To follow is a brief review of retail news from around the world:
October 15 – Amazon Bids on 30% Stake in India’s Spencer’s Retail
Amazon has bid $400 M for 30% stake in Kolkata-based grocery chain with 128 stores in over 30 cities in India with 58 large-format, hypermarkets and supermarkets and reported revenues of $282.9 M in FY18. From Inc42
October 15 – Google Plans Shopping Tab for India
Google has been in discussions with Flipkart, Paytm and other companies to launch its shopping tab in India. Google plans to launch the shopping tab before year end, allowing users to search for products to buy and directing them to merchant websites or ecommerce platforms for product listings. From Financial Time
October 15 – Amazon Fashion Launches First Pop-Up in Europe
Opening for 5 days on Baker Street in London, Amazon plans to change the assortment of merchandise every other day and will change the theme and activities each day, such a DJs, makeovers, yoga and advice from dietitians. From Evening Standard
October 14 – Australia’s Coles Sales Surge Ahead of Westfarmers Demerger
Supermarket chain, Coles, saw comparable supermarket sales up 5.1% in the 13 weeks to September 23 as its parent company Wesfarmers prepares to spin-off the chain. From The West Australian
October 13 – Carrefour Brazil Aims to Double Organic Sales by 2020
As a part of Carrefour’s “Act for Food” movement, the retailer plans to invest in changes in store visuals and logistics to help transport products shipped by small suppliers or producers from states located far from the group’s stores, implementing more organic products in 50 stores now and expanding to the retailer’s entire network by 2019. From European Supermarket Magazine
October 12 – Alibaba Merges Two Delivery Platforms
An investor in the food delivery platform, Ele.me, since 2016, Alibaba acquired all of its shares in April in a deal that valued the company at $9.5 billion. Alibaba has announced it will merge Koubei, which is a joint venture between Alibaba and Ant Financial, with Ele.me and the two brands will continue to operate separately but will cooperate. From Technode
October 12 – Italy’s Esselunga Announces Extension of Online Delivery
Following the opening of its first superstore in Rome in 2017, Italian supermarket chain Esselunga has announced that it has extended its online shopping service, EsselungaaCasa, to the city of Rome. From European Supermarket Magazine
October 11 – Malaysia’s Parksons Is Closing Fifth Mall in Vietnam
Parkson Retail Asia has closed five stores in Vietnam. Increasing losses added to the fact it is now down to just five stores in the market, has fueled speculation that the retailer may soon leave Vietnam completely. Within its portfolio of stores in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar, the outlets in Vietnam has been reported to be the worst performer in the fourth quarter of 2018, ending June 30. From Retail News Asia
October 11 – Carrefour Has Opened Pop Up in Belgium
In Belgium, Carrefour has opened a temporary pop-up featuring breakfast and lunch in a building, which will soon be demolished. This initiative falls under Carrefour’s “Act for Food” program in which it aims to be “the most important partner in the food transition process” and will stay open until the property housing the pop-up is raised. From Retail Detail
October 11 – Walmart Increases Online Investment in Canada
To optimize the omnichannel experience, the Walmart stores will feature dedicated parking spaces for online grocery pickup and new interior areas that facilitate the interaction of e-commerce and brick-and-mortar operations to process online orders faster. The retailer is reportedly planning a $175 M investment to upgrade its Canadian store network for a better omnichannel experience. From Supermarket News
October 11 – Auchan Opens its First Drive-Through in Lille, France
Auchan has opened its first pedestrian drive in Northern France. The retailer offers 10,000 products available for order with four daily deliveries. Auchan’s goal is to receive 800 weekly orders with an average basket of €40. From Sutralis
October 10 – France’s Monoprix’s Partnership with Amazon Tops Expectations
The first French retailer to agree to sell products via Amazon, the number of orders was exceeding by 2-3 times the expectations of the two partners after just a month into the alliance. From CNBC
October 10 – Japan’s FamilyMart to buy $1.9 BN Stake in Don Quijote’s Uny Discount Retailer
This purchase represents 20% of Don Quijote Holdings Co. and allows the FamilyMart group to focus on its convenience stores, which have been more profitable than the Uny shops but are facing growing competition from discount drug stores and online retailers. From Reuters
October 8 – Germany’s Rewe Group Announces Investment in Store Improvements
Cologne-based retailer has announced that it will be investing €1.6 BN in store expansion and modernization with €1 BN of this investment going to operations and stores in Germany. From Rewe Group
October 4 – Canada’s Loblaw’s Real Canadian Superstore Offers One-Hour Delivery
Expansion into Winnipeg, Canada brings delivery to approximately 200,000 households, where via Instacart, residents may have groceries delivered straight to their doorsteps in as little as one hour. From MarketWatch
October 2 – The Future of UK’s Marks & Spenser is Unknown
As profit falls and e-commerce reshapes retail, the company will shut 100 stores by 2022, underscoring a shift in the retail landscape of the UK where Marks & Spenser, commonly called M&S, has operated for more than 100 years. From New York Times
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.
