Some UK retailers have had a tough week, with Ocado experiencing a fire in a key automated warehouse, and House of Fraser and Brighthouse making job cuts. Apple sees its retail chief depart, and Amazon may start catching buses. Meanwhile, Alibaba rival Pinduoduo is making way for growth. Enjoy the read and have a great day.
Some UK retailers have had a tough week, with Ocado experiencing a fire in a key automated warehouse, and House of Fraser and Brighthouse making job cuts. Apple sees its retail chief depart, and Amazon may start catching buses. Meanwhile, Alibaba rival Pinduoduo is making way for growth. Enjoy the read and have a great day.
ADVERTISEMENT
Europe
Set back ▪ Online supermarket Ocado's sales growth will take a hit, after a fire at a major distribution centre. The Andover centre was responsible for 10% of Ocado's UK output and featured the grocer's signature high-tech robotics.
Job cuts ▪ After a rocky few months, struggling department store House of Fraser's Wellingborough warehouse is set to close, at a cost of 280 jobs. The UK's largest weekly repayment retailer, Brighthouse, is axing 30 stores and 350 jobs.
Helping shoppers ▪ UK grocer Sainsbury's is continuing to trial its programme for aiding disabled customers. Participating stores have lanyards available for any user who wishes to notify staff for extra assistance. The scheme, which has seen success so far, attempts to target invisible disabilities.
United States and Mexico
Top changes ▪ Tech giant Apple's retail chief, Angela Ahrendts, is stepping down from the post after five years. Ahrendts's departure comes amid the company's decline in iPhone sales. Ikea has also announced a change, UK boss Javier Quinones is set to become the furniture chain's US retail manager.
High-tech competition ▪ Up and coming e-retailer and Alibaba rival Pinduoduo has launched a bid to raise USD 1.5 billion to fund major expansion. The retailer features competitive prices via group purchasing of daily goods, and saw its userbase double in 2018.
New strategy ▪ Australia's second largest supermarket chain, Coles, is about to lower prices at its line of Coles Express petrol stations. The grocer's revenue from the Express line has dropped sharply, and they have now entered a new deal in the hopes of competing with the likes of BP and Caltex.
Looking Forward
Planet friendly ▪ Dutch dairy titan FrieslandCampina will be selling sustainable cheese starting this spring. The company has developed its first cheese to get the PlanetProof certificate, which requires the cheese to be sourced from farms with high standards of animal care, sustainability, and CO2 emissions.
Add us to your address book, click here
If this newsletter was forwarded to you, subscribe here!
For questions or comments, contact us
To advertise in Retail Update, click here