March 18 – UK’s Morrisons Expands Home Delivery
Morrisons implemented new measures to help customers and employees during the Covid-19 outbreak. With new methods of grocery deliveries, new ranges of easy-order food parcels starting March 23 and a new customer order center, the UK retailer anticipates recruiting 2500 new drivers and order pickers. From Morrisons
March 17 – Asda Attracted Several Private Equity Firms for Takeover
Walmart Asda has attracted several private equity firms for a potential takeover, which could value the retailer at over GBP 7 billion. Apollo Global Management, TDR Capital and Lone Star Funds are reportedly interested in acquiring Asda from Walmart, following a second round of bidding. From Retail Gazette
March 16 – Amazon Australia Almost Doubles Revenue
Despite failing to post a profit, Amazon Australia reported AUD 562 million in revenue for 2019, marking a 92.4% increase from the year prior, in which revenue of AUD 292 million was reported. A large amount of the increased revenue is accounted for in the company’s Amazon Prime subscription service. From The Sydney Morning Herald
March 16 – Germany’s Rewe and Penny Secured Supply Chain with Increased Warehouse Deliveries
In spite of high customer demand, the supply of goods at Rewe and Penny in Germany is secured as the retail group prepared for high demand with increasing the frequency of delivery to their warehouses and to their grocery stores. The retailer is confident that its markets will remain stocked. Article in German. From Rewe Group
March 16 – Isetan to Leave Thailand
After 28 years of operations in Bangkok, Isetan has decided not to renew its lease on its storefront in Bangkok. The retailer may continue to operate in the top floor “concessions” ‘area of the shopping center where it currently runs the Isetan store. From Inside Retail Asia
March 13 – Carrefour Launches New In-Store Concept for Reselling
France’s Carrefour has launched a new shop-in-shop concept, promoting ‘sustainable consumerism’ and allowing customers to resell used items including telephones, tech items, jewelry, video games, books and DVDs/CDs. For this new venture, Carrefour has partnered with Cash Converters, a company that sells second-hand products. From European Supermarket Magazine
March 13 – Debenham’s Announces Cook & Dine Collection Featuring Award-Winning Designer
UK’s Debenhams has introduced award-winning designer Lucy Tiffney to its portfolio of 2020 Spring/Summer collection. This new partnership includes Lucy Tiffney’s exclusive Cook & Dine collection, which includes teapots, plates and tea towels featuring signature jungle prints. From HousewaresLive
March 12 – Amazon Spain Announces Record Sales for SMEs
Amazon Spain has announced that nearly 350 Spanish SMEs that exceeded USD 1 million in sales and 1000 that exceeded USD 500,000 in sales in 2019 using the Amazon platform. For the first time, more than 6000 Spanish SMEs exceeded USD 100,000 in sales in Amazon stores in the same year. Article in Spanish. From Amazon
March 12 – Spain’s Mercadona to Invest EUR 1.8 Billion in Transformation Plan
Supermarket operator, Mercadona, will invest EUR 1.8 billion in 2020 to approximately 70 outlets in Spain and 10 in Portugal, as well as renovate 160 existing stores. From European Supermarket Magazine
March 11 – Australia’s Woolworths Announces Significant Online Sales Growth
Woolworths reported online sales growth of 31.6% to USD 1.6 billion in 2019 and online accounts for 12.1% of group sales. The Australian retailer made significant investment in digital strategy and customer promotions, focusing on events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. From Infotechlead
March 11 – MercadoLibre Tech Company Lagash
MercadoLibre has acquired Lagash, a tech company with operations in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay, with the aim of expanding capacity to manage IT projects across LATAM. More than 350 Lagash employees will join the team of 3400 Mercado Libre developers. This acquisition will allow Mercado Libre to support new development centers in Mexico, Chile and Colombia, and to enhance its IT Center in Argentina. Article in Spanish From MercadoLibre
March 10 – Spain’s Eroski Acquires Some of Sabeko Banaketa’s Simply Supermarket
Spain’s Eroski has reached an agreement with Sabeko Banaketa to acquire ten of its supermarkets under the Simply brand in Bizkaia. The move will support Eroski’s aim of strengthening its presence in the regions such as the Basque Country. Article in Spanish. From Eroski Corporativo
March 10 – Amazon Netherlands Ecommerce Platform Is Live
Until now, Amazon’s presence in The Netherlands was limited to e-books. Amazon has launched a dedicated online marketplace in The Netherlands on which customers can shop from over 100 million items across 30 product categories on the Amazon.nl platform, with the option to enroll into Amazon’s Prime to receive free delivery for a monthly fee of EUR 2.99. From Amazon Blog
March 9 – Lidl Extends Self-Service Checkout Tests in Poland
Schwarz Group’s discount banner, Lidl, is expanding its trial to 14 stores in Poland, following a successful test of the checkouts in the autumn in Warsaw and Poznań. By the end of 2020, Lidl anticipates having the same service at 50-60 of its stores in Poland. Article in Polish. From Wiadomości Handlowe
March 9 – Tesco Sells Asian Stores For GBP 8 Billion
UK’s Tesco has agreed to sell its operations in Thailand and Malaysia for GBP 8 billion. The chain has 200 stores across Thailand and Malaysia under the Tesco Lotus brand. The sale has been made to Thai conglomerate CP Group. Tesco employs approximately 60,000 people at its Asian stores. From BBC News
March 6 – Many Turn to LiveStream and Shopping During Covid-19 Quarantine
Traffic on Alibaba’s Taobao livestream has more than doubled from the same time in 2019. Ecommerce on JD.com platform has seen a large jump in products for pet, foods, and other necessities as well as sales in baking tools seeing a 332% boost compared to the same period last year. From Adweek
March 5 – Metro Receives Approval to Sell Real
With anticipation of the transaction to close in May or June, the EU competition officials have approved Metro’s sale of Real without conditions. The hypermarket chain will be taken over by the investors SCP Group and X + Bricks. The purchase agreement was finalized in February and SCP Group announced that it will sell the majority of the stores, retaining about 50 stores in operation for two years. Article in German. From Reuter’s
March 4 – Tesco UK to Price Match Aldi
With an aim to claim some of Aldi’s market share, Tesco UK has stated that it will begin to price match hundreds of everyday items as well as some branded product. Tesco retains 27.2% market share, but it has been losing to Aldi and Lidl in recent years. From Reuters
March 4 – Żabka Opens New Flagship Store in Poland
Polish convenience chain Żabka has opened a flagship store at its headquarters in Poznań. The store is equipped with an dynamic electronic pricing system and incorporates multiple new elements such as a large space and 3D hologram promotions. Article in Polish. From Wiadomości Handlowe
