Supply Chain Analysis news

Ocado has struck a partnership with Auchan Retail to provide its online delivery solution in Poland. The first customer fulfilment centre in Warsaw will be operational in 2024, with more planned as part of the partnership.  The two businesses have also said they’ll explore opportunities to broaden the partnership in other geographies that Auchan has a presence in. Auchan to benefit from lat...

UK-based supermarket chain Morrisons is trialing rented refill boxes for salad bar customers to reduce the use of plastic packaging. Four stores will be involved in the Refill a Box scheme, which is the first of its kind to be trialed by a UK supermarket. Each rentable box, made from fully recyclable polypropylene will replace Morrisons’ large salad boxes. The reusable boxes are designed...

Kroger has announced that it will open new fulfilment sites in Austin and San Antonio, Texas and Birmingham, Alabama powered by the Kroger Fulfillment Network and Ocado Group. The move is a continuation of Kroger’s online ambitions, which saw it enter Florida without a physical store footprint in 2021. Three new sites announced The 70,000 Sq. ft Austin site will collaborate with a hub in Da...

Availability issues Operational labour and HGV driver shortages continue to disrupt food supply chains. Although there are some regional variations, absence rates within the food and consumer goods industry due to the Omicron variant are declining . Food and consumer goods businesses have been hit hard by recruitment and retention challenges. This is resulting in lower order fulfilment lev...

Waitrose and Müller are trialing a replacement of coloured milk bottle caps with colourless ones as a way to reduce plastic waste. Reducing Waitrose’s reliance on virgin plastics and increasing the availability of recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) Coloured caps currently can’t be recycled into food-grade packaging, whereas the material in colourless caps holds higher retention...

A group of leading UK grocers has joined forces to launch a Refill Coalition to co-design and develop innovation refill solution. The Refill Coalition brings together M&S, Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose & Partners with supply chain solution specialists CHEP. The group was convened by Unpackaged, a pioneer in zero waste retail business models. The Coalition will explore how key food staples (...

Australian supermarket Coles is trialing grocery delivery by drone with Wing, a startup owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet. It will be Australia’s first major supermarket to offer drone delivery. How it works The new drone delivery service, being launched in the Australian capital, Canberra, will deliver more than 250 items, including bread, fresh produce, snacks, convenience m...

As of 1 March 2022, Amazon became the 14 th retailer to be bound by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) in the UK. This follows the decision by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to designate Amazon as a grocery retailer under the Groceries Market Investigation Order on 9 February 2022.  Suppliers invited to contact GCA if they have concerns The Groceries Code Adjud...

Asda and Tesco are to use an innovative new material made using the proteins and cellulose found in fruit and vegetable seeds, peels and pulps, mixed with water. The material will be used to coat and protect certain products, including citrus fruits and avocados in 150 Asda stores in the coming weeks, while Tesco will trial the material on a selection of similar products in 80 of its stores. H...

The developing situation in Ukraine is expected to provide a new source of global supply chain challenges. While each business will be affected differently, here we pick out a few supply chain implications/watchouts and some key actions for supply chain teams.   Supply chain input costs Events in the Ukraine have already impacted global prices for oil and gas, which will raise supply ...