Quick Take — Amazon: e-commerce deliveries of perishable fresh produce set to rise by 50 per cent in 2026

“We have adapted a number of our existing Same-Day facilities with specialised temperature zones – ambient, chilled and frozen – and we plan to adapt many more over time. If your order includes frozen pizza, yoghurt and English muffins, three different team members prepare your order simultaneously, one in each zone, which also makes it easier to unpack when it arrives. Orders for perishable groceries are also fulfilled by existing fulfilment centres that were designed from the ground up to handle perishable groceries…”

Six (6) fresh items feature in the top twenty on the site, which serves 150 million people and is now the second-largest food retailer in the US behind Walmart.

The term ‘groceries’, which usually refers to everyday consumer goods, also includes fresh produce for Amazon.

Quick Take — The 3-euro EU tax has caused a slump in Chinese parcel deliveries: Temu, Shein and AliExpress have seen sales fall by up to 40 per cent

A month and a half after the measurewas introduced, the first measurable effect was already evident: imports of small parcels from China to the European Union had fallen by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent. This was announced by theFrench Ministry of the Economy…(Italy has no data and had tried to ‘go its own way’).

It is a measure designed to target the very business modelthat has madeTemuandSheinmass phenomena: individual shipments with a low unit value, sent directly from China to the end consumer, which until June benefited from a total customs exemption for all parcels under 150 euros…

The measure is intended to be temporary. It will remain in force until awider reform of the European customs system is completed, which is expected within two years…Source

Shein has an advantage over its Chinese competitors because it has a warehouse in Poland (which is, in fact, what Amazon has done, with e-commerce warehouses across Europe).

Read more about it here.

Quick Take — USA: Amazon increases its drone delivery capacity sixfold

Amazon already delivers by drone in seven US states, and a further 500 cities are set to be added by 2026.

Amazon has stated that almost all items weighing 5 kilos or less that fit into a large shoebox can be delivered by a drone, meaning that over 60 per cent of the items customers buy most frequently from Amazon are eligible for delivery within 30 minutes.

This includes millions of groceries, electronics, cosmetics, medicines and household products.

Quick Take — Are retail sales stagnating? Advertising is on the rise at Walmart

Next Thursday, Walmart is expected to provide an update on its sales and profitability figures, with like-for-like sales growth below 4 per cent for the first time since 2024, mainly due to petrol prices (To cope with these challenging times, Walmart has reduced the prices of 7,000 items in its range).

Bucking the trend, Walmart Connect’s advertising revenue is up by 44 per cent; whilst this represents an infinitesimal fraction of total turnover ($713 billion), it accounts for a third of operating profit (EBIT).

Walmart has identified AI as the next phase of growth for Walmart Connect, as more and more consumers use AI chatbots to search for deals. The retailer has begun testing adverts within its AI shopping assistant, Sparky

Almost a third of consumer searches now originate from AI models, according to data from digital commerce consultancy Flywheel…

Amazon is further ahead in transforming its proprietary chatbot, now called Alexa for Shopping, into a new advertising channel, but Walmart’s 2024 acquisition of smart-TV manufacturer Vizio has enabled it to expand Connect beyond its website and into its television streaming services.

The disparity in growth between Walmart’s retail and advertising sales is evident in this Reuters table

Drafted on 18 August, updated on 19 August 2026

Quick Take — Ferrero acquires Purely Elisabeth

Purely Elisabeth’s product range includes traditional granola, oatmeal (oat-based meals), breakfast cereals and, above all, protein granola (gluten-free, vegan and GMO-free).

It appears that the company was acquired for a sum equivalent to three times its turnover (approximately $600 million).

The granola market is worth $1.3 billion and Purely Elisabeth is the market leader.

The products are stocked by major retailers: Target, Kroger, Sprouts, Whole Foods (Amazon) and Costco.

The brand will most likely be managed by Lapo Civiletti.