South Africa: Shoprite rolls out smart trolleys, designed in-house by the tech division Africa, Middle East In 2 Checkers hypermarkets, the South African giant is testing a smart connected trolley technology developed by ShopriteX, the tech entity of the parent company. Trolleys are equipped with cameras and control scales. Designed in-house, will this innovation be more economically viable than those from Caper (Instacart), Hanshow, Shopic or Trollee?
After a poor second quarter, Target is reshuffling the deck: new C.E.O., new priorities to get back on track Americas The U.S. grocery retailer Target is embarking on a strategic shift after a difficult first semester. With 19.6% of online sales and three-quarters from non-food products, the US's third-largest grocer is changing governance. For new C.E.O. Michael Fiddelke, monetising digital activities and reviving core business categories are at the top of the priority list.
[Mind Retail info] Ouidrop rolls out drive-through robotics at E.Leclerc and prepares for Series A Europe Mind Retail learned the French start-up, which specialises in robotics technology for grocery drive-throughs, has signed new deals with E.Leclerc supermarkets. The rapidly growing start-up, whose staff doubled in a year, is also about to begin a Series A process in September.
EU-US customs duties: as luxury goods and beauty products, wines and spirits will be taxed at 15% Americas Exports of products manufactured in Europe to the U.S.A. are now subject to 15% customs duties. While the aeronautics sector is exempt, this is not the case for wines, spirits, cosmetics and luxury goods as four categories of products that are sensitive for the Old Continent's economy. In return, the EU committed to investing and importing huge sums into the U.S.A.
Malls : Simon Property accelerates data monetisation with Humana, URW continues arbitrage Americas As more Americans visited shopping centres in H1 2025, the sector’s leader Simon Property Group is expanding both data and community engagement with a new partnership with Humana. This gives a new experience for seniors that should translate into additional sources of revenue.
SMCP returns to growth, ending legal battle Asia On August 11, 2025, SMCP (including Sandro and Maje) announced the end of a legal battle from 2021.…
Online returns: Blue Yonder completes logistics suite with the acquisition of Optoro Americas Following in the footsteps of Best Buy, DHL and Picnic, Blue Yonder is responding to the rising challenge of online returns. As their operational, environmental and commercial impact increases, the U.S. tech company bet on external growth with Optoro to build a data-driven and omnichannel solution.
Danish grocer Salling accelerates VC investments, following in the footsteps of Vinted Europe Eager to better source retail innovation and accelerate time to market, Danish grocer Salling (2024 turnover: €9.7 billion,…
Biometric payment: Handwave raises US$4.2 million and signs with Visa Europe In the wake of Amazon One, Latvian start-up Handwave aims to democratise biometric payment and authentication using the palm of the hand. The past weeks have seen major announcements by the Founders, both former Worldline employees. Here are the details.
E-commerce: Graas AI raises $9 million to accelerate deployment of AI agents Asia On August 11, Graas AI, a Singapore-based start-up specialising in AI agents for e-commerce operations, raised $9 million in a pre-Series B round led by Tin Men Capital.…
