VusionGroup’s Post

#ModernExpo_retailnews Schwarz Group, the German owner of Lidl and Kaufland, is investing 200 million euros into its online business. This investment is intended to help Kaufland expand into two new markets, while Lidl Digital aims to improve its cross-channel business. Lidl Digital, which combines the e-commerce branches of both chains, saw sales rise from 1.73 billion euros to 1.94 billion euros last year. However, losses also increased from 71 million euros to 219 million euros. Moreover, according to Lebensmittel Zeitung, the group expects only a moderate increase in sales and slightly better profit figures for the financial year ending in February 2024. Insiders suggest that a structural approach is necessary, and new CEO Christian Härtnagel plans to take just that. He aims to better connect online and physical stores and encourage parallel growth. Meanwhile, Kaufland's digital expansion continues, with the supermarket chain set to open its marketplace for Austrian and Polish consumers this summer. Although Kaufland already has many physical shops in Poland, it has yet to establish any in Austria. #ModernExpo #wearemodern #wecreateretailnew #GoModern

💡 At Orderchamp, we understand that being a merchant in the 21st century presents a unique set of challenges. That’s why our core mission is to empower independent retailers and brands to succeed in tomorrow’s market. But what will tomorrow’s market look like? And how can retailers and brands adapt in this changing environment? Read all about our perspective on the future of retail in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/eqtPGmvx

Fantastic week touring the fulfilment centres of some of the worlds leading supply chain companies 📦 Our team visited sites in California and Ohio to examine the existing returns management process for their enterprise clientele The TL’DR is that there is an increasingly growing problem (and opportunity) within the gray area of returns: not brand new quality but not a lost cause either Currently, many brands (via their nominated 3PL) are drawing 1 line in the sand: it’s either new (and back to stock) or get it out of my sight (and off my books), through low margin channels (liquidation, 3rd party marketplaces, etc) Fortunately there are increasing solutions emerging, namely Recommerce, where brands/operators can maintain possession of their non-new/stale inventory and push them through a resale storefront channel that THEY own and power Buying used will soon become a social status as consumer behaviour tilts even more towards eco-friendly, and brands have an incredible opportunity to tap into that pesky price and/or sustainability conscious customer by launching branded resale The #Recommerce era is here, and here to stay ♻️ 🚀 #Retail #Ecommerce #SupplyChain

Is Action the fastest-growing retailer in Europe? The Dutch discount retailer Action reported (via 3i Group plc, the leading investor in the company) another quarter of solid growth. Action is one of Europe's most significant retail success stories. The growth strategy for Action works fantastically as the company is capitalising on the traditional discount retail strategy with many DIY and home products. The company has stormed through Europe. This year, it jumped past the 10 billion € and 11 billion € marks in revenue. The revenue growth for the full year 2023 was a whopping +27,8%. The growth is remarkable considering the company operated in 2022 at an 8,9 billion € revenue level. With 303 new stores, the company took its store estate to 2,566 stores across 11 countries in continental Europe, ranging from Poland and Slovakia in the east to Spain and Italy in the south. Since the pre-pandemic 2019, Action has more than doubled its revenue, a feat not even many European e-commerce companies can report.  The growth has come at a very healthy operating margin. Action reported a fourth consecutive year of improving operating margins. For 2023, the operating profit increased by 34% to 1,6 billion €. The operating margin stood at 14,3%. Since 2019, Action's operating profits have grown almost threefold. The growth rate seems to be slowing down at least slightly from 2022. The Like-for-Like (LfL) growth decreased from 18,1% to 16,7% in 2023. For the last quarter of the year, LfL growth was 11,4%. According to the 3i results report, LfL growth was mainly driven by the transaction volumes, whereas previous growth was probably also driven by inflation. Action continues to grow as this year, the company opens its first stores in Portugal. The company also doubles down on the low-price image. Discounter mindset (small assortment, no-frills stores, low marketing spend…) and low prices are winning strategies in these times.

Exciting update! 🚀 Check out the latest report on our Smart Shopping Solution, EASY Shopper. Explore how store managers and customers are benefiting from its seamless features. Discover the future of retail innovation. 🛒✨ #smartshopping #easyshopper #retailinnovation #techinretail

Last week marked the start of Independent Retailer Month, a global campaign where #consumers are encouraged to shop locally and support small businesses. The goal is to help consumers make more informed spending decisions whilst creating more sustainable cities and communities. In an article for ChannelX World, our managing director Tony Preedy urges retailers to think #globally. While it is important for consumers to support their local brick-and-mortar shops and small businesses, brands and retailers cannot rely on local demand. Sellers need to expand their reach via a robust international #sales strategy, especially if they want to remain competitive in this increasingly global market.   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eUbhEkEf #products #international #online #marketplace #seller #retail #crossborder #ecommerce  

Conflict is inevitable whenever a new channel emerges. Was the case with General Trade and Modern Trade 2 decades back and more recently between Modern Trade and E commerce. From conflict to coexistence is a journey over time during which the channels and brands identify the right assortment, positioning and pricing strategy while balancing market share and profitability goals. Likely that Q/E-commerce, MT and GT will go though a similar journey over the next few years.

6 months, that is what it takes ⌛ In only six months Fitwinkel made some big improvements in purchasing and inventory management and... their inventory level dropped by 44%. Those are big gains. 💪 Two weeks ago we were sharing the stage with Fitwinkel at the Webwinkel Vakdagen e-commerce event to inspire almost 100 attendees. 🎤 Want to read their story? Click here to read on: https://hubs.la/Q02jZXdD0 #ecommerce #optiply #supplychain

We had a great week at NACS launching McLane’s new Emerging Brands program and are thrilled to be their marketplace platform partner. McLane is one of the largest distributors in America, serving convenience stores, mass merchants, and chain restaurants. As an industry-leading partner, McLane is focused on accelerating their e-commerce capabilities and this new marketplace solves a pain point for both retailers and suppliers. McLane’s retailers can now quickly discover and buy from Emerging Brands through an innovative direct drop-ship model that enables speed to market for brands and low-risk trial for retailers. This fully integrated solution makes it seamless for retailers to complete their purchase the same way they do any other McLane transaction. With this platform, McLane can sell more of what their retailers want, without taking on the inventory. Adding a third-party marketplace is just one way McLane is meeting customer demands and partnering with emerging brands. Check it out at www.mclanemarketplace.com. McLane Company, Inc. Mable

Apparently, digital shelf edge labels can display branded labels. Have you seen any retailers or brands utilising this? 🤖🏪 I’ve seen plenty of different retailers using digital (also known as electronic) SELs but all of them display a digital version of a traditional white or yellow paper label. 🏷️ Do you think branded labels would deliver an improvement in helping customers match the price to the correct item, or would it require too much time (and risk) to effectively train customers to see them? 🔍 And crucially, who should pay for them, retailers or brands? 💷 #retail #pricing #RetailTechnology