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Sampler appoints Jonathan Penn as VP of sales (BETAKIT)
Sampler, which allows brands to send targeted product samples to potential consumers, will leverage Penn’s expertise to expand its presence in the US market.
DMS Recommends: Digital Main Street Launches Across Ontario to Help Small Businesses Adopt Digital Practices (DIGITALMAINSTREET)
Digital Main Street will expand across the province with the support of the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA) and the province of Ontario. The OBIAA said that as of today, Digital Main Street will be live and available through OBIAA to Ontario’s “main street” businesses.
Amazon opens its second Amazon Go convenience store (TECHCRUNCH)
The new store is 1,450 square feet in size – a bit smaller than the first store’s 1800 square feet – and will be located at 5th and Marion in Seattle. It will feature a range of ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options, as well as Amazon’s Meal Kits.
Walmart extends Handy service to online customers (RETAILDIVE)
Walmart is now offering online shoppers the ability to add Handy services to their cart at checkout, allowing customers to order in-home installations for things like mounting TVs, or get help with assembling their furniture, among other things.
Former Blue Jays slugger José Bautista invests in Endy (BETAKIT)
Former Blue Jays player and six-time MLB All-Star José Bautista is officially an investor in Toronto-based mattress startup Endy.
To boost Amazon Pay in India, Amazon reportedly acquired Tapzo, an ‘all-in-one’ aggregator app, for $40M (TECHCRUNCH)
Amazon has reportedly paid around $40 million to acquire Tapzo, which aggregates a number of app-based services — such as Uber, Ola, food delivery services Swiggy and Zomato, Book My Show, bill payment service BillDesk and more — into a single app.
The world’s first self-driving grocery delivery cars are on roads in San Jose (FASTCOMPANY)
Self-driving car company AutoX is testing its technology by bringing people their food orders.
Moosejaw is the first of Walmart’s acquired brands to open a digital store on the site
(TECHCRUNCH)
On Walmart.com, Moosejaw will now curate the new “Premium Outdoor Store,” which will offer Walmart online shoppers access to an assortment of outdoor specialty items that weren’t available on the site in the past.
FashionTech Toronto partners with UK’s Centre for Fashion Enterprise (BETAKIT)
The organization is focusing on establishing global partnerships to encourage growth and position Toronto as a global leader in the fashion-tech industry.
Sneaker company New Balance will use AI at New York fashion week to find … unfashionable people
(CNBC)
New Balance will put cameras around a booth in New York City to scan the streets in order to find people who look unique or different to the norm.