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☆ Kroger is doubling down on its subscription delivery business as it weans itself off of Instacart. Here's a rundown of its other initiatives, from ghost kitchens to smart carts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here are Kroger's biggest e-commerce and technology initiatives:A ClusterTruck ghost kitchen inside a Kroger in the Midwest. ClusterTruckGhost kitchensIn December 2019, Kroger began improving its prepared meals offering by partnering with ghost kitchen startup ClusterTruck. The delivery-focused ghost kitchen touts a Cheesecake Factory-inspired menu of 80 to 100 food items. Over the last few years, ClusterTruck opened locations inside Kroger stores in Indiana and Ohio. But the firm, which tracks where consumers shop, said Kroger stores with the ghost kitchens are seeing an uptick in visits compared to neighboring Kroger branches.

☆ NASA's asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft nears planned impact with its target
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft prior to impact at the Didymos binary asteroid system showed in this undated illustration handout. NASA/Johns Hopkins/Handout via REUTERSSept 26 (Reuters) - Ten months after launch, NASA's asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft neared a planned impact with its target on Monday in a test of the world's first planetary defense system, designed to prevent a doomsday collision with Earth. Neither object presents any actual threat to Earth, and NASA scientists said their DART test cannot create a new existential hazard by mistake. Also, their relative proximity to Earth and dual-asteroid configuration make them ideal for the first proof-of-concept mission of DART, short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test. ROBOTIC SUICIDE MISSIONThe mission represents a rare instance in which a NASA spacecraft must ultimately crash to succeed.

☆ Not So Dark just raised $80 million to help restaurants take on dark kitchens
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

French food tech startup Not So Dark just landed $80 million from Kharis Capital and Verlinvest. It was a food delivery company called Resto-in that was later acquired by Dutch company Lieferando, which in turn was gobbled up by Just Eat Takeaway. Now 37, Benoit is back in the food delivery game and just secured an $80 million Series B for Not So Dark. They have been criticized for killing the high street but grew in popularity during the pandemic as demand for food delivery soared. Not So Dark's technology also scans comments on each delivery platform to find ways to make deliveries better.

☆ NASA's unprecedented DART mission will intentionally slam a spacecraft into an asteroid next week
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test will collide with an asteroid on September 26. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 in November 2021, with the aim of nudging a space rock into a slightly tighter orbit around its companion asteroid. The $308 million spacecraft traveled 6.8 million miles from Earth to Dimorphos, a small asteroid orbiting the asteroid Didymos. NASA JPL DART Navigation TeamOn Monday, September 26, four hours before impact, DART will switch into autonomous mode, steering itself toward its target. An animation from behind as NASA's first planetary defense test mission, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, collides with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos.

☆ Walmart's not waiting for Black Friday. it's ready for holiday shoppers now
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNNBusiness —Halloween is still a month away, but Walmart is ready for Christmas. Walmart on Thursday said it’s getting the ball rolling on its year-end holiday shopping season at its stores and online as early as next month. The retailer said it is also changing its return policy for Walmart and Walmart+ subscription service customers to give this year’s early gift shoppers more time to make returns. Given the company’s status as an industry bellwether, it’s too soon to say whether Walmart’s earlier-than-usual holiday push could trigger other retailers to follow suit. “If there are fewer gift purchases by consumers, expect to see even more holiday promotions than ever.”

☆ Walmart plans cautious holiday hiring amid slowing U.S. economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Siddharth Cavale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationNEW YORK, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) sounded a cautious note about holiday retail sales on Wednesday, planning to hire fewer workers than last year as it prepares for the critical season in the midst of a slowing economy. Amazon.com (AMZN.O) , Target , Macy's (M.N), Kohl's have not yet announced their holiday hiring plans. Holiday retail sales are expected to rise between 4% and 6% year over year from November to January for total sales of about $1.45 trillion to $1.47 trillion, according to Deloitte's annual holiday retail forecast released on Sept 13. Holiday shopping is also expected to start earlier than ever this year as "stretched wallets create urgency," Salesforce said in its report. Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette echoed those comments, saying he expects holiday shopping to start in October.

