USA news

At the recent Groceryshop event in Las Vegas, amid discussions on cutting-edge tech like AI, retail media, and unified commerce, the spotlight was also on the important theme of alternative revenue models. Let's delve deeper into this transformation. Broadening revenue horizons When we discuss alternative revenue models, we're essentially exploring new revenue sources that retailers are bei...

A US-based private equity firm that specialises in franchise and multi-site businesses, Roark Capital, has acquired Subway, the global sandwich chain. Roark already owns various restaurant chains, including Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Arby’s and Baskin-Robbins, which are part of US restaurant giant Inspire Brands, FOCUS Brands (the owner of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Cinnabon, Jamba and Schlotzsky’s amon...

Kroger and Albertsons announced they have entered into a definitive agreement with wholesale company C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC for the sale of 413 stores, which should help to drive forward the completion of their planned merger. In addition to stores this will also include the sale of banners, eight distribution centres (DC’s), two regional offices and five private label brands “We are very...

Kroger’s Q2 results were driven by strong digital sales growth, the performance of its own brands and increased profit generated through alternative revenue streams. Here we explore those results in closer detail. Q2 key numbers Total sales decreased by 2.2% (year-on-year) to $33,853m Identical (ID) sales (ex-fuel) increased 1% Digital sales increased 12% Solid digital perform...

Walmart has launched a Generative AI-powered feature, My Assistant, to its home office associates in the US. The launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI last November has popularised the technology and led to a wave of new developments in our industry. Multiple use cases My Assistant has been developed to free up teams from undertaking monotonous and repetitive tasks. Walmart sees significant potential...

Amazon has made headlines recently with a new store in Moorgate, a new fee for same-day deliveries in the UK, the end of its Amazon Shipping hiatus, and the opening of its long-awaited robotics fulfilment center in Tallahasse. The UK’s newest Fresh store has just opened in Moorgate Exactly one month after Amazon announced closures of three Fresh stores in London, Amazon Fresh opened its doo...

Frictionless shopping company, AWM, has launched an online portal for companies to purchase a fully autonomous store. Container style stores ready to go In what it describes as an “industry-first,” the company’s online procurement and delivery portal has been developed to enable the mass adoption of frictionless shopping. The Quick Drop Units (QDUs) are shipping container style stores which...

We review the retailer’s first quarter performance, including four initiatives driving growth and efficiencies. Q1 key numbers Total merchandise and service revenues increased 5.0% to $4,275.8m Road transportation fuel revenues fell 21.5% to $11,235.2m, reflecting lower fuel prices Same-store merchandise revenues increased by 2.1% in the US, 6.4% in Canada, and were up 2.7% in othe...

Rewards and loyalty points are useful nudge tactics helping retailers guide shoppers towards healthier choices. The data unlocked by these loyalty programmes also provides vital insight on the success of health behavioural change initiatives. While the area of health holds huge scope, focus on families, increasing fruit and veg intake, and encouraging physical activity continue to be popular acti...

As retailers prime the region for expansion, here is a download of some key players in the market and what we can expect from them in the next couple of years. Cencosud leveraging its successful consolidation of The Fresh Market This year, Cencosud completed its acquisition of The Fresh Market from Apollo Global Management, and it now holds a 67% stake in the company. Cencosud reported c...