bp has big ambitions in global convenience retail and mobility, and is walking the walk as well as talking the talk. The energy giant is aiming to double its convenience gross margin to $1.5bn by 2030 and is also investing $15bn in convenience and EV charging globally, reports David Pitron, the bp executive with responsibility for the company’s global convenience proposition and strategy. In addition to his global role, Pitron has recently picked up accountability for the European convenience offer development team and will oversee eight key convenience markets in Europe: Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Luxembourg. The aim is twofold, he says: to evolve existing offers and identify where the business needs new propositions. bp has identified convenience as a key transition growth engine, alongside EV charging, bioenergy, hydrogen and renewables & power, Pitron reports. “We are investing in the convenience business – it’s…

Supermarket group Asda is expanding into housebuilding with a massive property deal that aims to transform one of its existing superstores into a new “town centre”. Any profits from the scheme, described as one of the biggest land deals since the pandemic, will be reinvested back into the supermarket to help it better compete against Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The supermarket, the UK’s third largest, is considering similar projects at other freehold sites it owns around the country. It has unveiled an ambitious redevelopment of a 10-acre Park Royal site in north-west London where it is joining forces with Barratt to transform its existing superstore. Plans include a new, bigger Asda Superstore and up to 400 car parking spaces for customers as well as an additional new “town centre” site featuring up to 1,500 new homes with a third of them designed as “affordable homes“. Other shop premises would also be created. The plans, which are subject to approval, will…

Our congratulations to the teams at Certas Energy Norway AS and DCC, the winner of this year’s ‘The Best EV Hub in the World’! An outstanding achievement in a very competitive field of entries. Be sure to view their winning profile here. And our congratulations to the team at Circle K for their second place finish with Circle K, Gothenburg, Sweden. Rounding out the top 3, congratulations to Germany’s Seed & Greet, in Hilden! Our thanks to all who entered and participated in this exciting initiative. Our aim with this competition was to help move the needle on the future of mobility globally, in the way that our industry always has – by sharing and celebrating success and innovation. And so, thank you to you all for leading the way for our industry in the mobility transition, congratulations, we wish you all the very best. Our thanks to Vontier for hosting the competition, together with Insight Research and to our sponsors Visa and…

The local boss of one of the world’s largest supermarket suppliers, Cadbury owner Mondelez, has warned of a ‘cost of manufacturing crisis’ that is equally as painful and dangerous to the Australian economy as the ‘cost of living crisis’. Mondelez Australia chief executive Darren O’Brien said it had become “undeniably expensive” to manufacture in Australia, and the crisis could see food manufacturers shut down and shift overseas. Speaking at the Australian Food and Grocery Council conference, Mr O’Brien said manufacturing food in Australia has been hit with soaring input costs from energy to transport, and the cost pain was worsened by overly-complex reporting requirements, especially around climate issues. Mr O’Brien, who is also chairman of the AFGC which represents the $140bn food manufacturing industry, delivered a chilling warning that once thriving industries like automotive and textiles were now largely or entirely imported and that the food and grocery industry could go…

PepsiCo has unveiled the 10 finalists selected for the APAC Greenhouse Accelerator Program 2024 based on their ability to deliver innovative solutions in sustainable agriculture, circular economy and climate action. This year, PepsiCo expanded the program to include a critical new focus area: sustainable agriculture. Recognising the essential role that agriculture plays in our food systems, PepsiCo has identified two startups from this sector as finalists, each contributing new approaches to sustainable farming practices. Three of the 2024 finalists are Australian, including: One of the finalists is from New Zealand: The finalists selected for the APAC Greenhouse Accelerator Program 2024 are: Takachar, the Philippines View article source here.