches in Germany
With the support for 15 banks and financial institutions, Apple Pay has launched in Germany. Apple Pay is accepted at a number of retailers in Germany including Aldi, Avia, Berhska, Cigo, Ditsch, dm, Galeria Kaufhof, HEM, Kaufland, Lidl, Netto, and Real. From Apple Insider

December 5 – Aldi Opens Record Number of Stores in Single Day in UK
Aldi has opened eight stores on a single day, which it claims to be a record. The new stores in Glasgow, Chellaston, Eckington, Longridge, Oldham, Skelton, Bodmin and Islington in London are part of of the 24 new Aldi stores opening throughout November and December. From Retail Gazette

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.