Tornado Damages Amazon Warehouse in Illinois; Six Victims Identified

At 8:35pm Friday evening, a tornado ripped through an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, killing 6 people. 

The National Weather Association confirmed that this was an EF-3 tornado coming from the west, and it had touched down at 30-77 Gateway Commerce Center Drive East. The tornado caused serious damage to a large part of the building.

Edwardsville Fire Chief, James Whiteford, gave a statement on Saturday to update the public. Whiteford stated that they had contacted mutual aid fire departments, EMS, and technical rescue teams from surrounding communities to assist with search and recovery efforts...

Amazon Hiring for 150,000 Seasonal Jobs to Help Deliver Great Holiday Experiences

Amazon continues to provide diverse employment opportunities for people of all backgrounds and skill levels, announcing today 150,000 seasonal jobs are now available across the U.S. All Amazon jobs in the U.S., including seasonal roles, have an average starting pay of $18 per hour, sign-on bonuses up to $3,000 and an additional $3 per hour depending on shifts in many locations.

“We are proud to be offering a huge range of full-time, part-time, and now seasonal jobs with great..."

Freshly names former Amazon executive Anna Fabrega as Chief Executive Officer

Freshly Inc., the leading fresh-prepared meal delivery service in the U.S., today announced that Anna Fabrega, Freshly's Chief Commercialization Officer, has been named CEO effective today. The appointment comes as Mike Wystrach, Freshly Founder and CEO, has decided to step down from his position and transition to an advisory role to the Freshly Board.

"From small beginnings hand-delivering meals to consumers, to building standard-setting technology and a nationwide network that delivers more than one million meals per week and helps make eating..."

Amazon Prime Members will Soon Pay Fee for All Whole Foods Deliveries

Amazon is phasing out free deliveries from Whole Foods Market for Amazon Prime members.

Free online deliveries from Whole Foods are coming to an end for members of the Amazon Prime paid loyalty program.

Starting Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, all online delivery orders placed through the Amazon Prime membership service will carry a $9.95 delivery fee. Amazon Prime members, who up until now received free delivery for Whole Foods orders over $35, have been paying the fee in the for Whole Foods delivery orders in the...

Amazon Opens First Fulfillment Center in North Dakota

Amazon’s new fulfillment center in Fargo is up and running. Employees started work within the new one million-plus square foot facility on Sunday, Sept. 19. The new center is the largest structure in the State of North Dakota (in terms of square footage) and will be the workplace of hundreds of associates in the months and years ahead.

“North Dakota welcomes this significant investment, which will bring high paying jobs to our state, further connect North Dakotans into the global commerce system and increase the speed of delivery of products..."

Whole Foods Market to Launch Just Walk Out Technology at Two Stores Next Year

Whole Foods Market announced today that it will open two stores featuring Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology as an option for customers. Located in Washington, D.C.’s Glover Park neighborhood and Sherman Oaks, California, the stores are expected to open next year.

Both stores will offer the high-quality, natural and organic products and locally sourced options that are found in all Whole Foods Market locations – but customers will have an option to skip the checkout line. Using Just Walk Out technology, customers can enter, shop...

Amazon Announces Plans to Hire Over 7,500 Employees in Several Cities and Towns Across Arizona

Amazon continues to provide opportunities for full-time and part-time jobs in logistics as it expands its footprint to better serve in communities where they live. Today the company announced that it is providing an additional 7,500 local employment opportunities throughout Arizona on top of the 40,000 corporate and technology jobs recently announced. The roles in fulfillment and transportation offer an average starting wage of more than $18 per hour—and up to $22.50 per hour in some locations...

Amazon Announces Plans to Hire 125,000 Employees in Hundreds of Cities and Towns Across America

Amazon continues to provide opportunities for full-time and part-time jobs in logistics as it expands its footprint to better serve customers in communities where they live. Today, the company announced that it is providing an additional 125,000 local employment opportunities throughout the U.S., on top of the 40,000 corporate and technology jobs announced earlier this month. The roles in fulfillment and transportation offer an average starting wage of more than $18 per hour—and up to $22.50 per...

