November 18 – Asda online sales up 72% in Q3 2020
Walmart Asda reported earnings for the third quarter of 2020 covering the period from July 1 to September 30, coinciding with the end of the first UK-wide lockdown and reopening of the hospitality sector.  Asda’s like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, increased by 2.7% and the strong performance in grocery, back-to-school clothing and online sales, combined with sales for Asda.com and George.com saw an increase of 72% year-to-year. From Asda

November 18 – South Korea’s Shinsegae Announces Plunging Earnings
South Korea’s number two retailer, Shinsegae Inc., said that its net earnings plunged 98.4% in Q3 from last year, as its duty-free revenue continued to slump during the global pandemic as tourist travel has come to a near-halt. From Retail in Asia

November 17 – Flipkart Partners with Panasonic for Home Electrics
India’s e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart, has partnered with Panasonic to offer washing machines, air conditioners, and refrigerators in India under Flipkart’s MarQ range of home appliances. From Panasonic

November 17 – Japan’s Tokyu Closes Outlet in Thailand
Japan’s Tokyu department store will close its Bangkok location in January after operating in the Thai market for more than 35 years. The closure is a result of increasing competition and loss of tourism to Thailand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From Retail in Asia

November 17 – Schwarz Group Lidl Launches Smart Home System 
Lidl presents its first collection of home automated products for the home: Lidl Smart Home. This technology is designed to control devices in a fast, simple and intelligent way from a Lidl Home app. Article written in Spanish. From Revista InfoRetail

November 16 – JD.com Report Q3 Revenue Growth of 29.2%
As China begins to emerge from the pandemic, JD.com has reported net revenues of USD25.7 billion, an increase of 29% from Q3 2019. JD.com has seen much growth in users, with customer base increasing to 441.6 million and members of the JD plus loyalty program now exceeding 20 million. From JD.com

November 16 – France’s Monoprix Receives a Third-Party Health Certification
Monoprix has received a third-party health crisis certification for its stores and head office.  This falls after other French-market key players, Auchan, Carrefour and Lidl have gone through the same process to receive their certifications. From Article written in French. LSA

November 16 – FaceBook’s WhatsApp has Another Chance at Brazil’s Payments Market
WhatsApp is getting another chance to claim market share of Brazil’s fast-growing payments market. Facebook’s messaging service will soon obtain permission to provide peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services in Brazil.  When Brazil’s central bank halted WhatsApp’s first bid to offer payments services, it cited concerns over preserving competition in the country’s emerging payments sector and ensuring data privacy protection. From PYMNTS.com

November 16 – JD.com’s Home Stores Connect with Over 1 Million Members During Singles Day Period
JD Home stores, JD’s offline retail experience stores, saw an increase of over 1 million members coming both online and offline during the November 1- 11 Singles Day period. JD started to build JD Home stores in 2016, aiming to provide a place for customers to touch and feel products, primarily electrics, before shopping online. From JD.com

November 16 – Australia’s Coles Opens Innovative Supermarket
Australia’s Coles is opening its most innovative and tailor-made supermarket to date, inspiring customers with Australian-first sustainability features and a personalized product range. The store is part of an expansion of the popular Coles Local format in Sydney, following the successful launch of the concept at a location in Rose Bay in May, with a location in Manly planned to open later in 2020.  From Retail in Asia

November 15 – Korea’s Lotte Converts Stores to Online Locations
South Korean conglomerate, Lotte, is planning to compete against other retailers seeking to attract consumers with delivery of online-ordered merchandise from supermarkets to customers within two hours. In addition, the retailer plans to close 20% of its stores. From Nikkei Asia

November 15 – Walmart to Sell Majority Stake in Japan’s Seiyu
In a deal expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2021, Walmart is selling it majority stake in Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu. In the deal, 65% of the stake will go to KKR, Rakuten will acquire a 20% stake and Walmart will retain the remaining 15%. From Walmart

November 15 – India’s Reliance Retail Acquires 
Reliance Retail has acquired a majority stake in furniture and decor platform, Urban Ladder, as it aims to compete into e-commerce as the largest retail chain in India gears up to fight Amazon and Flipkart. Urban Ladder is an online home furniture and décor retailer. From TechCrunch

November 12 – Italy’s Esselunga Announces Merger plan for Supermarkets Italiani S.p.A. and Superit Finco S.p.A. 
Esselunga S.p.A.’s board of directors has approved a project for the merger by incorporation of Supermarkets Italiani S.p.A. and Superit Finco S.p.A. into Esselunga S.p.A. The merger, announced in March, will streamline Esselunga Group’s supply chain, which is now fully owned by Giuliana Albera Caprotti and Marina Sylvia Caprotti the primary owners of Superit Finco.  From Esselunga

November 11 – France’s Printemps to Close Many Outlets
French department store chain Printemps, will close seven of its outlets in France as it struggles to cope with the global pandemic. Approximately 15% of all Printemps employees’ jobs are at risk as the retailer shutters stores. From Inside Retail

November 10 – Carrefour Brazil Reports Q3 Sales Increase
Carrefour Brazil reported Q3 gross sales increase of 29.9%, excluding fuel sales with like-for-like growth of 26% excluding fuel sales. This growth represents a record in Grupo Carrefour Brasil’s sales history, supported by a sales surge in an unprecedented market share gains. From Carrefour

November 9 – William-Sonoma Leases Warehouse in Australia to Support Local Business
Williams-Sonoma is expanding its presence in Australia by signing a direct lease for warehouse and distribution center operations to support businesses in Australia. The seven-year lease of a 16,755 square meter warehouse will create construction and operations jobs. Currently, Williams-Sonoma operates 20 stores across New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia and Victoria. From Inside Retail