Woolies to launch tech hub … German supermarket cuts foreign-made products in name of diversity … Green frogs back on shelves

Woolworths unveiled a $1.5 billion profit yesterday, but chief executive Brad Banducci says there’s still plenty of work to do and a dedicated tech hub might be one of the first orders of business.

The Australian reports the supermarket giant is considering setting up an office for WooliesX, an internal department that will be tasked with working on data and tech solutions, away from the retailer’s north-west Sydney head office.

Taking inspiration from a similar model adopted by Walmart in the US, the aim of the project will be to better leverage the retailer’s loyalty and digital data and teams to drive more sales across the Woolworths network.

“What WooliesX will do is help us figure out how to better service our customers’ needs,” Banducci told The Australian. 

Shelves “boring without diversity”: supermarket

A supermarket in Hamburg has made a stance against xenophobia by removing all foreign-made products from its shelves.

Stuff.co.nz reports an Edeka-branded supermarket has replaced the items with signs like: “this is how empty a shelf is without foreigners”.

Edeka in Hamburger Hafencity macht Aktion gegen Rassismus. 👍 #saynotoracism pic.twitter.com/S3puFdn62g

— Sven @opendev@chaos.social (@opendev) August 19, 2017

A company spokesperson has reportedly said the Edeka business stands for diversity, and the brand wanted to drive home the impact that products from other countries have on consumers’ choice.

Green frogs hop back onto shelves

Two years ago confectionery producer Allen’s told Australians they were simply not buying enough green frogs to justify continuing to produce the lollies, but the company has officially had a change of heart.

News.com.au reports the chewy green creatures will be making an appearance back on supermarket shelves this week, as part of a multi-flavoured “Frog Family” pack.

So why the change of heart?

“Last year, Green Frogs made a special appearance at the Allen’s Lolly Bar in Sydney, and were a smash hit, selling out in just three days,” said the company’s head of marketing.

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