Spencer Price, co-founder and CEO of Halla

Julia is joined by Spencer Price, co-founder and CEO of Halla, a US-based tech startup working to bring greater personalisation to online grocery shopping. Spencer talks about Halla’s plans for international expansion and the opportunities he sees in the UK, the challenges of product discovery in online grocery and how retailers can get much smarter about substitutions.

Plus, they chat about the “Amazonification of Whole Foods”, balancing personalisation with privacy concerns – and jellied eels.

Articles discussed by Spencer and Julia:

Here Comes the Full Amazonification of Whole Foods | New York Times

Raspberries for cauliflower? The bizarre world of online grocery store substitutions | WSJ

Gen Z have never eaten jellied eel? Let’s give it a try | The Times

Links to the big food and grocery retail stories this week:

Food and drink bosses call for legislation ‘pause’ while they focus on Ukraine crisis | The Grocer

Restaurant and leisure groups warn Ukraine war will push costs higher | FT

Farmers warn Ukraine war will hit UK food prices | BBC News

Ocado reports sales fall as shoppers resume pre-Covid buying habits | The Guardian

Three-quarters of meal deal snacks ‘dangerously’ HFSS, research shows | The Grocer

Iceland’s first Swift c-store in London teams up with Uber Eats

Starbucks is looking for a new boss | The Times

Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy to step down | The Grocer