March 19 – Alibaba Launches a Self-Driving Robot for Deliveries
Alibaba group will launch a self-driving delivery vehicle across 15 universities in China in March. Each self-driving robot will be capable of making 500 daily deliveries, for which students can make appointments for the deliveries to be made directly to their dorms. With demand of deliveries on the rise and China anticipating a future of 1 billion daily consumer deliveries, Alibaba is researching and implanting plans to keep up with this demand. From Retail Technology Innovation Hub
March 19 – SPAR International Opens Renovated Store with Focus on Convenience in Belgium
After a 6-month renovation, during which the outlet was closed, a SPAR supermarket in Ressaix, Belgium has opened with an updated design and layout to provide a streamlined customer experience. From SPAR International
March 19 – JD.com Digitizes Shanghai Fresh Markets in a Pilot Program
JD.com will work with about 100 fresh produce markets in Shanghai, using its omnichannel fulfillment services, to facilitate the ordering and delivery of fresh produce online via JD.com. This pilot program is a partnership between JD Fresh, Shanghai Municipal Government and Beijing Rally Data Software and represents the first time that a fresh produce market in a city has been put on any ecommerce platform. From JD.com
March 19 – Russia’s X5 Reports Revenue Growth in 2020
One of Russia’s leading grocery chain, X5 Retail Group, announced a 14.1% revenue growth in 2020. The retailer credits its increase in online sales to having already had a digital strategy in place and having had the ability to expand the strategy rapidly as demand increased. From X5 Retail Group
March 18 – Ocado Retail Announces Revenue Increase
Ocado Retail Limited, a joint venture between the UK’s Ocado Group and Marks & Spencer announced a first quarter retail revenue growth of 40%. This growth reflects a continued strong demand for online groceries in the UK during the global pandemic. From Ocado Group
March 17 – Spain’s El Corte Inglés Converts Store to Distribution Center
To fulfill online orders, with a focus on grocery, El Corte Inglés is converting an outlet in Northern Spain to a distribution center. The warehouse will contain more than 25,000 products and will aim fulfill orders in the Basque Country. From Retail Detail
March 17 – Amazon Continue Expansion of Logistics Network
In an effort to answer the growing demand for customer order and support small and medium size businesses using Amazon as a storefront, Amazon is increasing their logistics network in Italy. Amazon in investing EUR 120 million in its newest distribution center, located in the Bergamo region. Article written in Italian. From Amazon
March 15 – Walmart Canada Invests CAD 500 Million on Store Modernization
Walmart Canada will invest CAD 500 million across stores in Canada to modernize more than 60% of its retail stores. These updates are the most recent in a series of store investments, building on Walmart’s planned CAD 3.5 billion investment over the next five years to streamline and modernize the online and in-store customer experience. From Cision
March 11 – UK’s John Lewis Posts 2020 Losses
John Lewis Partnership posted a 2020 pre-tax loss of GBP 517 million, compared to a pre-tax profit of GBP 146m in 2019. John Lewis is now valued at about half of the value before that they were before the pandemic. John Lewis is now focusing on a five year plan to rebuild business. From John Lewis Partnership
March 12 – JD.com Announces Net Revenues Increase
JD.com announced Q4 2020 net revenues increase of 31.4% from the Q4 2019. In addition, the online giant reported that net revenues for the full year of 2020 were USD 114.3 billion, an increase of 29.3% from the full year of 2019. From JD.com
March 9 – Italy’s Esselunga Opens New Store in Rome
Italy’s supermarket chain, Esselunga, has opened one of its convenience stores in Rome under the laEsse format, which has seen success in Milan. This is the second of the laEsse stores in Rome. From European Supermarket Magazine
March 8 – Brazil’s Magazine Luiza Saw Large Profit Growth
Driven by 121% increase in ecommerce, Brazil’s Magazine Luiza posted a 40% profit growth in Q4, representing a 66% growth in sales. Over the last 11 months, Magazine Luiza has purchased 10 companies, mostly ecommerce. The company anticipates that 2021 digital sales are still on the rise. From G1
March 8 – Marks & Spencer Expands Global Online Business
With an aim to grow international business through the online channel, the UK’s Marks & Spencer has launched 46 websites in new markets, allowing expansion of sales into 100 new global markets. This expansion doubles Marks & Spenser’s number of global markets. From Marks And Spencer
March 4 – REWE Implements New Ecommerce Solution
Germany’s REWE, with technology partner, KNAPP, is implementing a pioneering ecommerce solution aimed at central online order fulfilment. The concept’s goal is faster supply of e-groceries to customers. From European Supermarket Magazine
March 4 – Waitrose Opens a New Customer Fulfillment Center
To help answer the continued online purchasing of groceries in the UK, John Lewis’ Waitrose has opened a third customer fulfilled center. The retailer reported that online retail now accounts for a fifth of the total business, up from only 6% of the business approximately one year ago. From Retail Technology Innovation Hub
March 3 – Walmart Canada Invests in Ecommerce Expansion
Through a series of measures, including expanding grocery pickup to include 85% of the outlets, offering expanded assortment of general merchandise and increasing the ship from store offerings, Walmart Canada is investing in their ecommerce model. From Walmart Canada
March 2 – Spain’s Eroski Opens 52 Franchise Stores
In 2020, Spain’s Eroski has opened 52 franchises in 2020. These supermarkets are small, convenience stores, measuring about 150-400 square meters. The retailer plans to open more than 70 additional franchise outlets in 2021. From European Supermarket Magazine
