Power Retail Sparks: Weekly Global News Round Up

Kaufland Enters Online Market

Kaufland, the German supermarket, will be heading online. The retailer will be the latest brand to join the marketplace Real, which was acquired by Schwarz Group, which owns Lidl and Kaufland, in June 2020. In mid-April, the retailer will be integrated onto kaufland.de, along with the newly-acquired marketplace.

“The integration on Kaufland.de is the starting shot for us to inspire our stationary retail customers with our online offer while inspiring our marketplace customers with the offers of our Kaufland store,” said Rolf Schumann, the CDO at Schwarz Group. “Both worlds will complement each other and thus create real added value for all of our customers.”

Wildberries Launches in Spain, Italy and France

Major Russian online retailer, Wildberries, is launching in Spain, Italy and France. This follows its debut in Germany in January and is a part of the retailer’s plan to expand into more Europe – it currently operates in 13 countries across the continent. The retailer sells apparel, consumer electronics, books, cosmetics and other items.

“Today, Wildberries already operates in 13 countries – Russia, Germany, Poland, Israel, Slovakia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and many others,” said Vyacheslav Ivashchenko, the Director of Development at Wildberries. “We offer our customers a wide range of goods from various manufacturers – both well-known global brands and local small businesses – and are open to cooperation with entrepreneurs in all countries.” Wildberries’ sales have increased YoY and offer around four million SKUs from 40,000 brands.

via Bloomberg

Kering Invests in Vestiaire Collective

Luxury fashion conglomerate, Kering, has acquired a five percent investment stake into the online re-commerce platform, Vestiaire Collective. Kering, which houses brands like Saint Laurent, Gucci and Bottega Veneta, invested USD216 million into the retailer, which further accelerates the platforms’ visibility in the online fashion community.

“Pre-owned luxury is now a real and deeply rooted trend, especially among younger customers,” said François-Henri Pinault, the CEO of Kering. This investment aims to “seize this opportunity to enhance the value we offer our customers and influence the future of our industry towards more innovative and more sustainable practices, [which] fits naturally with our entrepreneurial spirit, our pioneering sustainability strategy, and our modern vision of luxury,” said Pinault.

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