May 26 – Lisbon-based Startup Announced First Autonomous Store
Lisbon-based startup Sensei has announced its first autonomous store opening to the public, in partnership with Portuguese retailer Sonae. Continente, the largest food retailer in Portugal is part of Sonae Group. From Retail Technology Innovation Hub

May 26 – Marks & Spencer Reports Revenue Decline
UK’s Marks & Spencer reported a revenue decline of 11.9% for the year and a statutory loss of GBP 201 million.  Pandemic challenges and restructuring costs impacted these results, with clothing & home revenues down 31.5%, food offered some positive news, with underlying like-for-like growth of 6.9%. Its new online food partnership with Ocado, reported separately by Ocado Retail, contributed a share of net income of GBP 78 million and a 43.7% sales lift. From Marks And Spencer

May 25 – India’s Flipkart Hires 23,000
With an aim of bolstering supply chain amid the pandemic, India’s Flipkart has announced that it has hired 23,000 new employees to keep up with the growing demand for e-commerce services across India, as people continue to remain indoors to fight the pandemic. From The Economic Times

May 24 – Auchan Retail Considers Selling Stake RT-Mart-branded Stores in Taiwan
France’s supermarket chain, Auchan Retail, is considering selling its stake in a group of RT-Mart-branded stores in Taiwan and is seeking USD 300 million to USD 400 million. The chain is working with an adviser to find a buyer for its 65% stake in the retail locations. From Bloomburg Quint

May 24 – Decathlon Canada to Use Robot Fulfillment
The Canadian division of sporting goods retailer, Decathlon plans to manage holiday fulfillment through the usage of robots in its supply chain. Decathlon Canada is deploying 55 Exotec Skypod mobile 3D robots across 30 distribution centers, expected to begin in December 2021. The retailer anticipates that it will handle 8 million items per year in Canada once the program is fully implemented. From Chain Store Age

May 24 – Pet Store Joins Yandex Express Delivery in Russia
With options to receive goods within 2 hours of placing orders, Beethoven pet stores is the first store in its category to be placed with express delivery on Yandex Market. Residents of all Moscow can already receive goods from the retailer in 1–2 hours and the service will open to other major cites in the near future. Article written in Russian. From Retail.ru

May 21 – JD.com Adds to Delivery in Minutes to New Cities
JD Logistics announced that it will offer its expedited Delivery in Minutes service in over 200 cities during this year’s JD 618 Grand Promotion, leveraging its strong technology abilities to support marketplace merchants to measure the largest mid-year shopping festival in the world. From JD Corporate

May 21 – Spain’s Eroski Caprabo reports 6.6% Increase in Turnover
Spain’s Caprabo has ended the 2020 financial year with  turnover of EUR 842 Million, 6.6% higher than the previous year. Throughout 2020, Caprabo has maintained store of openings with twelve stores in eight towns in Catalonia, its strategic market. Article written in Spanish. From Caprabo

May 21 – AliExpress Russia to Launch Bonprix 
Germany’s Otto Group’s Bonprix, a German online store for clothing, footwear and housewares launched its own store on AliExpress Russa. The opening of the store on the marketplace is part of Otto’s strategy to diversify its online sales channels. Article written in Russian. From Retail.ru

May 19 – JD.com Announces First Quarter Results 
JD.com announced its first quarter results for the period ending March 31, 2021. Net revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were USD 131 billion, an increase of 39.0% from the first quarter of 2020. Net service revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were USD 4.3 billion, an increase of 73.1% from the first quarter of 2020. From JD Corporate

May 19 – Germany’s Otto Group Announces Favorable Results
Despite the enormous the pandemic, the Otto Group announced favorable year-end results, increasing global revenue on a comparable basis by 17.2% to EUR 15.6 billion. Growth in pure ecommerce revenues increased worldwide by 25.6% on a comparable basis to EUR 9.9 billion. In Germany, revenues rose to EUR 7 billion. The Otto Group thus achieved a 24.1% growth in online revenues in its domestic market. From Otto Group

May 19 – E-mart Plans to Leave Vietnam
After spending five years trying to establish a footprint in Southeast Asia, South Korean supermarket chain, E-mart plans to close its Vietnam business, with reports suggesting it will be sold to local car manufacturer Truong Hai Auto Corporation. From Inside Retail Asia

May 18 – Amazon UK Expands on Treasure Truck Offerings
Adding to the cities of London and Manchester where Amazon unveiled its Treasure Truck in 2017, the service has since rolled in Leeds, York, Coventry and Liverpool. The service tracks down trending products and sends subscribers a text alert with the details of each day’s limited time offer for their location, recently many home and housewares products have been featured. From Retail Technology Innovation Hub

May 18 – SPAR International Reports Global Growth
The world’s largest food retail voluntary chain, SPAR International, reported sales of EUR 39.8 billion for the year ending December 2021, a 7.4% increase in revenue. SPAR countries across Western Europe most significant engine for growth in 2020, delivering 12% growth to reach EUR 25.48 billion in retail turnover.  From SPAR International

May 14 – Amazon UK Plans to Hire 10,000 Workers
Amazon is to hire 10,000 UK employees as online shopping continues to be strong during the pandemic. Amazon plans more warehouses in the north and south of England and is creating additional corporate roles in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London and Manchester. From BBC

May 13 – Mexico’s Chedraui to Purchase Smart & Final
Smart & Final, a warehouse-style grocer plans to sell to Bodega Latina Corp., a subsidiary of Mexican retailer Grupo Comercial Chedraui.  Chedraui aims for the combination with Smart & Final to create a leading diversified chain in Mexico and a multiformat food retail platform in the US, with consolidated sales of over USD 11 billion. From Supermarket News

May 12 – Falabella Reports Revenue Growth
Chile-based Falabella reported an increase in revenue of 10.7% for the first quarter of 2021 . The multinational department store group has increased profit by 713.8%. The gross merchandise value was USD 581.3 million dollars an increase of 142% more than in the first quarter of 2020. Article written in Spanish.  From América Retail

May 5 – Canada’s Loblow Annouces Online Sales 
Loblaw Companies Limited announced its unaudited financial results  for first quarter ending at the end of March 2021.  Its revenue increased USD 72 million, 0.6% when compared to the first quarter of 2020. Retail segment sales increased USD 86 million, or 0.7% when compared to the first quarter of 2020. From Loblaow