MANILA -- Dunkin' has reopened select branches in Metro Manila to accommodate customers who need their donut and coffee fix amid the enhanced community quarantine.
Through Facebook, Dunkin' has been giving updates on branches that are open for delivery, with orders to be made via GrabFood, LalaFood, and Angkas Food.
The latest announcement came on Monday, which included three branches in Makati and one in Pasay.
In a previous post, Dunkin' said it has reopened a store each in Pasig, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City after closing all of its Metro Manila branches last March.
An updated list of branches can be found here.
As of Monday, available products for delivery include a pre-packed "assorted barkada bundle" which contains two pieces each of Strawberry Frost, Boston Kreme, Bavarian Filled, Choco Butternut, Choco Nutty Tiramisu, and Quezo Duo donuts.
Customers can also order brewed coffee for eight persons and a ground coffee pouch good for 16 cups.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA - Jollibee Foods Corp said Tuesday it would reduce its planned capital expenditures for the year as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts operations.
Capex for 2020 was cut by 64 percent to P5 billion from P14 billion due to "operational constraints" and "limited mobility" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jollibee told the stock exchange.
Deliveries accounted for 5 percent of total sales in the early part of 2020, from 3 percent during the same comparable period in 2019, the Philippines' largest fast food operator said.
Select stores in Luzon were closed from mid-March due to the lockdown, which was extended until April 30. Stores that stayed open were limited to drive thru, takeout, delivery and selling ready-to-cook meals.
Jollibee is eyeing “full restoration” after the lockdown is lifted with its delivery business driving recovery, said CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented disruption to our operations in the Philippines and other parts of the world, we are already planning for the full restoration of our operations. We expect growth to resume even if gradually, driven by our Delivery, Take-Out and Drive Thru business channels,” Tanmantiong said.
Jollibee has donated P100 million worth of food from its brands to frontliners. It would allot another P120 million in food aid for the marginalized sector, JFC said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
INCHEON, South Korea - As South Korea's coronavirus cases leapt above 5,000 this week, mask-wearing workers at a logistics center run by e-commerce firm Coupang Corp raced to disinfect trucks and load thousands of boxes of microwavable rice, disposable diapers and kitchen towels.
"In the past, we used to go out with the truck half full, but these days, there's so much to deliver there are leftover packages after filling the truck completely," 27-year-old Jung Im-hong, a contract delivery driver, told Reuters.
Even before the epidemic, South Korea was expected to become the world's No. 3 e-commerce market this year after China and the United States, according to Euromonitor, a remarkable statistic for a nation of just 51.7 million.
Now as the country emerges as critical hotspot in the global epidemic with the most cases outside China, its shift to online shopping is only gathering speed.
Coupang, which has secured $3 billion in investment from SoftBank and its Vision Fund, has seen deliveries climb to 3 million daily since mid-February from around 2.2 million per day late last year.
But the surge in orders, mostly for low-margin goods such as household items and fresh produce, may be a double-edged sword as delivery costs also balloon, potentially setting the 10-year old firm even further back in its quest for profitability, analysts said.
"It's difficult, there's so much to deliver," said Yoo Min-hyuck, who oversees one of Coupang's logistics centres in Incheon.
For each shift, the centre can now call on about 100 part-time workers, who use their own cars to handle overflow, whereas previously about half that number would line up for work.
GROWTH IN SALES AND LOSSES
Founded by 41-year-old Harvard graduate Bom Kim, Coupang made a splash with its 'Rocket Delivery' service that promised delivery within 24 hours and dealt a sharp blow to the country's family-owned retail conglomerates including Shinsegae and Lotte. Lotte Shopping Co Ltd announced last month it will close about 200 of its 700 offline stores in the next 3-5 years.
At the time of the Vision Fund's $2 billion investment in late 2018, Coupang was valued at around $9 billion.
But Coupang's history suggests that the more it sells, the more losses it makes. Although revenue soared 65% to 4.4 trillion won in 2018, operating losses expanded 72% to 1.1 trillion won, according to its latest public filing.
And established players are not going quietly: Shinsegae, which owns country's largest big-box store chain E-Mart Inc , last year set up a dedicated e-commerce unit and a logistics centre with a built-in bakery.
It must also compete with eBay Inc's South Korean unit and online search portal Naver Corp which has partnered with a multitude of independent online shopping malls to become the national leader in e-commerce market share, according to Seoul-based SK Securities.
The competition with cash-rich players could be an uphill battle for Coupang, said Han Tae-il, analyst at Korea Investors Service, a unit of credit rating agency Moody's.
