Retail Intel Weekly: Brandless, Peapod and Meijer

TOPLINE NEWSAfter two short years, Brandless is shutting down. The San Francisco-based e-commerce company, selling better-for-you products under its own Brandless label, announced on its website that it was “halting operations.” "While the Brandless team set a new bar for the types of products consumers deserve and at prices they expect, the fiercely competitive direct-to-consumer market has proven unsustainable for our current business model," a statement on the site said. The farewell announcement did say the company’s hopeful to be back in a new version in the future.Digital meal planning service eMeals has partnered with Bacardi, Jackson Family Wines and Francis Ford Coppola Winery to offer menu pairings that place branded wine, beer and spirits recommendations as options on the weekly eMeals shopping list, which subscribers can send to Walmart, Kroger, Amazon, Instacart or Shipt for online grocery fulfillment or list building for in-store shopping. The partnerships are executed through eMeals' BrandBuilder program, which grows online and in-store sales for participating food and beverage brands. For alcoholic beverages, which have a low online penetration compared to food products, the program serves as a neutral multi-retailer platform that helps raise awareness of the category's availability within grocery pickup and delivery. In a quick turn of events, Edgewell Personal Care has called off its plans to purchase razor company Harry’s Inc. after the Federal Trade Commission moved to block the acquisition. Harry’s plans to sue its prospective partner, a case that Edgewell said has “no merit.” GROCERYAhold Delhaize USA is closing the Midwest division of its Peapod online grocery sales business, which accounted for $97 million of the retailer's $1.1 billion in total online revenue in the United States, effective Feb. 18. It will also shutter a distribution center and food preparation facility in Lake Zurich, IL; distribution facilities in Chicago, Milwaukee and Indianapolis, IN; and a pickup point in Palatine, IL. This move also means 500 jobs will be lost including 100 drivers, though Peapod Digital Labs will remain headquartered in Chicago with a refocused mission serving East Coast shoppers. Read more here.Kroger has promoted Keith Dailey, the grocer's vice president of corporate affairs, to group vice president of corporate affairs. In his new role, Dailey will serve as chief communications officer and chief sustainability officer. His responsibilities include external communications and brand public relations, financial communications, media relations, issues and crisis management, and executive communications as well as associate communications and engagement; corporate story and KTV – Kroger's visual and digital storytelling team; environmental sustainability and social responsibility, including Kroger's social impact plan Zero Hunger | Zero Waste that launched in 2017, corporate philanthropy and community relations.MASSA Meijer store in Brighton, MI, recently debuted a sushi and craft beer bar created in collaboration with Charlotte, NC-based sushi franchise Hissho Sushi, according to Path to Purchase Institute sister-publication Progressive Grocer. Hissho is the second-largest sushi franchise in the country, with almost 2,000 locations in 42 states, and partnerships with other retailers such as Walmart. “It is our commitment to deliver hand-crafted, premium sushi that’s prepared by local chefs daily to Meijer shoppers," said Dan Beem, Hissho chief executive officer. "The Hissho Sushi & Craft Beer Bar allows us to go even further, providing one-of-a-kind experiences where shoppers can conveniently enjoy our products, a local craft beer and get in their weekly grocery run.”Walmart plans to restructure its Jetblack mobile shopping service after discussions with potential investors fizzled out, according to The Wall Street Journal. Sources indicate Jetblack will cease being a personal shopping service and its technology could be moved within Walmart, with significant rebranding expected.HOME IMPROVEMENT The Home Depot has opened its first flatbed distribution center (FDC). According to Institute-sister publication Hardware+Building Supply Dealer, the Dallas-based facility is designed to deliver construction and building materials directly to customers while increasing accessibility and speed of deliveries. Flatbed trucks can drive right through the center and be loaded up with heavy or oversized materials, such as 80-pound bags of concrete, concrete blocks, a bunk of lumber and drywall. The FDC is part of the company’s $1.2 billion investment to build approximately 150 new facilities across the country to reach 90% of U.S. customers with same-day and next-day delivery.

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