Walmart extends Walmart Pay initiative -
Amazon planning second grocery store: Report
Following the launch of Walmart Pay in a small number of selected stores last year, Walmart is extending its new payment option to 600 stores in Arkansas and Texas. Walmart developed the service as part of its goal to transform the shopping experience in its stores as shoppers are continually seeking faster and easier service in store, particularly at the front-end. (igd.com)
Amazon planning second grocery store: Report
Amazon is planning to build a second "click and collect" grocery story, according to a Monday report from the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Reports surfaced in July 2015, originating from the same outlet, that Amazon was planning a grocery store in Sunnyvale, California. That store would allow customers to order their groceries online and then pick them up readied at the brick and mortar location. The second location, according to this week's report will be in San Carlos, California. (cnbc.com)
Big C Thailand to open 84 new stores this year
Big C unveils its expansion plan of USD140-160 mn. The retailer is going to open 6 hypermarkets, mainly in the Northeast and South of Thailand, 3 Big C Market stores upcountry, including in the Northeast and about 75 Mini Big C stores, of which 50 will be through franchising. (igd.com)
UK £1.9bn of food wasted by grocery supply chain each year
Around 1.1 million tonnes of food waste in the UK grocery supply chain, worth £1.9 billion, could be avoided every year, according to new research from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). While the report does suggest that the food manufacturing and retail sectors are ‘highly efficient’, with a current surplus and waste level of less than five per cent, a further 450,000 tonnes a year could ‘realistically’ be prevented by 2025. (resource.co)
Dave Lewis on next steps for Tesco
In an interview with The Guardian, the Tesco CEO has highlighted how he aims to build on achievements in turning round store performance with initiatives to strengthen customer engagement. Please, click here to read more.
AU: Aldi opens $60m distribution centre in Jandakot
Supermarket giant Aldi took another big step toward the launch of its first Perth stores with the opening of a massive A$60 million distribution centre in Jandakot on Wednesday. The 45,000 square metre facility will supply Aldi stores across WA, with as many as 20 stores expected to be open by the end of the year. Aldi WA managing director Damien Scheidel said part of the expansion strategy had been to build on relationships with local farmers and manufacturers and to bring new suppliers on board, like WA Farm Direct and the family-run Newton Orchards. WA is expected to eventually host 70 stores. (watoday.com.au)
New York: Hannaford to sell ugly-looking fruits and vegetables
A pilot program is bringing less-than-perfect-looking fruits and vegetables to 14 Hannaford Supermarkets in the Albany, New York area. The misshapen or slightly discolored produce, called "Misfits," is an attempt by the supermarket chain to give customers the option of buying items that taste fine but wouldn't typically be on the shelves because of their appearance. (bizjournals.com)
A pilot program is bringing less-than-perfect-looking fruits and vegetables to 14 Hannaford Supermarkets in the Albany, New York area. The misshapen or slightly discolored produce, called "Misfits," is an attempt by the supermarket chain to give customers the option of buying items that taste fine but wouldn't typically be on the shelves because of their appearance. (bizjournals.com)
Kenya welcomes French retail giant, Carrefour
Kenya shall soon welcome French retail giant Carrefour as it prepares to open its first ever store in the country. Carrefour, ranked the world’s second-largest supermarket chain after Wal-Mart Stores, will open its maiden Kenyan outlet at The Hub, a new shopping mall located in Nairobi’s upmarket Karen suburb. This steps up competition for shoppers in the country’s lucrative but under-developed supermarket industry. (exchange.co.tz)
Tesco sells bag of bananas with swarm of spiders
A shopper was shocked after discovering a swarm of spiders in a bag of bananas he'd bought from Tesco. A Tesco spokesman said: “We sell millions of bananas every week and our growers work hard to clean and inspect all the fruit carefully. However, given the freshness of our produce, this sort thing can happen on very rare occasions. We will update the shopper on the findings of our investigation.” (telegraph.co.uk)
El Corte Inglés among Spain's 'most attractive' places to work
El Corte Inglés is the most attractive company to work for in the Spanish retail industry, according to a yearly study presented by human resources firm Randstad, Employer Branding: When Perception Becomes Reality. (esmmagazine.com)
Spar South Africa first-half profit rises 5% as sales improve
Spar Group Ltd. said first half-profit rose 5.3 percent as the South African food and liquor retailer increased sales despite a difficult consumer environment in its home market. Net income was 825.4 million rand ($52.6 million) in the six months through March, Durban-based Spar said in a statement on Wednesday. Revenue gained 17 percent to 42.5 billion rand. Spar has been expanding outside South Africa to counter slower economic growth in its home market, which is weighed down by weak commodity prices and rising unemployment. (esmmagazine.com)
Indonesia: Alfamart opened 306 stores in Q1
Alfamart opened 306 stores in the first quarter of 2016. Of the new stores, there were 244 Alfamart stores, 45 Alfamidi stores and 17 Dan+Dan stores. By the end of Q1 2016, the largest retail chain in Indonesia Alfamart operates 12,564 stores, including 11,356 Alfamart stores, 1,070 Alfamidi stores, 38 Lawson stores and 97 Dan+Dan stores across Indonesia. (igd.com)