"For Coupang to keep holding on, it may need more funding before long," he said.
The company declined to comment on when it may reach breakeven point or whether it will soon need more financing. When asked about possible IPO plans, a spokeswoman said Coupang does not have a concrete plan to conduct an offering at this moment.
What's clear, however, is that the coronavirus outbreak is having an unprecedented impact on the e-commerce market in Asia as millions are either being forced to work from home or are choosing to.
"And this is placing a tremendous strain on e-commerce markets as well as suppliers of daily goods," said Jared Conway, head of research at Euromonitor International, adding that the epidemic could permanently change how consumers think about what they order online.
Demand has skyrocketed so much, especially in Daegu, the South Korean city with the most coronavirus cases, that deliverymen often receive thank-you notes and sometimes gifts from customers.
Coupang deliveryman Jung, wiping the sweat off his brow as he loaded bottled water into the truck, said he's just focused on getting necessities to people isolated at home - despite the worries of his wife, with whom he's had a new baby.
"Customers use us a lot because they can't leave the house," he said. "I think it would have been harder for people without same-day delivery service."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LONDON -- Amazon has led a funding round in British online food delivery company Deliveroo, pitting itself against Uber Eats and other smaller providers in an escalating battle to deliver takeaway meals.
The news that the world's biggest online retailer had taken a stake in one of Europe's fastest growing tech companies sent shockwaves through the sector, hitting shares in rivals Just Eat, Takeaway.com and Delivery Hero.
Deliveroo founder and CEO Will Shu said the investment would enable the group to further expand its reach, develop its technology and pursue innovations such as the launch of its own kitchens that can be rented to restaurants to meet demand.
Deliveroo said Amazon was the lead investor in a new $575 million funding round. The new Series G funding takes the total Deliveroo has raised to date to $1.53 billion.
Its existing investors are T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Management and Research Co, and Greenoaks.
"Amazon has been an inspiration to me personally and to the company, and we look forward to working with such a customer-obsessed organisation," Shu said.
Headquartered in London, Deliveroo uses 60,000 riders dressed in black and teal jackets to deliver meals from over 80,000 restaurants and takeaway outlets in 14 countries including France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuwait.
In Britain it is locked in a battle with Uber Eats and the online platform Just Eat and its riders are a common sight carrying delivery boxes emblazoned with its kangaroo logo.
"We're impressed with Deliveroo's approach, and their dedication to providing customers with an ever increasing selection of great restaurants along with convenient delivery options," said Doug Gurr, Amazon UK Country manager.
"Will and his team have built an innovative technology and service, and we're excited to see what they do next."
The arrival of Amazon alarmed smaller rivals in the sector such as Just Eat, which saw its shares fall 10 percent in early trading over fears it would be squeezed between two online giants with global ambitions and deep pockets.
Just Eat had a market valuation of 4.6 billion pounds ($5.9 billion) prior to Friday's fall.
Amazon currently sells food in Britain through its Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pantry and Amazon Prime Now services and has a wholesale deal with supermarket Morrisons. But, according to market researchers Kantar Worldpanel, its UK grocery market share is still less than 1 percent.
It has previously tried and failed to run a restaurant delivery service in Britain.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON--American delivery giant UPS on Tuesday launched the first authorized use of unmanned drones to transport packages to recipients.
The company said the shipment of medical samples at the WakeMed hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina was the first of "numerous planned daily revenue flights."
UPS has teamed up with Matternet, which makes autonomous drones and already has operations in Switzerland, for the same-day delivery service, the company said in a statement.
The company called the inaugural flight "a major milestone for unmanned aviation in the United States."
It will provide "the ability to avoid roadway delays, increase medical delivery efficiency, lower costs and improve the patient experience with potentially life-saving benefits," the company added.
The "quadcopter" drones can carry medical payloads weight up to five pounds (2.3 kilograms) for distances up to 12.5 miles (20 kilometers).
Currently, the only option is through traditional courier service.
"Drone transport will improve speed of deliveries at a lower cost, enhance access to care and create healthier communities," WakeMed President Donald Gintzig said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and North Carolina's Department of Transportation both approved and oversee the drone service, following test flights last year.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Global courier service FedEx on Wednesday announced plans to test a "SameDay Bot" autonomous delivery device designed to carry purchases from retail shops to local customers.
FedEx said its robotic delivery carts, reminiscent of a large canister with wheels, would be tried out in its home city of Memphis, Tennessee later this year, provided it gets final approval from officials there.
