Kroger to test unmanned vehicle delivery

Kroger announced in late June that it plans to pilot unmanned road vehicles for grocery delivery through a partnership with Nuro, a California-based robotics and artificial intelligence company.

A test scheduled for the fall will allow customers to place grocery orders through Kroger's ClickList system and Nuro's app, and have their items delivered the same day. The pilot market has not yet been announced.

In addition, Kroger announced a partnership with British online grocery supermarket Ocado to build e-commerce fulfillment centers and build out its e-grocery platform. At the same time Kroger announced a deal to purchase online meal kit service Home Chef, as well as plans to launch Boosted Products in Search, a service that will "enable consumer packaged goods brands to reach digitally savvy shoppers with 'hyper-relevant' products in search results across Kroger digital properties," according to Supermarket News.

Tesco to shut down Fresh & Easy chain

Tesco, the British supermarket giant and the world's fourth largest retailer, announced it will sell or shut down its 200 Fresh & Easy grocery stores. All of the stores are located in California, Arizona and Nevada, and the banner is Tesco's only U.S. asset.

Fresh & Easy began with its first store in Phoenix in 2007, and the grocery chain's stores are typically in the 10,000 to 15,000 square foot range. They offer fresh food and ready-to-eat meals at low prices, and the stores are touted as more convenient alternatives to traditional U.S. supermarkets.

Since 2007, Tesco has invested about $1.6 billion in the chain, but it has never been profitable.

"It is now clear that Fresh & Easy will not deliver acceptable shareholder returns on an appropriate timeframe in its current form," said Tesco CEO Philip Clarke.

Analysts say that Aldi could be among those interested in acquiring the chain, and that Walmart could bid for parts of it.