The Americas
DoorDash to acquire grocery delivery firm Instacart in a $17bn deal
DoorDash will acquire grocery delivery firm Instacart in a $17bn deal, increasing the volume of meals, quick-need purchases and big weekly shops directly to customers, as reported by the BBC. For DoorDash, the acquisition will allow it to use Instacart’s grocery selection and substitution expertise, the company’s co-founder and chief executive, Tony Xu, said. DoorDash said the deal, expected to be final in about a year, will expand options for customers and let more sellers use the companies’ services. Instacart shoppers will be able to buy from 150,000 stores, up from the current 100,000, while DoorDash will reach beyond restaurants into retail, the firms said.
PepsiCo and Taco Bell renew partnership
The two companies have announced a commitment to continue the partnership for an additional 11 years. The announcement comes one week after Taco Bell’s sister chain, KFC, said that it will switch to Coca-Cola as its US beverage supplier. While large restaurant chains tend not to change drink providers, the move is not unprecedented, as Coke and Pepsi try to win contracts through perks and other inducements, says CNBC. Despite KFC’s defection in the US, Pepsi remains an important partner for Yum and the chain’s international markets, KFC US president Catherine Tan-Gillespie wrote in a memo on October 15th that was obtained by CNBC. The deal means that the two will continue to collaborate on products such as the Mountain Dew Baja Blast.
Asia Pacific
Starbucks Taiwan faces customer backlash after charging for drink customizations
Starbucks Taiwan’s decision to charge extra for a drink customization that was previously free has sparked consumer backlash, highlighting the challenge of raising prices without making customers feel they are losing value, experts told Focus Taiwan. Since October 12, customers who order drinks with less or no ice and ask to have the volume topped up with milk or other liquid have been charged an additional NT$15 (US$0.50). Topping up drinks without ice was previously free, and disgruntled customers posted photos on social media showing iced drinks ordered without ice being only half full if the extra NT$15 was not paid. Consumers flooded Starbucks Taiwan’s Facebook page with complaints and calls for the company to reinstate its previous policy.
Australian consumer confidence remains near record lows in October
Australian consumer confidence remained virtually unchanged in mid-October, with households continuing to face pressure from weaker economic expectations and concerns about their financial position, according to the ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Index. It recorded 67.7 points between 13 to 19 October, down 16.3 points compared with the same period a year earlier and 4.3 points below the 2026 weekly average of 72.0. The result marked the 12th-lowest consumer confidence reading since the index began in 1973. Confidence declined across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, while Queensland and Western Australia recorded slight improvements, reported QSR Media.
Europe, Middle East and Africa
UK budget described as “a missed opportunity” for hospitality sector
Chancellor John Healey’s inaugural budget was described by hospitality operators as “incredibly frustrating” and “a missed opportunity”. Healey made an announcement to increase the threshold for small business rate relief, which will rise from £12,000 to £18,000 for hospitality, retail and leisure businesses. He also announced a 3.9% increase in the minimum wage, which will extend to young workers, aged between 18 and 20. There was, however, no mention of cutting VAT for hospitality, despite over 400,000 individuals signing the VAT’s the Problem petition, which called for a reduction to 10% for the sector.
Supermarket freezers across Europe hit by another suspected cyber-attack
Supermarket chains in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg have said the temperatures of their refrigerators and freezers in dozens of stores rose overnight, prompting fears of a cyber-attack like one that caused millions of euros of food losses in France, reported The Guardian. Sweden’s Coop chain told the daily Aftonbladet on Monday that six of its stores had been affected. ICA said it was “aware that a limited number of stores were affected by an incident overnight which impacted their refrigeration and freezer systems”.
Lauren Hurrell