Three Reasons Retailers Want to Become Tech Platforms

Kroger’s proprietary “Customer Fulfillment Center” (CFC) concept is one example of a retailer acting as a tech platform.

More retailers are attempting to transform themselves into full-fledged technology platforms, with good justification.

I recently wrote on a column on signs that Instacart wants to join major technology providers such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook by evolving into a broadly-based tech platform. While I still stand behind that column, Instacart is hardly alone in what appear to be its technology ambitions.

Other retailers, including (but not limited to)...

Amazon Expands Hampton Roads Investment with a Career Center and Two New Delivery Stations

Amazon continues its investment in the Hampton Roads area with the launch of a Career Center and two delivery stations. The Amazon Career Center, located at 1989 S. Military Highway in Chesapeake will serve as a hiring and orientation hub for the company’s operations facilities in Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hampton, and Virginia Beach. Additionally, the company is excited to announce the opening of two delivery stations in the Hampton Roads area, a 165,000 square foot facility at 1400 Sewells Point Road in Norfolk and a 111,600...

Amazon Expands In-Garage Grocery Delivery to Prime Members

Amazon announced that Key by Amazon In-Garage Grocery Delivery is expanding to everywhere grocery delivery from Amazon is available, providing service to more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns. Originally launched in five cities last November, Key In-Garage Grocery Delivery can now be used by millions of eligible Prime members to have their Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market groceries delivered securely and conveniently inside their garage.

Customers Seek Convenience

Customers relied on online grocery delivery services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s clear they’ll continue to use grocery delivery because of the convenience it provides. In a recent survey by Morning Consult commissioned by Amazon, nearly 70% of Americans report that grocery delivery is...

Impossible Foods Launches First National Advertising Campaign, "We Are Meat"

Impossible Foods is launching its first national advertising campaign as the leading food tech startup accelerates growth and takes advantage of mounting economies of scale.

The campaign, titled “We Are Meat,” features TV spots with the meaty images and sizzle of the company’s award-winning burgers. Produced by Portland, Ore.-based Wieden+Kennedy, the advertisements claim that Impossible Burger, which contains no animal ingredients, is meat for meat lovers — made from plants.

The first national integrated campaign for Impossible Foods kicks off today with...

Three Quarters of Brits Would Shop At an Amazon Grocery Store 

With the first Amazon grocery store now open in Britain, latest research from Mintel reveals that three quarters (76%) of Brits say they would shop at one.

When asked what would encourage them to shop at a physical Amazon grocery store, almost two thirds (63%) of consumers said they would be attracted to discounts for Prime membership. Meanwhile, a quarter (24%) would like the opportunity to be able to collect online orders. Overall attraction in shopping at these physical stores was higher among younger shoppers, with...

Shifting Trends See Global Food Giants Ramp Up Their Plant-based Offerings

The past few years have seen plant-based meat and dairy alternatives go from a niche product to a mainstream trend, and finally to a mainstay in the food industry. Now that the average consumer has had the opportunity to try plant-based alternatives, the market has spoken and plant-based foods are taking a much larger role in the food industry in 2021.

Plant-based offerings are being added to the lineups of the world's largest food producers, multinational restaurants and cafes, and to important segments like the infant nutrition space. It's clear that the largest players in the food industry like Tyson Foods, PepsiCo, Starbucks Corporation, and Yum! Brands, along with innovative plant-based foods companies like...

KIND Snacks Founder Daniel Lubetzky Invests in Quevos Following Shark Tank Deal

KIND Snacks Founder Daniel Lubetzky has invested in Quevos, a brand of fun and flavorful snacks whose first ingredient is egg whites. As announced on ABC's Shark Tank, Lubetzky will partner with budding entrepreneurs, Quevos Founders Nick Hamburger and Zack Schreier, to help more people discover their introductory line of high protein, high fiber, low carb snacks in bold flavors including Honey Mustard, Cheddar, Sour Cream & Onion, Sweet Barbecue, Quevos Rancheros, Dill Pickle, and Mesquite BBQ.

Lubetzky's investment is a vote of confidence for both Quevos' snacks and co-founders Hamburger and Schreier, who impressed Lubetzky with their entrepreneurial spirit and life-long friendship turned partnership. Leveraging his experience growing KIND from...