Retail and consumer goods industry news

Seven & i Holdings, Aeon and Lawson have posted their annual results for year ended February 28, 2021. Summary and our view 2020 was a very difficult year for Japan’s convenience industry. All of the leading retailers faced lower sales and customer visits. This was despite average basket size being larger than ever before. Returning to a growth trajectory is a priority for all convenience c...

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,...

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) said group sales increased in its second quarter by 4.6%, 3.5% on a constant exchange basis, to US$32.8 bn. Performance by division   Retail Pharmacy USA Sales increased by 0.4% to US$27.3 bn compared to Q2 2020 Comparable sales increased by 2%, with comparable pharmacy sales up by 4.5%, while comparable retail sales declined by 3.5% Retail sale...

With the annualization of the onset of the pandemic impacts from 2020, the latest release from the British Retail Consortium Retail Sales Monitor (BRC-RSM) has switched to reporting a two-year comparative for its March data, in an attempt to indicate the underlying trend in UK retail and smooth the volatility seen last year. This shows that sales in March 2021 were 8.3% higher than 2019, largely ...

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...

FamilyMart has opened several new convenience stores in Malaysia, the Philippines and Japan. We explain why each one is significant and what can be learned from FamilyMart. The first FamilyMart drive-through in Malaysia The pilot drive-through store is located at Berkeley Uptown, Klang, Selangor. Products such as oden (skewers of assorted items such as fish ball and tofu), bento, ice cream ...

We assess four ways in which Coles has stepped up its investment in offering its shoppers enhanced value in recent weeks, why this activity will continue and what we can expect from Woolworths and other retailers in the coming months. 1. Bringing back 'Down Down' The retailers Down Down everyday low prices campiagn was a key part of the retailer's recovery under Ian McLeod's leadership and ...

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...

Conagra Brands delivered a strong third quarter performance with net sales up 8.5% to $2.8bn and net income up 37.8% to $281.4m. Although the outlook for COVID-19 is improving in many regions, including enhanced mobility, the company expects demand for food-at-home to remain elevated, underpinning future growth. Four years’ worth of incremental new buyers Given the unprecedented trialling o...