Walmart Starts Last Mile Delivery Service
Walmart launched a delivery service for other merchants throughout the United States, an announcement that comes as goods sellers scramble to secure deliveries ahead of the all-important holiday shopping season.
Walmart has this year been trialing its first company-branded "last-mile" delivery vans, taking a page out of Amazon's play book as pandemic-led e-commerce demand pressures United Parcel Service (UPS.N), FedEx (FDX.N) and the U.S. Postal Service.
Through its latest program, called Walmart GoLocal, Walmart will dispatch workers from its Spark delivery network to merchants' stores to pick up items and then deliver them to shoppers. Over the past year, the retailer has doubled Spark's coverage to more than 500 cities, Walmart Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs said last week on an earnings call.
McDonald’s Taps Petco’s Tariq Hassan to Lead U.S. Marketing
The Wall Street Journal says McDonald’s Corp. has named new marketing chiefs for the U.S. and its global operations amid a push for more effective marketing aimed at boosting its brand and customer-experience efforts.
The fast-food chain appointed Tariq Hassan as chief marketing and digital customer experience officer for McDonald’s USA. Mr. Hassan, currently marketing chief at pet-store operator Petco Health & Wellness Co., will succeed Morgan Flatley in the role. Ms. Flatley is being promoted to global CMO. The current global marketing chief, Alistair Macrow, will become chief executive for the U.K. and Ireland, effective Nov. 1, the company said.
McDonald’s last month said that second-quarter sales surpassed pre-pandemic levels as more of its dining rooms reopened and U.S. customers tried new chicken offerings. The company also credited higher menu prices, up about 6% from the previous year, larger to-go orders and a celebrity-endorsed meal tied to Korean pop group BTS.
IKEA Tests New Store Formats
The Wall Street Journal reports that IKEA is testing two new store designs that rip up the blueprint of its signature maze-like showrooms, as the retailer explores how to keep physical locations relevant in the age of e-commerce.
Ingka Holding B.V., which operates the majority of IKEA’s retail stores, this month reopened a location in the Xuhui district of Shanghai that was renovated to test its “future store format,” a space where visitors can conceivably spend hours doing things other than shopping. Alongside showrooms and a shop for small items is a cushioned, theater-like space where IKEA hopes people will hang out with friends, a restaurant that showcases sustainable food practices such as urban farming, and a “Maker’s Hub” where staff help customers repair old and build new items.
TELUS International Opens Third Digital CX Delivery Center in the U.S.
TELUS International, a leading digital customer experience (CX) innovator that designs, builds and delivers next-generation solutions for global and disruptive brands, today announced the opening of its third site in the U.S. with a new digital CX delivery center in North Charleston. The company plans to create approximately 1,200 jobs by 2022 in North Charleston, adding to its more than 2,400 team members currently supporting digital CX and digital transformation programs from Las Vegas, Nevada and Folsom, California.
"Following our successful second-quarter results announced late last month, which included double-digit organic growth, our company continues to hire top talent and open new sites around the world in order to support our clients’ growing needs for differentiated digital customer experience and digital transformation services,” said Chuck Koskovich, Chief Operating Officer, TELUS International. “We are thrilled to announce our newest site opening today in North Charleston and to recruit a significant number of new team members to join our global family of more than 56,000 who are without a doubt, driving the positive momentum we continue to achieve in the market.”
Hilton ‘Power Up’ Bonus: Up To 3X Unlimited Points
Through the new, global “Power Up” promotion, registered Hilton Honors members can earn Double (2x) Bonus Points on eligible stays completed between September 7 – December 31, 2021, or earn Triple (3x) Bonus Points on eligible stays completed during the same period when using their Hilton Honors Credit Card.
This is in addition to Points that Card Members already earn on their Card and on eligible hotel spend on stays. Plus, there is no cap on the number of Bonus Points members can earn, and Bonus Points can be earned an unlimited number of times during the promotion period. So, you can start earning even more Points to use toward future free nights during this fall’s travels.