December 14 – Auchan Declares No Discussions about Tie-Up with Carrefour
Previously reported discussions between France’s Auchan and Carrefour to tie-up the two retailers are now reported to be over, with Auchan declaring that there is no contact between the two families that control Auchan (AUCH.UL) and Carrefour (CARR.PA). From Reuters
December 14 – UK’s Marks & Spencer Is the Fastest Growing Grocery Store in the Market
Among Britain’s five food retailers which saw 2021 growth against last year’s same 12-week period ending in December (Tesco, Sainsbury’s Asda and Morrisons), Marks & Spencer saw the largest growth for this period. Sales rose 9.1% in the period year-on-year, outpacing sales at Lidl and Aldi, which recorded growth of 8.3% and 4.6% respectively. From Reuters
December 13 – Auchan Portugal Partners with Cash Converters to Sell Second-Hand Products
Cash Converters, a leader in circular economy, joins Auchan’s “ReUse” concept to open a new space within the Auchan hypermarket that gives a second life to thousands of products and offers customers the option to buy and sell second-hand products. This partnership between the two companies marks the launch of a unique business model within a major retail chain. Article written in Portuguese. From Auchan Retail
December 13 – Mercado Libre Acquires Payment Services Provider
Argentina-based Mercado Libre acquired Chile’s Redelcom, a payment service provider to strengthen its operation in Chile in the payment methods sector. This is Mercado Libre’s first purchase in the region in payment systems, which strengthens the business position of its Mercado Pago unit, the largest fintech company in LATAM. From Mercado Libre
December 13 – SPAR Slovenia Invests in New 1,700 Square Meter Store
SPAR Slovenia has invested EUR 6.4 million to open a new store, marking its 110th store in Slovenia. The 1,700 square meter store was created to integrate many sustainability features for shoppers’ convenience and store functionality. SPAR Slovenia operates three store formats: SPAR, SPAR Supermarkets, and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. From SPAR
December 10 – Walmart Canada Opens State-of-the-Art 40,000 Square Foot Warehouse and Fulfillment Center
Walmart Canada has officially opened its new warehouse order fulfillment system at a distribution center in Ontario – the first of its kind at Walmart Canada. The investment in this 40,000 square foot facility aims to improve Walmart Canada’s supply chain and future-proof the organization by equipping associates with the key technology. From Walmart Canada
December 10 – IKEA India Doubles Sales in Two Years
IKEA online sales, aided by the pandemic which forced consumers to shop from home, have more than doubled in India within two years. Prior to the pandemic, IKEA India’s online sales accounted for about 12% of retailer’s sales in the market. Now online sales current account for about 25% of the retailer’s sales in India. From Economic Times Retail
December 9 – Amazon Australia Offers Free Shipping to Customers in New Zealand
Amazon Australia has launched free shipping for customers in New Zealand for orders greater than AUD 59. This shipping bonus comes just in time for Christmas shoppers in New Zealand to benefit from the millions of products fulfilled by Amazon Australia. From Amazon
December 9 – Costco Opens Second Store in China
After announcing planning and construction of its seconding location in China in February 2020, Costco has opened its newest store in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province which spans three floors and more than 51,000 square meters. The first store in China was opened in 2019 in Shanghai’s Minhang District. From China.org.
December 9 – Amazon Receives Steep Fine for Market Dominance in Italy
Italy’s antitrust watchdog has fined Amazon EUR 1.13 billion for allegedly abusing market dominance. The fine marks one of the largest penalties imposed on Amazon in Europe. From Reuters
December 8 – Dutch Supermarket Chain Opens Outlet in Antwerp’s City Center
With a goal of evaluating how Belgian consumers react to the retail format, Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo City has opened its first City store in Belgium at a prime location in Antwerp’s city center. From Retail Detail
December 8 – Amazon Canada Offers New Convenient Pickup Locations
Amazon has launched Amazon Counter in Canada, a network of staffed pickup locations that provide convenient options pick up their Amazon packages in frequented stores. Amazon designed and built the technology for Amazon Counter, resulting in a quicker and simpler package pickup experience. Expansion of Amazon Counter is planned for 2022. From Amazon
December 7 – Australia’s Woolworth Starts Building on New Fulfillment Center
Woolworths Group has started building its first automated customer fulfilment center to better serve the online grocery needs of Western Sydney customers. The new fulfillment center is slated to open in 2024 and is aimed at facilitating the fulfillment and dispatch of 50,000 weekly home deliveries across Western Sydney. From Woolworths Group
December 6 – Alibaba Forms Two Business Units to Accelerate Growth
Alibaba Group announced organizational changes to better drive synergies across its consumer and wholesale commerce platforms both in China and globally, as the company continues to invest in its two strategic pillars of domestic consumption and globalization. The newly established International Digital Commerce unit will include AliExpress, Alibaba.com and Lazada, the central business units powering Alibaba’s globalization strategy. From Alibaba
December 6 – TikTok Indonesia Launches Selling App
Currently only available in Indonesia, TikTok has launched a new app for its seller community to take advantage of its suite of TikTok Shopping features. TikTok Seller, as the app is called, allows TikTok’s seller community to run all aspects of their shop from their mobile device, from initially registering as a seller to managing inventory and orders to analyzing their online business. From TechCrunch
December 3 – France’s Carrefour Launches Delivery Subscription
Carrefour is launching a subscription for large deliveries targeting at city dwellers in France who regularly place online orders and may not have cars to transport products. Web orders can be customized, and delivery frequency can be chosen based on customer preference. Although the range of products customers can select is limited, it is anticipated to expand in early 2022. From Retail Detail
December 1 – UK’s Waitrose to Offer Products at Scotland’s Margiotta
Waitrose has announced a partnership with Scotland-based store chain, Margiotta, to expand its presence in Scotland. As part of the collaboration, Waitrose will offer more than 600 products in ten Margiotta stores. From European Supermarket Magazine
