October 13 – Aldi UK Doubles Size of Deliveroo Trial|
Aldi UK has planned to double the size of its trial of grocery delivery with the Deliveroo network, extending the trial to 40 total stores, bringing the trial service area to additional cities in England. From Aldi
October 12 – Flipcart, Walmart Invest in Ninjacart
India-based ecommerce marketplace, Flipkart and parent company, Walmart have made a joint investment of approximately USD 30 million in Ninjacart, a fresh produce supply chain startup. From Economic Times
October 12 – Alibaba Cainiao Partners with Atlas Air to Expand Coverage in South America
The logistics arm of Alibaba Group Holding Limited, Cainiao, has partnered with Atlas Air Worldwide on a charter program to fortify Alibaba’s logistics network within Latin America. Cainiao’s parcel volume in Q3 2020 reached eight million. From Atlas Air
October 12 – Reliance Retail No Longer in the Race for Debenhams Ownership
India’s Reliance Retail, previously on the list of potential buyers of the UK retailer, Debenhams which filed for “light-touch” administration when lockdown began in the UK. From Fashion Network
October 12 – JD.com Sees Massive Surge in Computer Sales on National Day
Sales of computer and digital products on JD.com reached a record high during the National Day holiday celebrated over the first week of October in China. In just 30 minutes on National Day, sales of gaming computers increased 400% year-on-year and laptops sales increased by 23 times. From JD.com
October 12 – Carrefour Opens First Fresh Store in Shanghai
Known for large-format stores, Carrefour has opened its first attempt at a community fresh market outlet in Shanghai. This new store, Easy Carrefour, is the first of its type after 80% market share in the company was acquired by Chinese retailer, Suning, one year ago. From FreshFruitPortal
October 12 – Sainsbury’s to Roll Out SmartShop Technology before Christmas
UK’s Sainsbury’s has indicated that it will roll out its SmartShop technology to all of its convenience branches to prepare for Christmas shopping, marking an increase from the current 250 stores, alongside all Sainsbury’s supermarkets. The retailer confirms that sales through SmartShop have exceeded over half of all sales in some stores and 37% of total sales across its network in the past quarter. From Retail Technology Innovation Hub
October 11 – Alibaba Unveils Free Appliance Installation through AliExpress in Russia
AliExpress Russia has started testing free installation service for household appliances purchased on the marketplace. Currently the service is only available for appliances under the German brand, Zigmund & Shtain, which partnered AliExpress Russia on this initial roll-out. AliExpress anticipates availing this service to products from all suppliers in this category in the future. Article in Russian. Retail.RU
October 9 – Walmart Canada to Hire 10,000 Additional Associates
Walmart Canada has announced its plan to immediately hire 10,000 associates to keep up with demand and offer customers a high-quality experience, following a CAD 3.5 billion investment into the business to generate significant growth. From Walmart Canada
October 9 – Amazon Japan Opens New Delivery Base
Amazon Japan opened its own delivery base in Osaka Prefecture with the intention of expanding the delivery service providers in Osaka and recruit many additional Amazon Flex drivers. Article in Japanese. From Amazon
October 8 – Amazon India Open New Specialized Fulfillment Center
Amazon India announced the expansion of its fulfilment network in Karnataka with the launch of a new, specialized fulfillment center, the largest in India, with a storage capacity of more than 1.2 million cubic feet in Kolar. The facility will serve to store and manage orders for the large appliance and furniture category. Economic Times
October 8 – UK’s Walmart Asda to Trial Zero Emissions Deliveries
Asda is the first UK supermarket to trial a new a new form of vehicle for deliveries, a zero emissions cargo bike. The first-of-its-kind Electric Assisted Vehicle was used by Asda for a two-week trial for deliveres from its store in Cambridge as it seeks solutions for customers living in pedestrian-only, zero emission zones. From Asda
October 8 – Coop Switzerland to Add Hydrogen Trucks to Its Fleet
Coop Switzerland announced plans to add hydrogen-powered trucks to its fleet by the end of 2020, in cooperation with Swiss company H2 and Hyundai Mother Company. Hydrogen-fueled trucks will help in reducing 80 tons of CO2 emissions per year from its operations. From European Supermarket Magazine
October 4 – UK’s Waitrose Grocery Service See Increase
The UK’s Waitrose’s standalone online grocery service reported an increase by 20% with plans to further increase its capacity, taking some market share from online service, Ocado during the early days of Ocado’s partnership with Marks & Spencer. Prior to September 1, Ocado had a partnership with Waitrose. From Retail Gazette
October 2 – Spain’s Eroski’s Sales Up 15%
Eroski closed the first half of 2020 with a profit of EUR 5.6 million, with sales figure reaching EUR 988 million, with an increase of 15%. Article in Spanish From Expansión