☆ Jobs will be harder to find at Walmart this holiday season. Here's why, and here's how you can get one.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Áine Cain | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

That number marks a decrease from the 150,000 workers Walmart sought to hire for holiday 2021. This year, the company has slashed its holiday hiring goal – to a little over a quarter of the workforce that it's aimed to bring on in past years. In its announcements, Walmart directed prospective workers to its jobs portal, which lists roles by type and location. For prospective workers looking to stand out from the crowd, a customer-centric attitude is one thing that can bolster an applicant's chances. "We are looking for associates who are passionate about serving customers and helping our customers create special moments this holiday season," Walmart spokesperson Anne Hatfield told Insider.

☆ BOJ seen sticking to ultra-low rates, defy global rate hike rush
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It's becoming hard for the BOJ to keep saying price rises will remain temporary," said Mari Iwashita, chief market economist at Daiwa Securities. At a two-day policy meeting ending on Thursday, the BOJ is set to maintain its short-term rate target at -0.1% and that for 10-year government bond yields around 0%. Market players expect the U.S. central bank to raise rates by at least 75 basis points. The country's fragile recovery has forced the BOJ to remain an outlier among a global wave of central banks tightening monetary policy to combat surging inflation. At the policy meeting, the BOJ is expected to end as scheduled a pandemic-relief funding scheme this month and discuss adjustments to a policy guidance that flags the COVID-19 pandemic as the top economic risk.

☆ Walmart's secretive fintech ONE is the new disruptor in consumer banking, and the retailer has nabbed talent from Wall Street mainstays like Goldman Sachs.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Aaron Weinman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In January last year, the retailer said it was pursuing a partnership with venture-capital firm Ribbit Capital, which backed Robinhood. The next month, Walmart lured Omer Ismail and David Stark, two executives from Goldman Sachs' Marcus, over to work on a fintech initiative. Insider's Ann Gehan, Carter Johnson, and Ben Tobin have identified the key people shaping this effort at its fintech called ONE. Done deals :Acrisure, a fintech company that operates an insurance broker and real-estate services company, has acquired B2Z Insurance. Aditxt, a biotech company developing tech around monitoring the immune system, raised $20 million after selling 3.33 million shares on Nasdaq.

☆ Walmart is bolstering its $2 billion ad biz by selling ads on TikTok and Roku, as rivals like Kroger are also pushing to sell ads in other platforms
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart data can now power ads on TikTok, Roku, and Snap. Walmart's $2 billion ad business just got a major shot in the arm amid heated competition from retailers like Kroger and Amazon. Walmart data can now power ads on TikTok, Roku, and Snap. This is the first time it will power ad sales on other sites, said Rich Lehrfeld, SVP and GM of the retailer's ad arm Walmart Connect. BCG estimates that retail media will be a $100 billion market by 2026; ad agency GroupM has an even more ambitious forecast, saying retail media will hit $160 billion by 2027.

☆ Instacart rolls out high-tech shopping carts aimed at helping grocery stores compete with Amazon Go. Here are the strategies the company is investing in ahead of a reported IPO.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

One analyst described the goal as being a "one-stop shop" for grocery technology. Instacart is getting ready to go public, making new sources of revenue more important than ever for the grocery delivery startup. On Monday, the company rolled out an upgraded version of its smart shopping carts, Caper Cart. InstacartSubscriptionsNow called Instacart+, Instacart's subscription service costs about $10 per month or $99 per year. The startup makes checkout technology for both online and in-store use, including a smart shopping cart with scanning technology.

