Supply Chain Analysis news

SAP and Unilever have announced a pilot of the GreenToken by SAP solution to increase traceability and transparency of Unilever’s palm oil supply chain. In a successful proof of concept in Indonesia, Unilever used GreenToken to source more than 188,000 tonnes of oil palm fruit. Through this solution, Golden Agri-Resources and other suppliers were able to create tokens that mirror the material ...

Auchan has opened the first Local Producers’ Market in the Alfragide store as part of a new initiative to boost support for small local producers. 20 producers selling in 20-square-metre area of the store The market launch was possible through the partnership with Frutoeste, a platform that connects and represents local producers in the Lisbon region. The market occupies a 20-square-metr...

On 9 March 2022 Carrefour Spain opened its first distribution site dedicated exclusively to dispatching online food orders. Key characteristics: Location: Getafe suburb of Madrid. Size and capacity: Surface area of 10,000 square metres. Order capacity: 4,000 orders can be shipped per day. SKUs: 17,000 items and includes a food preparation zone for fresh meat, seafood and bakery pro...

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...