As vaccines roll out around the world, COVID-19 testing also continues to become more advanced and more widely available. In the near future, the Kroger grocery chain will serve as a destination for COVID-conscious consumers looking for quick, reliable antigen test results: Upon FDA approval, the Gauss COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Kit will be available through Kroger Health, according to a company release.
The test will provide consumers with results within 15 minutes through a smartphone app. The kit will come with all of the components necessary for the nasal swab test, while the accompanying app will scan the test, offering results with 93 percent accuracy for positive tests and 99 percent accuracy for negative tests. These results will be shown to the consumer and also shared with health agencies.
“As a trusted resource for COVID-19-related solutions with a broad national footprint, Kroger Health is an ideal partner to dramatically expand access for millions of Americans through our smartphone-powered, at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen test,” Gauss Founder and CEO Siddarth Satish said in the release.
Kroger has been at the frontlines of a number of anti-pandemic initiatives. Many Kroger locations already provide COVID-19 vaccines for those eligible. The chain has also incentivized its employees to receive the vaccine with inoculation bonuses.
Walmart’s Vehicle Partner Announces All-Electric Self-Driving Trucks
Gatik, the self-described “Autonomous Delivery Network for the Middle Mile,” announced its new Electric Autonomous Box Trucks on Wednesday (Feb. 17). These fully electric, driver-free vehicles can travel up to 120 miles on a single charge and take less than 90 minutes to recharge.
Walmart will be the first retailer to pilot these trucks, reports Freight Waves. The retailrr has already been testing Gatik’s existing autonomous vehicles to stock consumer-facing locations from its dark stores in Bentonville, Arkansas. The new all-electric model is being tested in New Orleans this month.
“Helping our customers as they meet their ambitious emissions targets is a key pillar of our long-term strategy. Our Electric Autonomous Box Trucks are defining a new frontier in sustainability, while continuing to offer the cost reductions and shorter delivery times our autonomous solution is known for,” Gatik CEO and Co-founder Gautam Narang said in the release. “The B2B short-haul market is ideally suited to electric technology thanks to the route lengths involved. Trucks can charge while they’re being loaded, enabling continuous service during operational hours.”
Gatik created these trucks in collaboration with VIA Motors, a company that specializes in creating electric vehicles for commercial use. Gatik is working with its partners to ensure that charging stations will be available at checkpoints along vehicles’ routes.
Tech Startup Raises $150 million Series C for Cashierless Checkout
Standard Cognition, a startup that uses artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled computer vision to enable cashier-free checkout, has raised $150 million in its Series C funding round, according to a company blog post. With this most recent round of funding, the company has become the first unicorn in autonomous checkout technology.
“The physical retail industry must accelerate its pace of digital transformation to better compete with online players,” said Serena Dayal, the investment director of SoftBank Vision Fund, the startup’s lead investor. “…We are excited to partner with the Standard leadership team as they aim to accelerate the deployment of checkout-free technology with retailers seeking to improve their customers’ shopping experience.”
Standard is positioning the software as a way for brick-and-mortar retailers to compete with eCommerce giants in the face of COVID-related setbacks. “Retailers and their customers have waited for a technology like computer vision to help drive the industry forward,” Jordan Fisher, co-founder and CEO of Standard, said in the post. Perhaps somewhat optimistically, he added that “this new category will be bigger than mobile or the internet. It is the most disruptive thing to happen to retail in decades.”
Nestlé Announces $4.3 Billion Sale of North American Water Brands
Nestlé, a giant in the bottled water industry, announced on Tuesday (Feb. 16) that it is selling its North American bottled water brands to investment firms One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co. The $4.3 billion deal includes U.S. and Canada spring water and purified water brands, as well as Nestlé’s by-the-gallon delivery service ReadyRefresh. It does not include the company’s higher-end international brands, such as Perrier, S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.
“This sale enables us to create a more focused business around our international premium brands, local natural mineral waters and high-quality healthy hydration products,” said Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider in the release. “We will also boost our innovation and business development efforts to capture emerging consumer trends, such as functional water.” Many of the functional waters referenced fall under the Nestlé Pure Life brand, which includes waters enhanced with zinc, magnesium and potassium for added health benefits.
For the investors’ part, Tony W. Lee, managing partner of One Rock, said in One Rock’s release, “One Rock brings to bear extensive corporate carve out and operational capabilities that we believe will be instrumental to NWNA’s [Nestle Water North America’s] ongoing success as a standalone company. We look forward to working closely with our operating partners to accelerate the growth of NWNA’s extraordinary set of attractive brands, while continuing to create value in the communities in which the company operates.”
On the partnership with Metropoulos & Co., One Rock Partner Kimberly Reed added, “we are thrilled to partner with Dean [Metropoulos], a highly accomplished investor and operator with proven success reimagining brands and businesses around the world, to lead NWNA. As a private company, the business is expected to have greater resources and flexibility to drive continued growth, strengthen its existing operations and execute on its mission to deliver healthy hydration to consumers.”
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