☆ Instacart plans to focus on selling employees' shares in IPO, Wall Street Journal reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSept 19 (Reuters) - Grocery delivery app Instacart Inc does not seek to raise much capital in its U.S. initial public offering and instead plans to focus on the sale of employees' shares, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The report added the sale of mostly employee shares would allow Instacart's staff, including some of its earliest hires, to cash in on of some of the shares they have been accumulating and also help the company retain talent. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe shares will be sold directly to new investors at an agreed-upon price ahead of a stock-market debut, according to the WSJ report. Instacart said in May it had confidentially filed with the U.S. securities regulator to go public, not long after slashing its valuation by 40% following market turbulences. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A 'dystopian horror story.' Inside the thriving underground market for used Amazon seller accounts that's causing chaos, identity theft, and distrust in the company's massive online marketplace
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Rob Price | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

On Telegram and forums like Swapd and PlayerUp, a gray market for secondhand Amazon seller accounts thrives. On public Telegram groups, Amazon account sellers openly advertise their goods and how they've passed Amazon's verification checks. She'd never had an Amazon seller account and sold jewelry directly through her website. Amazon is asleep at the wheel"Amazon is asleep at the wheel," Jason Boyce, a consultant for Amazon sellers, said. AI engineer François Chollet has been plagued by counterfeiters selling fake copies of his books via Amazon accounts with stolen identities.

☆ Walmart introduces virtual fitting room feature so customers can try on clothes from home — but it requires stripping down to your underwear or tight-fitting clothing to use
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"Be Your Own Model" is Walmart's next phase of personalizing the online clothes shopping experience. The retail giant acquired virtual try-on platform Zeekit in 2021. The new feature — which launched on Thursday to iOS users on the Walmart app — comes after the retail giant acquired virtual fitting room startup Zeekit in 2021. "Walmart is the first to offer a virtual try-on experience for apparel brands at scale, and it's the most realistic application I have seen," Incandela said. Walmart is the latest retailer to jump on the virtual try-on trend.

☆ Walmart unveils virtual fitting room to push shoppers to buy more clothes
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart is rolling out its latest version of virtual try-on, which allows shoppers to upload an image of themselves and see how items would look. As some shoppers reduce their spending on clothes, Walmart is rolling out a new tool that it hopes will nudge them toward clicking the "buy" button. Starting this week, customers can use a virtual try-on tool to see how a shirt or another clothing item would look on their own bodies. It is the latest feature the company has added to its website because of the acquisition of Zeekit, a virtual fitting room startup. The newest feature for Walmart, "Be Your Own Model," uses algorithms and machine learning technology that was originally used to develop more accurate topographic maps.

☆ Google, Meta, Are Losing People to Walmart, Amazon in the Advertising Talent Wars
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Lucia Moses | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon, Walmart, and others are in a war for talent as they build advertising arms. Amazon recently listed more than 2,800 advertising jobs on its site while Walmart's advertising arm, Walmart Connect, had nearly 1,000 openings. The biggest hirers were Walmart, Amazon, where advertising headcount has grown roughly fourfold in the past two years, and Instacart, per Revelio Labs' data. Walmart started building an ads business, Walmart Connect, in earnest in 2019 and has turned it into a $2 billion-plus revenue stream. Movement of advertising hires to Instacart, Walmart, Amazon, Jan. 2021-present.

But "we know that one in three women are going to die of heart disease" every year. Heart attackA heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is cut off or drastically reduced. Women with heart failure have a wider variety of symptom, such as sweating, unusual swelling, heart palpitations and feelings of heartburn. According to the review, 10% of people with heart disease experience depression, compared with 5% of those without heart problems. Heart valve diseaseHeart valve disease occurs when one or more of valves in the heart doesn't work properly.

☆ Expect retail earnings from companies such as Walmart, Target to miss the mark, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-10 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A slew of retail companies including Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's post quarterly results next week, and Morgan Stanley is bracing for some rough reports. Given this backdrop, Greenberger expects weaker-than-expected earnings from companies across the board. "Yet as Q2 Mega Cap earnings approach, about half the companies in our coverage have already lowered their '22 outlooks. Morgan Stanley is bracing for potential downward guidance revisions from many companies including Walmart, Lowe's and Target. Target and Lowe's are set to report earnings Wednesday.

