Data & Analytics

Ahold, Delhaize in $29 billion merger
New York -- The combination of Royal Ahold and Delhaize Groupe creates a new super-regional chain along the Eastern Seaboard that will serve 50 million customers weekly and generate annual sales of more than $60 billion.

The merger announcement was highly anticipated following months of speculation followed by confirmation of talks between the companies. Now that the merger agreement has been reached, Ahold and Delhaize said they expect the deal to close by mid-2016.
Ahold/Delhaize deal done to create 6,500 unit grocer
The combination of Royal Ahold and Delhaize Groupe creates a new super-regional chain along the Eastern Seaboard that will serve 50 million customers weekly and generate annual sales of more than $60 billion.

The merger announcement was highly anticipated following months of speculation followed by confirmation of talks between the companies. Now that the merger agreement has been reached, Ahold and Delhaize said they expect the deal to close by mid-2016.

NRF details retailers' $44B problem

Retailers are losing billions of dollars to shoplifting, employee/vendor theft and administrative error, according to the National Retail Federation.
Catalina launches personalized circular deals

Digital media company Catalina is launching a new solution that personalizes the deals found in weekly retail ad circulars.

The program, called My Favorite Deals, is designed to increase ROI in a major area of marketing spend for U.S. retailers.
NYC: Whole Foods rotten in the Big Apple

An investigation of Whole Foods Market stores in New York City has found systemic overcharging of its customers for prepackaged food, according to government officials.
No wonder Ahold and Delhaize merged

Walmart Neighborhood Markets offer a compelling source of new sales growth for the company, Moody’s says in a new report.

Despite strategic shifts to compete more successfully with the company, traditional supermarkets will feel the pressure as Walmart moves to increase its already dominant share of the U.S. grocery segment.
Instacart now delivering from Asian supermarkets

Shoppers in need of same-day delivery of Thai oyster sauce or Indonesian soy sauce may not have to leave their homes to buy the ingredients if Instacart has any say about it.

The online grocery delivery service based in San Francisco announced Wednesday that it would begin delivering to Boston and Cambridge residents from H Mart, one of the largest and fastest growing Asian grocery chains in the United States.
Survey: Most retail returns are preventable

Much of the retail industry’s annual costs in returns can be prevented, according to a new survey.
Amazon makes Echo AI voice device widely available

Seattle – Amazon.com is releasing its Echo voice-activated artificial intelligence device for general availability in July, and taking consumer orders now. Echo was made available on an invitation basis to customers who wanted to help shape the device in November 2014.
Customer-Facing Talent

Retailers face a tough battle to generate growth in the face of unprecedented competition from global rivals and digital rivals, but many are overlooking what could be their best opportunity. Improving the way employees interact with customers – whether in stores, online or even via call centers – is a proven route to enhanced sales performance, but too few retailers are focused on doing so.
Study: User-generated social images generate sales

Edison, N.J. - Consumers are turning to user-generated social media images and videos to help them make purchasing decisions. According to a new study of more than 500 online shoppers from Dotcom Distribution, more than half of respondents (54%) have used social media to find photos or videos of a product they were thinking of buying within the past year.
Shopular adds product, curation functionality

Redwood City, Calif. – The Shopular mobile shopping app is rolling out two platform upgrades -- Shopular Products and Shopular Curated Content. Shopular, available for free download from iTunes and Google Play, geo-targets consumers with time- and location-sensitive deal alerts and savings from their preferred merchants from more than 40,000 retail locations across the U.S.