Online news

Ocado has announced it is investing £10m in autonomous vehicle software from Oxbotica. Autonomous driving software Oxbotica was founded in 2014 by two Oxford University professors. The autonomous driving software company was the first in the UK to test self-driving vehicles in public. Ocado first partnered with Oxbotica in 2017, conducting a two-week trial using an early prototype delivery ...

This month Kroger officially launched its new grocery delivery service via its first Customer Fulfillment Centre (CFC) powered by Ocado. With this new automated warehouse, Kroger has taken a different approach compared to most other major retailers in the US. But can this unique strategy enable Kroger to win in the competitive online channel? The Kroger and Ocado fulfilment model Back in Ma...

A.S. Watson’s Group COO and CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia and Europe), Malina Ngai, has spoken at the industry event Beauty Tech Live this week.  She has explained how O+O (Offline plus Online) has become the new retail standard in health and beauty. O+O customers spend three times more than exclusive instore shoppers Malina Ngai describes O+O as “how customers shop today. The customer journey ...

The discount channel is slowly catching up with grocery ecommerce as it seeks to remain relevant with shoppers. The many recent partnerships with aggregators (last milers) across Europe prove the online transformation of the channel is inevitable and it is now accelerating, especially around quick commerce. We look at the different developments in the region and what this could mean more widely f...

Eroski expands through franchising, following a €7.8m investment, while Amazon Fresh launches in Barcelona offering fast delivery of food, beauty, and personal care products. Separately, Condis is improving its online operations to meet shopper demand, as Sánchez Romero partners with Lola Market to create a new remote purchasing channel. Eroski launches 52 franchise stores Eroski has invest...

We look at the latest news from M&S, including its latest initiative to support British farmers, the expansion of its international online business, and the recent purchase of clothing retailer Jaeger. Supporting British famers M&S has started a new five year ‘Farming with Nature’ collaborative programme to support its Select Farms. The Select Farms brand is part of M&S's Plan A initiative,...

In our latest report, we look at the initiatives retailers are putting in place as they strive to improve online grocery profitability following a year of accelerated growth. Five areas of focus for improved profitability  Following rapid growth last year, which saw grocery ecommerce sales almost double in the US to just under $70bn, in 2021 retailers are laser-focused on improving channel ...

Sainsbury's and Deliveroo are expanding their delivery partnership nationwide, following a successful trial in 10 stores. 100 stores to offer grocery delivery from Deliveroo app Sainsbury’s and Deliveroo have signed a two year contract, which will provide shoppers the option to order grocery items via the Deliveroo app from 100 stores nationwide, including in Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, Yo...

Japanese supermarket chain Daiei will launch an unmanned store in Tokyo, in collaboration with Chinese startup Cloudpick.  In addition, Rakuten and Seiyu are now also using robots to deliver supermarket purchases in Yokosuka City, Japan. Cost to implement Daiei’s store is 50% cheaper than similarly sized unmanned stores Daiei, an affiliate of AEON, will open this unmanned supermarket in Tok...

On-demand grocery shopping platform Everli, based in Milan, has raised $100m in a Series C funding round. International growth plans Everli was founded in 2014 and has been named as the European Instacart due to similarities in its business model. It is an online marketplace where users can order products from various retailers for same-day delivery. The orders are picked in store and deliv...