Global grocery: News and ideas from the world of food retail
Walmart adds drone delivery to app
Earlier this year, Walmart in the United States announced it was “reaching new heights” with a major expansion of its drone delivery service, making it available for up to 75% of the Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) population, (one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country—encompassing more than 30 towns and municipalities). As a next step, the retail giant said it would start integrating the delivery service into its mobile app (previously, customers had to order through apps run by its drone service providers Wing or Zipline) beginning in June, creating a more seamless experience for its DFW shoppers and marking the “next evolution of Walmart’s investment in drone delivery technology.” The retailer has been trialling drone delivery since 2021 and says it has completed more than 30,000 deliveries.
Albert Heijn’s packathon
To improve its private-label packaging, Dutch retailer Albert Heijn recently staged its second “packathon.” The grocer asked customers to submit their gripes about its own-brand packaging and from hundreds of online entries, five customers (who had problems with the packaging of dishwashing liquid, soft fruit, citrus, rice and pasta sauce) were invited to join a team of packaging experts, suppliers and Albert Heijn employees at the live packathon to come up with solutions. Ideas were pitched to a jury that assessed the proposed concepts on ease of use, sustainability and feasibility. The winning concept was an easier-to-use package for rice that the grocer is exploring, so the packaging can “find its way to shelves as quickly as possible.”
Mini Woolies program expands
In Australia, Woolworths (affectionately known as Woolies) is continuing to help students with disabilities gain job-ready skills. With its Mini Woolies program, in partnership with Japanese tech company Fujitsu, the grocer has converted a school classroom in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, to simulate a supermarket complete with baskets for fresh food, shelving for groceries, signage and cash registers. Woolworths says the site will provide “an accessible and safe learning space” for students to get hands-on experience with checkout processes, receiving and handling stock and communicating with customers. The grocer operates about 60 Mini Woolies programs across Australia and New Zealand.
Using tech to make the grocery store more accessible
Carrefour Belgium is turning to tech to improve the shopping experience for visually impaired customers. In its hypermarket in Auderghem, near Brussels, the retailer has introduced a system combining two technologies—Virtuoz and NaviLens—to help visually impaired customers “shop independently and without obstacles.” Virtuoz is a tactile, audible board placed at the front of the store that customers can use to familiarize themselves with the store’s layout, while NaviLens uses smart QR codes that can be detected up to 20 meters away and within three milliseconds via an app, guiding visually impaired customers quickly and safely through the aisles. The QR codes also provide instant information on more than 1,700 products in the store. Of the initiative, Carrefour Belgium says it’s “setting a new standard in accessibility and inclusivity.”
Sainsbury’s makes Corrie debut
U.K. grocer Sainsbury’s is about to set up shop in an unusual location—the fictional community of Weatherfield, the setting of iconic TV soap Coronation Street. Thanks to an expanded sponsorship deal between the grocer and British broadcaster ITV, fans of the long-running show will see a Sainsbury’s shopfront on screen starting in July. It’s not the first time the show has featured real-life businesses on its sets—Costa Coffee and Hays Travel have had storefronts as well as grocer Co-op, which Sainsbury’s is replacing. The sponsorship agreement is expected to run until 2026, according to media reports.
This article first appeared in Canadian Grocer’s June/July 2024 issue.