☆ What really surprised Wall Street about Walmart's earnings warning
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-26 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The key takeaway for investors was to refocus attention on inflation, and that it's not just the direction of inflation — it's the magnitude. More broadly, this will also lead to Wall Street momentarily refocusing its attention. While concerns about the magnitude of a slowing economy have occupied Wall Street's attention for weeks, inflation is still the number one issue. I noted last week that the phrase "mild recession" had become a meme as a way to price in a recession without making it sound too bad. Even JPMorgan's Marko Kolanovic jumped on the "mild recession" bandwagon, telling investors Monday that "a mild recession appears already priced in."

[1/4] A Hyundai auto plant is seen from inside a Greyhound bus outside of Montgomery, Alabama, U.S., August 13, 2008. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonLUVERNE, Alabama, July 22 (Reuters) - A subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co has used child labor at a plant that supplies parts for the Korean carmaker's assembly line in nearby Montgomery, Alabama, according to area police, the family of three underage workers, and eight former and current employees of the factory. Underage workers, in some cases as young as 12, have recently worked at a metal stamping plant operated by SMART Alabama LLC, these people said. In a "human rights policy" posted online, Hyundai says it forbids child labor throughout its workforce, including suppliers. Many of the minors at the plant were hired through recruitment agencies, according to current and former SMART workers and local labor recruiters.

☆ Meet 16 top reverse-logistics leaders tackling retail's $761 billion e-commerce returns problem
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-15 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Becca Meinz, the vice president of end-to-end supply chain at Best BuyBecca Meinz is the vice president of the end-to-end supply chain for Best Buy. Steve Lewis, the senior vice president of commercial strategy at GXOSteve Lewis is the senior vice president for commercial strategy at GXO. Kraig Foreman, the president of e-commerce at DHL Supply Chain North AmericaKraig Foreman is the president of e-commerce at DHL Supply Chain North America. Eduardo Vilar, the senior vice president of merchant solutions at AffirmEduardo Vilar is the senior vice president of merchant solutions at Affirm. Glen Sutton, the executive vice president at Ceva LogisticsGlen Sutton is an the executive vice president at Ceva Logistics.

☆ Amex Platinum card review: The best card for airport lounge access and premium travel perks, with a 100,000-point welcome bonus offer and tons of valuable new benefits
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-27 | by ( Sarah Silbert | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +48 min

More Information Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. The Platinum Card comes with a welcome offer of 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in your first 6 months of card membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Because it's a premium rewards card, the Platinum Card is harder to get approved for than some other popular cards.

☆ Amex Platinum card review: The best card for airport lounge access and premium travel perks, with an 80,000-point welcome bonus offer and tons of valuable new benefits
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-27 | by ( Sarah Silbert | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +48 min

Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. How to earn points with the Amex Platinum cardThe Platinum Card doesn't have a terribly complicated earning structure. The Platinum Card comes with a welcome offer of 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Because it's a premium rewards card, the Platinum Card is harder to get approved for than some other popular cards.

☆ Amazon says it will begin delivering packages by drone in California later this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-13 | by ( Todd Haselton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Amazon said Monday it will begin to deliver products using Prime Air drones in Lockeford, California, later this year. It's the first time the company plans to use drones for customer deliveries in the United States. Walmart's drone delivery program is available to more than 4 million households in the U.S., for example. Amazon said the drone technology can detect and fly around obstacles like chimneys. The drone also makes sure there aren't people, animals or other obstacles at the delivery site, the company said.

☆ Kevin Hart sold a $100 million stake in his media company to private equity firm Abry. Here are 10 more Hollywood production shops that are hot M&A targets.
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-19 | by ( Natalie Jarvey | Elaine Low | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Abry Partners' $100 million stake in Kevin Hart's company HartBeat is the latest big M&A move in Hollywood. Dealmakers said production companies are valuable amid the streaming wars and demand for content. The M&A activity had top Hollywood dealmakers telling Insider in early 2022 that practically every independent production company is a target. Many production companies make work-for-hire or don't control the rights to a project once it is sold off to a studio distributor. Based on January interviews with five entertainment industry experts and insiders, Insider identified a list of 10 production companies that could be compelling acquisition targets as M&A activity continues.

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