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Amazon news

20 April 2020
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced Amazon will provisionally be allowed to invest in food courier service Deliveroo, considering the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. US$575m funding round In May 2019, Amazon became the biggest investor in a US$575m investment round in Deliveroo, with the exact amount Amazon spent unknown. Deliveroo said the new investme...
20 April 2020
We look at the actions some of the major retailers in the US have undertaken in response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in four key areas; stores, supply chain, associate care and community support. Common actions Reducing operating hours to enable restocking and store cleaning, along with introduction of dedicated shopping periods for vulnerable shoppers Introduction of measures to...
16 April 2020
Whole Foods Market has closed one of its key New York stores to enable it to fulfil Prime grocery deliveries. Developed to meet needs of city workers and tourists The Bryant Park store , located in central Manhattan, is one of the retailer’s busiest in the city, alongside neighbouring stores at Columbus Circle and Union Square. Opening in late 2016, the store was one of the first to in...
16 April 2020
Amazon is set to temporarily suspend all non-essential deliveries in the country, as reported by Reuters. Closure of six warehouses The retailer will close its six warehouses in France until at least 20 April, following a court order to limit deliveries to essential products, including food and medical supplies. According to the report, Amazon will use a state partial-unemployment scheme...
15 April 2020
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding its SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme) online pilot to two more states: Florida and Idaho. Amazon and Walmart participating in all pilot states The pilot programme enables recipients of SNAP benefits, often referred to as food stamps, to purchase items through designated online retailers. The pilot is live in Alabama, Iowa...
14 April 2020
We look at some of the latest developments from Amazon in the US as it looks to address the challenges created by coronavirus. Waiting list for new customers Amazon has created a waiting list for new Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market delivery and pickup customers. The retailer is temporarily asking customers to sign up for an invitation to use its online grocery delivery and pickup soluti...
09 April 2020
Amazon is due to suspend its third-party delivery service in the US, starting from 5 June, for an unspecified period. In direct competition with FedEX and UPS The delivery service, called Amazon Shipping, was available in a small number of US cities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and consisted in drivers picking parcels up from third-party businesses and delivering them to co...
31 March 2020
Amazon is offering its own warehouse employees higher pay to pick and pack Whole Foods Market groceries, as reported by Reuters. Rising demand and worker shortage According to the report, Amazon is reallocating its workforce in response to an increasingly high demand and a worker shortage. Selected workers are due to see a $2 increase in pay per hour, to $19, on top of the pay increase Amaz...
25 March 2020
Having previously announced it has temporarily stopped shipping non-essentials in Italy and France, Amazon has now rolled this out to India. The retailer will now focus on shipping the products customers need the most.   Limiting non-essential orders Earlier this week, Amazon temporarily stopped taking orders on non-essential products on its sites in Italy and France. The initiative has bee...
20 March 2020
Due to significantly increased demand, Amazon has temporarily suspended its Prime Pantry grocery delivery service in the country. High order volumes Amazon Prime Pantry announced it is not accepting new orders due to high order volumes. The service enables Prime members to order products including food and beverages, alcohol, personal care and household items for delivery. Whilst Amazon sai...