Retail Intel Weekly: COVID-19 News & More from Kroger, Walmart

AMAZONSignaling its continued commitment to gaming, Amazon has renamed its Twitch Prime game video-streaming service as Prime Gaming, bringing the branding in line with other Prime perks such as its Prime Video streaming service and Prime Reading e-book and magazine operations.The Wall Street Journal has reported that Amazon is in talks with Simon Property Group to convert some of the space formerly occupied by struggling department stores into distribution centers.Amazon will host a free digital conference dubbed "Amazon Accelerate" from Sept. 1-2, offering U.S. small-to-medium-sized businesses more than 60 sessions of content across a range of educational topics. The interactive event will include breakout sessions, panels, lightning talks, and live Q&A with Amazon experts.Amazon has reportedly cut ties with at least seven entrepreneurs participating in the Delivery Service Partners the company launched in 2018 to accelerate its last-mile delivery services and compete with FedEx and UPS. The program now has more than 1,300 partners across five countries.DRUGCVS Pharmacy is exclusively stocking more than a dozen grocery and personal care products including shampoo, lotion and gluten-free cookies from DTC e-tailer Public Goods, marking the startup’s first venture in brick-and-mortar since its launch in 2016, according to multiple reports. Following a successful 10 store pilot in January, personal care product displays are reportedly rolling out to more than 2,000 stores and food displays are hitting some 500 stores. The displays are referred to as “skinny towers.” Public Goods is a membership-based e-tailer, charging $59 per year. Its products will be more expensive in CVS stores as a way to eventually convert CVS shoppers into paying members, Public Goods CEO Morgan Hirsh told DigiDay Media’s Modern Retail.WALMARTWalmart is piloting a partnership with grocery delivery platform Instacart, bringing same-day delivery of items ranging from groceries to home decor to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Tulsa, OK, according to CNBC. Sister chain Sam's Club already has a delivery partnership with the third party. Instacart this year has already expanded its roster of retailer partners to include Big Lots, Staples, Rite Aid and Costco.Walmart has pushed back the closing time at more than 4,000 stores to 10:00 p.m. from the 8:30 p.m. time instituted on March 19 to give employees more time to clean stores, stock products and institute COVID-19 safety measures. The retailer is also implementing a senior shopping hour every Tuesday starting an hour before the regular opening time.The American Pharmacists Association and Walmart are offering a free online training program on opioid stewardship to all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians around the country. Access to the resource is being expanded at a time when parts of the U.S. are experiencing increased opioid-related overdoses as access to social and treatment networks are disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.CLUBCasper Sleep has penned new deals with four new retailers including Sam’s Club and Ashley HomeStore in a move to expand its physical store presence and geographic reach across key regions in the West, Midwest and Southwest. The digital native brand now offers Casper mattresses and other branded products like pillows at 21 retailers. Casper, which went public earlier this year, already operates about 60 freestanding stores in North America.SUPERMARKETSAhold Delhaize’s Giant/Martin’s has begun offering a new private-brand product in the meat and seafood department dubbed Cook-in-Bag in stores. The proteins are seasoned and packaged in a bag that can be placed directly in the oven or a crockpot.Natural cookie dough brand Sweet Loren’s is rolling out its eggless, safe-to-eat cookie dough to Publix stores in a new 3.6-oz. single-serve size. Publix will stock chocolate chunk and birthday cake flavors, priced at $2.99, with each serving also containing a recyclable spoon under the lid. Sweet Loren’s Edible Cookie Dough is marketed as vegan, certified gluten-free, free of peanut and tree nuts, non-GMO project verified and kosher pareve.Kroger is integrating digital marketplace platform Mirakl into its direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform Kroger Ship, expecting to add more than 50,000 items from third-party sellers by this fall.Kroger is launching a contactless payments pilot across its Seattle-based QFC division, allowing shoppers to use their mobile device for a more seamless checkout experience at the chain. The pilot includes the acceptance of Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, mobile banking apps and contactless chip cards, underpinned by near-field communication (NFC) technology. The NFC technology uses a radio frequency field to transmit data between two devices – a mobile device and PIN pad – eliminating physical contact. Shoppers pay by placing their mobile device or contactless chip card near the PIN pad and payment data is transmitted from the device or card to the terminal to process the transaction. Kroger's technology team recently enabled NFC payments at 61 QFC stores.HOME CENTER/HARDWAREOver the next 18 months, Lowe’s plans to open 50 cross dock delivery terminals, seven bulk distribution centers and four e-commerce fulfillment centers to improve home delivery and support growing demand from DIY and Pro customers. The plan includes 20 cross dock terminals and one West Coast e-commerce fulfillment center in the second half of fiscal 2020. Together, the goal is to provide more same-day and next-day service offerings and enable faster e-commerce shipping across the country, according to a media release from Lowe's.

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

You May Also Like

2023 Women of Excellence, Technology

Walmart Canada Invests $1 Billion to Modernize the Shopper Experience