Israeli automation startup Fabric, formerly known as CommonSense Robotics, has raised $110 million in a Series B round with plans to accelerate growth in the U.S. including plans to build 14 on-site micro fulfillment centers to enable same-day delivery. The first FC will open in New York in Q1, with several other cities following.
While Amazon is the go-to marketplace for an increasing number of consumers today, it is reportedly delivering unsafe food products past their expiration date, according to CNBC. This is on top of continuing allegations about the sale of counterfeit goods on the leading marketplace.
Walmart is launching an in-the-fridge e-grocery delivery service it announced this summer, starting in Pittsburgh, Vero Beach, FL and Kansas City, similar to Amazon’s own delivery service launched last year. Walmart customers can choose either kitchen or garage fridge delivery and pay $19.95 per month with a $30 minimum.
Online e-grocery ordering and delivery platform Mercato has announced a subscription offering that provides unlimited free same-day deliveries for members in 25 states, a direct shot at the AmazonFresh program and other competitors. The program comes in Neighborhood and City flavors and uses DoorDash as its delivery partner.
Amazon plans to open a chain of grocery stores in the U.S. beginning with locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia. See whether Amazon competes with its own Whole Foods chains in the grocery arena.
Walmart’s answer to Amazon Prime on the grocery side, Delivery Unlimited, is expanding nationwide, the company said, reaching 1,400 U.S. stores now and 1,600 by the end of the year. The program had been piloted in Houston, Miami, Salt Lake City and Tampa, and will now be in all 200 markets where grocery delivery is available.
Amazon and Walmart will continue to slug it out atop the world of global e-grocery food sales, with the ecommerce giant projected to pass the world’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer by 2024 with revenues of $15 billion, compared to $14 billion, according to a new report from research firm Edge by Ascential. The projected CAGR through 2024 is 13%.
Walmart is offering three-hour delivery for certain home goods and technology products in Mexico, as it battles Amazon in the major Latin American market, according to Reuters. The new service covers 12,000 items including laptops, cell phones, televisions and clothing irons and is supported by two new ecommerce fulfillment centers.
Walmart reported a 37% increase in ecommerce sales in Q2, the same as in Q1 and supported by strong growth in grocery, as its massive digital investments and focus continue to pay off in its locked battle with Amazon. The company is projecting full-year ecommerce growth of 35%, leveraging its huge store base for fulfillment.
Wakefern Food Corp., parent of grocery brands ShopRite, Price Rite, the Fresh Grocer and Dearborn Market, has opened an automated micro fulfillment center in Clifton, NJ through a partnership with Takeoff Technologies, with plans to launch more.