Retail and consumer goods industry news

We look at four ways Lidl has adapted its operations and global strategy since the start of the pandemic. Creating a safer in-store environment Most retailers, including Lidl, have had to adapt their stores to the new social distancing measures, and create safer environments for employees and shoppers. Across Europe and the US most of Lidl’s 11,200 stores have been equipped with plexiglass ...

Amazon's net sales increased by 37% to $96.1 billion, and operating income rose 96% to $6.2 billion in the third quarter. North America leading the way Sales in North America increased by 39%, with the region accounting for 61.8% of total sales, up 0.9% year-on-year. It also delivered an operating income of $2.2 billion, an increase of 77%. Amazon’s international sales grew by 37% and th...

The country’s leading cosmetics manufacturer, AmorePacific, opened a “refill station” -- a first in the nation’s beauty industry. A variety of sales methods are required to meet shopper needs According to Korea Bizwire, the refill station is at the AmorePacific Gwanggyo store that opened last week in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The station has 15 different kinds of shampoo and body washe...

Amazon has launched in Sweden, the Nordic region’s largest grocery market. Customers can shop from European and local Swedish business, across 30 categories.   First launch in a Nordic country The launch sees Amazon’s entry into the Nordics. Customers in Sweden could previously shop on Amazon through other European countries including Germany. However, this would mean Swedish customers woul...

We look at how the Kellogg Company continues to benefit from more meals being consumed at home and its focus on retaining new households. Elevated demand moderating The business delivered a strong third quarter performance with organic sales up 4.5% and reported operating profit up 55.9%. While the demand for food-at-home remains at an elevated level, the rate of growth is moderating. Sales...

Halloween, like other events this year, will need adapting to allow celebrations to take place in a COVID-safe way. Despite, or possibly because of current restrictions, shoppers’ desire to have some fun remains strong. The National Retail Federation reported that despite the on-going pandemic, 58% of US consumers still plan to celebrate Halloween in some way this year. We explore three innova...

As Western European countries are facing a second wave of COVID-19 infections, several governments are implementing stricter restrictions including second national lockdowns. Here is an update of the latest announcements. Germany The German government and the 16 federal governments agreed on a national lockdown to be implemented nationwide from Monday 2 nd of November: All non-esse...

Lidl continues its expansion across Europe with first stores to open soon in Estonia and Latvia and a possible market entry in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022. Latvia: first store openings are imminent In September 2020, Lidl Latvia published more than 1,000 jobs for warehouse and store staff. The first distribution centre was completed in July 2020, and the construction of the initial store...

Promotions, partnerships and easier access wage payments are amongst the ways retailers are supporting shoppers, staff and their local communities through the prolonged COVID-19 period. We round up three initiatives from Morrisons, Booths and Holland & Barrett. "Buy one give one free" twist on BOGOFs from Booths Northern grocer Booths has launched a new promotion to support its food bank co...

Walmart is piloting a new store concept that is designed to serve the needs of in-store and online shoppers. Creating the perfect omnichannel store Walmart has several projects and roll-outs underway centred on reinventing its physical stores. These include a new concept Supercenter and a new-look front-end . This latest test is designed to help the retailer find solutions that h...