"The bot represents a milestone in our ongoing mission to solve the complexities and expense of same-day, last-mile delivery for the growing e-commerce market in a manner that is safe and environmentally friendly," FedEx executive vice president Brie Carere said in a statement.
FedEx enlisted DEKA Development & Research to help develop the delivery bot, which is designed to travel along sidewalks or roadsides carrying small shipments to homes or businesses.
"The bot has unique capabilities that make it unlike other autonomous vehicles," said DEKA founder Dean Kamen, an engineer whose creations include the Segway.
Battery-powered FedEx bots have sensors to avoid pedestrians and other potential obstacles, and can even climb steps or curbs, according to the companies. The bot's top speed was reported to be 10 miles per hour (16 kilometers per hour).
The initial test will involve deliveries between selected FedEx offices.
FedEx said that it was exploring the potential of using the bots to meet short-range delivery needs of retailers including Walmart, Target and Pizza Hut.
It is common for people to live within three miles of retail shops where they are customers, creating an opportunity to serve them with "hyper-local," on-demand deliveries, according to FedEx.
An array of startups have been working on efficient, autonomous robots to carry purchases that "last mile" from restaurants, shops, or warehouses.
E-commerce giant Amazon in January began putting cooler-sized robots to work delivering packages to customers in a neighborhood outside Seattle.
Electric-powered, wheeled delivery vehicles named "Scout" were created by Amazon and guide themselves along sidewalks at a walking pace, according to Sean Scott, the vice president heading the project.
Results of the Scout experiment will determine whether the system is expanded.
Amazon has developed an extensive logistics network as it works to efficiently delivery goods to customers while controlling costs.
Chinese retail giant JD.com uses delivery robots, as do a number of startups operating in the United States and Europe.
Starship Technologies, based in Estonia, has tested operation in the US capital city of Washington, and another startup, KiwiBot, handles deliveries to US university students.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Amazon on Wednesday began putting cooler-sized robots to work delivering packages to customers in a neighborhood outside Seattle.
Electric-powered, wheeled delivery vehicles named "Scout" were created by Amazon and guide themselves along sidewalks at a walking pace, according to Sean Scott, the vice president heading the project.
Amazon becomes the latest entry to the market for robotic or autonomous delivery aimed at getting meals or other goods to customers without a human driver.
"We developed Amazon Scout at our research and development lab in Seattle, ensuring the devices can safely and efficiently navigate around pets, pedestrians and anything else in their path," Scott said in an online post introducing the delivery system.
He described Scout at being the size of a "small cooler," and said that six of them were being used to deliver packages to Amazon customers in a neighborhood in a county near Seattle.
"Customers in Snohomish County order just as they normally would and their Amazon packages will be delivered either by one of our trusted partner carriers or by Amazon Scout," Scott said.
Scout delivery robots will work only during daylight hours Mondays through Fridays, automatically maneuvering to destinations but accompanied by Amazon employees, according to the company.
Results of the Scout experiment will determine whether the system is expanded.
Amazon has developed an extensive logistics network as it works to efficiently delivery goods to customers while controlling costs.
The Seattle-based online retailer and others have been working on ways to improve getting orders the "last mile" from warehouses or fulfillment centers to doorsteps.
Chinese retail giant JD.com uses delivery robots, as do a number of startups operating in the United States and Europe. Starship Technologies, based in Estonia, has tested operation in the US capital city of Washington, and another startup, KiwiBot, handles deliveries to US university students.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores announced Tuesday that it acquired New York delivery company Parcel as it girds to compete with Amazon and other supermarkets for home delivery of groceries.
The purchase of Parcel, a Brooklyn-based specialist in same day, overnight and scheduled deliveries of perishable and non-perishable items, adds to Wal-Mart's push into e-commerce following the $3.3 billion purchase of Jet.com in 2016 and other smaller acquisitions.
Many analysts expect stiff competition among supermarkets in home delivery of groceries following Amazon's purchase this year of Whole Foods Market.
Grocers including Wal-Mart now regularly take online orders that are picked up by shoppers at curbside. But analysts say more work is needed to improve home delivery of fresh food.
Wal-Mart senior vice president Nate Faust spotlighted consumers' shifting demands as an impetus for the deal.
"Customers' expectations around delivery and what is possible have changed significantly in the past couple of years," Faust said in a blog post.
"Whatever they need and however they'd like it, we aim to provide – including the ability to offer last-minute ordering with same-day delivery service."
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Wal-Mart said the price was smaller than previous acquisitions this year.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
