COVID-19 latest news from around the world

As retailers seek to reassure shoppers on hygiene and cleanliness, we look at how businesses in other sectors are enhancing their brands in this area, including partnering with two leading CPG suppliers. A safe place to work and shop Providing associates with a safe place to work and consumers a safe place to shop has become a priority for food retailers as they navigate the coronavirus pan...

As several US states start to see coronavirus cases increase, we look at how retailers are responding, drawing on their experiences from earlier in the year. Cases trending upwards Data from John Hopkins University reveals that the US has reported over 2.5m confirmed cases and 125,000 deaths. Over recent days, states including Florida, Arizona and Texas have seen significant spikes in cases...

Metcash has released results for its financial year ending 30 April 2020, with sales, including charge through, up 2.0% to AU$14.9bn and total EBIT up 1.5% to AU$334.9m. Food sales including charge through up 3.5% to AU$9,104m Sales were impacted by the loss of the Drakes account in South Australia, which terminated at the end of September. Despite this, Supermarket sales increased 3.8% to ...

South Africa-based Pick n Pay has announced price reductions on essential items, a relaunch of its Fresh Living magazine and has opened its 300 th store under the Boxer banner. Price reduction on essential items To help households struggling to deal with the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Pick n Pay has announced an investment of ZAR500m (US$28.8m) in price reductions on es...

We look at how McCormick expects to benefit from the shift to at-home consumption and home meal prep beyond the current phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Second quarter performance The company saw sales increase 7.6% in the second quarter, with operating income up 24%. The sales growth was mainly driven by consumers cooking more at home, with sales through its consumer segment up 26%, althou...

Between 1 st and 31 st August, customers that use self-checkout at Lawson Japan can earn reward points worth 2% of each purchase. Encouraging contact-free The initiative aims to encourage shoppers to self-checkout at Lawson stores. There has been growing customer demand for contact-free solutions following the outbreak of COVID-19. Aeon, for example, recently launched Regi Go checko...

China was the first country to be hit by Coronavirus (COVID-19). Now with all eyes are on the recovery, we continue to update this article with the latest developments... June Second wave in Beijing : Beijing has reported more than 100 coronavirus cases in the past two weeks after going almost two months without an infection. The new cases might be linked to imported salmon. As a conseq...

COVID-19 has caused a monumental shift in consumers’ food and drink habits. Our new Eating In Vs Dining Out report, produced in collaboration with foodservice consultant Peter Backman, explores the impact of COVID-19 on the UK food and drink market and outlines four scenarios for the future. During the pandemic, the boundaries between eating at home and out-of-home, already blurred, have bro...

NTUC FairPrice will continue to provide 100 private label products at discounted prices as part of its SGD50m (US$36m) package to alleviate living costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Six months extension from previous price freeze The price freeze was first launched in March 2019 and supposed to end on 30 June this year, however the retailer will extend it until 31 December. The products in...

New store openings have been relatively rare this year as retailers have focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and paused new space plans. However, 2020 got off to a strong start, including a notable new opening from Amazon. We look at some of the key stores which opened each month this year in the US and what learnings can be taken as retailers adapt to the current trading environment. ...

Grab Holdings, a Singapore-based ride-hailing company, is expanding its delivery services from convenience stores and supermarkets across 50 cities in the region. Expansion accelerated in the pandemic The company has teamed up with 3,000 stores as it accelerates delivery of groceries, toilet paper, packaged snacks and beverages to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grab provided th...

Maxima Latvia has launched, what it claims is, the first mobile payment app in Latvia, enabling consumers to pay for groceries from their phones. The app will provide shoppers with convenience and functionality and act as a digital wallet, adding the Paladies loyalty card to the platform. To use the app, shoppers can link their payment cards onto the app and scan a QR code at the checkout. A m...

We round up news from retailers in Bahrain and the UAE. Bahrain: BenefitPay launches in Carrefour BENEFIT’s electronic payment service, BenefitPay, has launched at all Carrefour stores, which are operated by Majid Al Futtaim, in Bahrain. The collaboration is in line with the retailer’s efforts to use electronic payments instead of cash. BenefitPay is Bahrain’s leading electronic financial t...

Shoppers at 7-Eleven in Japan can now use the retailer’s multi-function machines to purchase MS&AD Insurance Group's life insurance. How does it work? Customers can begin the process by applying on their smartphones or PCs partly. The sale is completed once the insurance fee is paid at the checkouts in-store. The two businesses have also set up call centres where licensed insurance employee...

Alibaba and JD.com handled US$136.5bn of sales through their platforms during 6.18, an annual online shopping festival in China that runs from 1 st June to 20 th . Strong numbers show retail is recovering For 6.18, Alibaba achieved gross merchandise value (GMV) of CNY698.2bn (US$98.5bn), over double what it achieved on Singles Day (2020 11.11) last year, which posted record GMV of CN...

Kroger's Q1 same store sales were up 19% (excl fuel) compared to last year, driven in part by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributing factors Demand for groceries increased in response to the pandemic, with shoppers stocking up on goods and increasing the size of their shops. The closure of restaurants and other 'non-essential' businesses also gave grocery retailers an opportunit...

Belgium-based Colruyt Group has reported its 2019 results with total revenue increasing by 1.6% to over €9.5 bn (US $10.6 bn). The group noted that on a comparable basis, revenue rose by 1.7% including petrol and 1.4% excluding petrol, while gross margin rose by 0.5% to 26.8%. Retail revenue: +1.5% to €7.97bn (US $8.85bn) In the Retail segment, Colruyt Group said revenue increased by 1.5% t...

Aeon has been introducing its Everywhere Cash Register Regi Go service at some of its stores in Japan. The solution was launched in February, allowing shoppers to checkout more efficiently.   Available at 20 stores Currently, around 20 stores across AEON and AEON STYLE banners in Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa have made the service available. An increasing number of customers are seeking faster ...

Major indicators released on 15 June by the National Bureau of Statistics showed improvements in the retail sale of consumer goods in May. However, there are challenges ahead. Retail sales decline slowed to -2.8% YoY in May Total sales of retail consumer goods reached CNY3,197 bn (US$452 bn) in May, down by -2.8% year-on-year (YoY). This is a significant improvement from the previous mont...

We round up new online shopping developments from retailers in the UAE and Qatar. UAE: restaurants and cafés to launch their own delivery services Restaurants and cafés in Dubai have taken steps to reduce their reliance on third-party delivery apps by launching a direct-to-consumer delivery service . Companies are encouraging consumers to order directly through the restaurant by dropping...