Flink vs Woolworths Group

Circus CEO Nikolas Bullwinkel to Keynote EU-Startups Summit 2027

Nikolas Bullwinkel, founder and CEO of Munich-based robotics company Circus Group, will deliver a keynote at the EU-Startups Summit 2027 in Malta on May 13-14, focusing on AI robotics and scaling DeepTech from lab to market. Bullwinkel, who previously co-founded quick-commerce startup Flink, founded Circus in 2021 to develop AI-powered robotic systems for autonomous food production. The company raised €11 million in 2022, acquired culinary robotics startup Aitme in 2023, and went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2024. Circus is now focused on its CA-1 autonomous food-production robot for civilian and defence applications. The event expects around 2,500 attendees.

• Nikolas Bullwinkel, CEO of Circus Group, will keynote at EU-Startups Summit 2027 (May 13-14, Malta).
• Circus Group develops AI-powered robotic systems for autonomous food production.
• Circus raised €11 million in investment in 2022.

Cyberattack on Flink: Hackers Demand Ransom Directly from Customers

After a cyberattack on the German rapid delivery service Flink, hackers have stolen personal data of about one million customers and 13,000 employees. Because Flink refused to negotiate or pay a ransom, the attackers are now directly contacting individual customers via email, demanding 0.005 Ether (about €11.50) to prevent data sale. This 'triple extortion' tactic is unusual in German-speaking regions. The stolen data includes names, email addresses, postal addresses, and phone numbers, potentially also delivery-related details. Flink has stopped the breach, which occurred through a former employee's compromised account, and is cooperating with forensic experts and authorities. Legal experts note that customers may claim damages under GDPR, especially after a recent German Federal Court ruling that loss of control over personal data alone constitutes compensable damage.

• Hackers stole personal data of about 1 million customers and 13,000 employees from Flink.
• Flink refused to pay ransom, leading attackers to demand 0.005 Ether (approx. €11.50) directly from customers.
• The breach occurred via a former employee's compromised internal account.

Uber Eats, Wolt, Flink, Lieferando dominate German quick commerce

A YouGov study reveals that 37% of German consumers use quick commerce services for groceries and daily goods, with usage highest among younger demographics. Flink's brand awareness has doubled since 2021 to 36.5%, surpassing Wolt (33.7%) but trailing Uber Eats (50.4%). In terms of purchase consideration, Lieferando leads at around 20%, followed by Uber Eats (6.9%) and Flink (6.5%), while Wolt trails at 3%. The study highlights the growing importance of quick commerce as a regular part of digital shopping in Germany.

• 37% of German consumers use quick commerce services at least occasionally.
• Flink's brand awareness doubled from 18.1% in 2021 to 36.5% in 2026.
• Uber Eats has highest awareness at 50.4%, followed by Flink (36.5%) and Wolt (33.7%).

QSIC Appoints Mark Mansour as MD APAC

QSIC, the global intelligent in-store audio platform, announced the appointment of Mark Mansour as Managing Director, APAC, effective November 1, 2026. Mansour, a founding team member of Woolworths Group's retail media business Cartology and former managing director of Woolworths MarketPlus, brings deep retailer-side experience. The move follows QSIC's AUD$40 million Series B and aims to advance in-store audio as a measurable retail media channel. Mansour will focus on connecting audio advertising to shopper behavior and business outcomes, moving retail media beyond campaign-level activity. The company also recently launched QSIC Intelligence, a unified measurement dashboard for retail partners providing metrics like attributable sales and new-to-brand shoppers. QSIC works with major retailers including McDonald's and 7-Eleven across various sectors.

• QSIC appoints Mark Mansour as Managing Director APAC, effective November 1, 2026.
• Mansour was a founding team member of Cartology and former MD of Woolworths MarketPlus.
• QSIC raised AUD$40 million in Series B funding.

Woolworths Newsroom: Latest News and Featured Stories

The Woolworths Group newsroom page features several announcements, including the creation of 800 new jobs for a new chilled and fresh food distribution centre in Western Sydney, a partnership with Mad Mex for a Chilli & Lime Hot Chicken, and a home loan broker partnership between Everyday Rewards and Middle. It also highlights Woolworths' 2026 festive campaign, F26 Full Year Results commentary, new digital shopping tools, and sustainability commitments.

• Woolworths is recruiting 800 new roles to operate a new chilled and fresh food distribution centre in Western Sydney, described as the biggest refrigerated distribution centre in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Woolworths has partnered with Mexican restaurant chain Mad Mex to launch a new Chilli & Lime Hot Chicken variant of its rotisserie chicken.
• Everyday Rewards, with over 10.9 million active members, announced a partnership with Australian home loan technology platform Middle to offer a home loan broker service.

Woolworths Newsroom: Latest News and Media Releases

Woolworths Group's newsroom page now features several new press releases and product launches, including 'Turn your weekly shop into free Fissler food containers', 'Woolworths expands Lower Shelf Price to over 1,000 everyday products', and 'Far North Queensland welcomes first Mini Woolies sites'. Additionally, there is a statement regarding Guardian Australia's Price Freeze story.