Walmart

While many other retailers are bumping along the bottom in terms of growth, Amazon increased its sales line (in its second quarter) by almost a quarter.  In real terms, this means the online behemoth took some $7.5 billion more in revenue this quarter than during the same period last year. By any standards, this is an impressive performance -- but it is doubly so for a company of the size and scale of Amazon.  

Amazon’s new delivery system makes a play for a customer segment initially targeted by Walmart’s e-commerce arm.   The online giant introduced a new delivery locker designed for apartment blocks and other housing complexes that may not have services to accept or store packages. Called The Hub by Amazon, the modular system features compartments where packages can be stored for pickup.   

Churchill and the RAF weren’t available to head off this German invasion. The proliferation of German discount grocers Aldi and Lidl in the U.K. over the past decade carved out a new battlefield for Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons, and they are still mired in the mud. Second-quarter results released by market researcher Kantar showed the Germans growing 19% over last year, while the British Big Four edged up less than 2%.

The challenges of physical retail have inspired new concepts and new entrants to the supermarket business in America

Enough of the “retail is dying” narrative that has dominated so many headlines the past few months. It’s way overplayed.

Brick-and-mortar is evolving, not dying. And it’s full of exciting new players — many of them digitally native — that are infusing the industry with something it can always use: new blood. Here’s a quick rundown of some of these newcomers to the physical space:

A German discount grocer is buying up land in the Grand Canyon State — but not to open stores.    Aldi is planning to open a regional fulfillment center in Goodyear, Arizona. The facility will house an office and distribution center, and will create 132 jobs, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.  

Technology prominent in discounter’s “next-gen” store concept

Walmart is testing enhanced features and technologies designed to appeal to today’s digitally driven lifestyles in two new supercenters — one in Tomball, Texas, and one in Lake Nona, Fla.

The Neighborhoods at Butler

Location: Gainesville, Fla.

Size: 2.1 million sq. ft. (1.75 million sq. ft. with an additional 350,000 sq. ft. under development)

Developer/Owner: Butler Enterprises

Grocery anchor: Publix (West), Publix (Central), Trader Joe’s, Aldi, plus sizeable food components in Walmart, Sam’s Club and Target. Adding Whole Foods to anchor Butler Town Center (under construction with a planned opening winter 2018).