Subscription food box service HelloFresh has seen its share price rise as the coronavirus pandemic drives a surge in orders, with supermarkets such as Carrefour launching new services as their traditional channels become inundated with orders. The company said it had seen a “meaningful acceleration” in the second half of (more…)
Spanish supermarket DIA is making use of a personal shopper app and converting its stores to warehouses as it expands its online operations to serve customers during the coronavirus pandemic. The company has now converted 11 of its stores into areas for preparing online orders and hired an additional 1000 (more…)
The first Ocado automated warehouse outside of the UK has begun fulfilling orders for Casino Group in France. Located at Fleury-Mérogis near Paris, the customer fulfilment centre (CFC) will use Ocado’s Smart Platform to fulfil orders for the Monoprix brand. This is a combined hardware and software platform, consisting of (more…)
Clothing retailer Next has stopped taking orders, as a number of retailers and logistics companies face pressure to implement social distancing rules in their warehouses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement posted on its website, Next said it would no longer be taking online orders “until further notice”. It (more…)
Parcel company Hermes is embedding social distancing in the last mile amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, allowing couriers to confirm receipt of parcels using a photo as well as adding more parcel delivery lockers. In the UK, the company has worked with InPost to add new lockers at a number (more…)
UK supermarket Morrisons is working with DPD to add a new home grocery delivery channel for vulnerable customers forced to stay home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The new food box service offers £30 worth of basic, everyday groceries with a £5 delivery charge and next-day delivery available at no (more…)
UPS is developing a new generation of package delivery drones as it looks to expand the use cases they can serve. The new drones will use patented technologies from German start-up Wingcopter. Its models can switch between two drone modes: multi-copter hovering and fixed-wing forward flight. The drones are able (more…)
Hermes and John Lewis are set to be some of the first users of new compressed natural gas (CNG) refuelling stations in the north of England. The sites, run by natural gas operator CNG Fuels and Ingenious, will be able to provide 1000 heavy goods vehicles with biomethane per day. (more…)
Amazon has told Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) users that the service will now be limited to essential items due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those third-party sellers on the online marketplace which use Amazon’s shipping service to deliver goods will no longer be able to send them to Amazon’s fulfilment centres (more…)
bpost is collecting returns from bol.com customers on the doorstep in Belgium. Members of the bol.com Select membership programme, which offers free delivery on all products, can have their returns picked up at home by carrier bpost. The pick-ups are integrated into bpost’s evening delivery slots, which take place between (more…)
Robot delivery company Starship is expanding its service to the centre of Milton Keynes. The service, which has until now been available in the areas of Monkston, Emerson Valley and Bletchley, will now be available to the 180,000 workers in the town centre. Customers will be able to order food (more…)
Morrisons is hoping to streamline its supply chain by using a new software platform to share operational data with suppliers. The SKUtrak platform from Atheon Analytics draws on data from electronic point of sales and supply chain systems to provide a free-to-access dashboard of different supply chain data. This includes (more…)
Hermes is expanding a scheme where a customer’s neighbours will be compensated for taking in their packages. The PaketFuxxen project allows members of a local community to sign up to regularly accept deliveries to their area for 30 cents per package. The scheme is not just open for packages delivered (more…)
DHL is deploying robots to help workers on some of its North American distribution centres. The 1000 LocusBots from Locus Robotics will operate on 12 DHL Supply Chain sites across the continent, helping pickers and packers to fulfil orders. The robots are able to navigate autonomously within the warehouses, locating (more…)
UPS is trialling the use of a new electric and autonomous vehicle to move semi-trailers and containers in its London distribution hub. The zero-emission vehicles from Gaussin can be operated manually or run autonomously using a set of sensors and algorithms. They include the ability to swap batteries, allowing the (more…)
XPO Logistics is acquiring part of the UK business of Swiss logistics company Kuehne + Nagel. The businesses, which had a collective turnover of around CHF 750 million (£615 million) in 2019, include drinks, food, retail and technology businesses. The businesses offer logistics services including inbound and outbound distribution, reverse (more…)
With public health authorities warning that a widespread outbreak of the new coronavirus strain (COVID-19) in the UK is overwhelmingly likely, the retail logistics sector may be facing a severe test of its employment structures. At the time of writing, Worldometers.com lists the worldwide number of COVID-19 victims at over (more…)
ASOS has cut its operational carbon emissions per order by 30% in five years, the fashion retailer has announced in a new report. The company has been pursuing its Carbon 2020 strategy since 2015, which prioritised energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. The last financial year also saw an (more…)
A new joint pilot involving Hermes, DPD and GLS in Germany will allow commuters to collect parcels from train and metro stations. The one-year pilot of the Hamburg Box will allow customers in the city to collect goods from parcel lockers at 15 stations. Shoppers simply specify their chosen box (more…)
H&M is allowing other companies to access its logistics network as part of its sustainability push. The new B2B initiative, called Treadler, will provide a range of services including product development, sourcing, production and logistics. Treadler will start at a small scale, providing a tailored service for each client. H&M (more…)