June 23 – Retail Sales Drop in Canada
Amid third COVID-19 wave, retail sales in Canada fell 5.7% to $54.8 billion in April, the largest decline since April 2020 during the pandemic’s first wave. General merchandise sales dropped 8.1%. From Global News
June 22 – France’s Luxury Department Store, La Samaritaine Reopens
After closing for renovation for 16 years, Paris’ luxury department store, La Samaritaine, has reopened. The merchandise floor has been reduced from 30,000 to 20,000 square meters and will display products from 600 luxury goods label. The retailer now includes a luxury hotel. From Retail Detail
June 21 – Aldi Denmark to Open Its Largest Outlet
Aldi Demark will open its largest outlet in the country on June 25. The new store will be just under 1500 square meters and will feature a look and style that the retailer has termed “the New Aldi”. From European Supermarket Magazine
June 20 – Morrisons Rejects Takeover Proposal
The UK’s fourth largest grocery outlet, Morrisons, has rejected a takeover offer of EUR 6.3 billion from a U.S. private equity firm. The retailer stated that the offer significantly undervalued the firm. From BBC
June 18 – Russia’s Lenta to Acquire Regional Chain
Russia’s Lenta will acquire Semya, a regional chain with 75 stores in the Perm region of Russia. The Semya network accounts for four hypermarkets, 27 supermarkets, and 44 convenience stores. From European Supermarket Magazine
June 18 – Alibaba Rolls Out Hypermarket Chain Store
Targeting affluent urban families in China, Alibaba Group has opened two members-only hypermarket chains ‘Store X’. Alibaba said it plans to add eight more Store X locations this year, bringing the total to 11 outlets since its launch of the chain last October. From Alibaba
June 17 – Spain’s Eroski Plans Expansion
Eroski has begun planing of commercial expansion and cooperative development in its plan to invest EUR 420 million throughout its 2021-2024 strategic plan in the opening of 300 new stores. and in the transformation of the network to strengthen its position in the northern part of the country. Article in Spanish. From Revista InfoRetail
June 17 – Belgium’s Colruyt Group Reports Revenue Increase
Belgian’s Colruyt Group has reported a 3.7% revenue increase for its 2020/21 financial year. In addition, operating profit for the financial year was reported as a 5.4% increase on the previous year. From European Supermarket Magazine
June 17 – El Corte Inglés Launches Sustainable Toy Stores
Spain’s El Corte Inglés has launched 70 Juguetes que Cuidan del Planeta stores in shopping centers throughout Spain. This initiative that is part of the retailer’s actions for sustainability, with stores carrying more than 400 sustainable toy SKUs, of which about a quarter are El Corte Inglés’ own brand. Article in Spanish. From Revista InfoRetail
June 17 – Aldi UK Scopes New Locations in Scotland
With 96 outlets in Scotland, Aldi UK is searching for locations for new stores in the country, where the retailer believes it has room for expansion beyond the four additional stores that it plans to open in 2021. From BBC
June 16 – India’s Flipkart Opens New Fulfillment Center
Flipkart has opened a new fulfillment center in West Bengal, the second largest in the state. The new FC will allow for continued expansion of ecommerce efforts across not only the region but all of India and will support the operations of Flipkart and Myntra. From Flipkart
June 16 – Germany’s REWE Group Invests in AI Technology
The REWE Group has made a significant investment in Israel-based Trago. The technology provided by Trango will be used to enable grab and go shopping and will begin at a REWE store in Cologne. As REWE has 3,700 stores across Germany, expansion of the technology is anticipated. UK’s Tesco has also backed the Israel-based company. From Tech Crunch
June 11 – Tesco to Close Wholesale Business
Tesco has reported its decision to close its international wholesale business that focuses on worldwide own-brand exports. The aim is to shut down this arm of the retailer’s business by mid-2022. From Retail Gazette
June 11 – Alibaba to Deploy Delivery Robots at University Campuses
Together with its logistics arm, Cainiao, Alibaba has announced plans to deploy 1000 robots across Chinese university campuses and local communities over the next year as it steps up efforts to deliver packages faster with a reduced cost. From the beginning of 2021 to June 1, there have been 40 billion parcel deliveries across mainland China. Alibaba is at the forefront of streamlining its delivery process using these robots to fulfil last-mile delivery requests for communities and campuses. From Alibaba
June 10 – UK’s Asda Announces Sales Growth in General Merchandise Categories
UK’s Asda announced sales figures for Q1 2021, coinciding with the third of the UK’s nation-wide lockdowns. The retailer reported like for like sales (excluding fuel) increased by 7.3% driven by strong growth in non-food categories and online shopping. General merchandise sales increased by 39%, and were driven by strong demand for outdoor furniture, BBQs and garden accessories. From Asda
June 9 – Shopee Expands into LATAM
Southeast Asia’s largest e-commerce platform, Shopee, has launched in Chile and Colombia. The platform is already operating in Brazil, a market it entered in 2019 and expanded within a year to Mexico. From KrAsia
June 8 – Alibaba’s Pitch Fest Calls for Products
Tmall Global, Alibaba Group’s cross-border online marketplace calls for brands to join its annual Pitch Fest event for to gain fast-track access to China. In 2020, American businesses generated sales of over US$ 54 billion to Chinese consumers using Alibaba’s platforms. From Alibaba
June 8 – Ebay Korea Likely to Fall to Lotte Shopping or Shinsegae
Lotte Shopping and Shinsegae are both bidding for Ebay Korea. Lotte Shopping, operator of Lotte On, holds 4% online market share in Korea and Shinsegae, operator of SSG Dotcom and E-Mart subsidiary, holds 3% of the market share. Acquiring Ebay Korea would increase the online market share of either company by 12%. From Business Korea
June 3 – Mercado Libre and Pão de Acúcar Partner to Serve 1800 Cities in Brazil
Mercado Libre has partnered with Grupo Pão de Acúcar in Brazil to offer grocery products directly on their ecommerce platform with all logistics and delivery being managed by Mercado Libre. The delivery service, offering 75% of its deliveries in less than 24 hours, will be available to 1800 cities in Brazil, representing 80% of the Brazilian population. From ESPM
June 4 – Turkey’s Getir to Lanuch in Paris
Turkey’s Getir has formalized its launch in Paris this rapid delivery fulfillment company pioneered 10-minute delivery for those ordering by app with deliveries coming from neighborhood warehouses that stock grocery essentials. From Reuters
