Well, that was fast. Not even a year after it was founded, Jokr has become a unicorn (valuation: $1.2 billion) after announcing it raised $260 million in a Series B.

• Activant Capital, Greycroft, GGV Capital, and Tiger Global, among others investors, participated in the round.
• This brings the instant-delivery startup’s total funding to $430 million.

Let’s go: The fresh funds will fuel Jokr’s tech advancements and market expansion throughout Latin America and the US; it currently operates about 200 hubs in 15 cities worldwide.

• This follows news of the company shipping up to Boston this week (wicked).

“Customers want a more personalized, and local way of shopping. We’re doubling down on that as we go into new markets,” Tyler Trerotola, who helps lead Jokr’s US operation, told Retail Brew.

Me, me, me

The startup bets on its location-specific, data-driven product assortments to integrate its service into consumers’ lives. (Jokr’s proprietary algorithm analyzes order data to stock inventory based on local users’ purchasing patterns. ICYMI, we stepped inside one of its Brooklyn warehouses this summer to see it all in action.)

This kind of personalization is Jokr’s bread and butter and how it hopes to set itself apart from competitors. “Our tech solutions are moving forward. We’re very much focused on getting customers exactly what they want, when they want it,” Trerotola explained. The system will be driven by machine learning and understanding customers’ schedules and lifestyles, what times they place orders, their day-to-day travels, and their product selections.

“Today it’s 15 minutes for groceries. Tomorrow, it could be anything,” he added.

More, more, more: The word “grocery” is used sparsely in Jokr’s funding release, perhaps suggesting a shifting focus into new categories. CEO and founder Ralf Wenzel said the investment will go toward creating “the ultimate shopping proposition.”

“We want to be the biggest challenger to classical supermarkets and eventually to all of retail,” Wenzel told us via email. “We are creating the most customer-centric e-commerce business in history.”

+1: As hot as the rapid delivery space is, there have already been flameouts. New York–based 1520 reportedly shut down yesterday after burning through its capital; it was in talks with Jokr to get acquired, but the deal fell through, sources told Insider.

• Jokr says it has reached operational profitability in some markets, per Grocery Dive.—JG

Dollar General is going all in.

Not only does the chain plan to open 1,110 more locations next year, it wants to expand its Popshelf concept to 1,000 by the end of fiscal year 2025.

• The chain has 30 Popshelf locations in six states, as of Q3 ending October 29.

Top dollar: EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer Emily Taylor told CNBC that Popshelf is gaining traction with customers, citing higher average basket sizes and value.

“We realized a standalone concept had a lot of merit, particularly as it related to providing a really exciting, joyful, engaging shopping experience in the small-box store,” Taylor said.

Popshelf has a different customer base from Dollar General’s namesake stores; the latter are typically located in rural areas, and its shoppers earn roughly $40,000 or less each year. Popshelf, meanwhile, targets suburban women with household incomes as high as $125,000.

• That being said, 90+% of Popshelf’s merchandise cost less than $5, according to the company.
• Home goods are particularly popular items, according to Taylor.

Don’t forget: There’s also a shop-within-a-shop concept. Dollar General is testing Popshelf inside DG Markets (yet another of the chain’s formats), with 14 so far. But the plan is to add more.

The big picture: It’s all about growth—especially as inflation hits shoppers hard.—KM

Oh, 2021, what a year it’s been. Or are we speaking too soon? December has just begun and we’re trying to wrap our heads around a new variant.

Well, we can still look back at the past 11 months to start to put 2021 into perspective. But we want you, readers of Retail Brew, to help us do just that.

Eyes up: What retail trends do you think were the most overlooked this year? NFTs? Fifteen-minute delivery? Live-streaming?

• On the flip side, which were the most overhyped? NFTs? Fifteen-minute delivery? Live-streaming?

We put together a quick survey right here, where you can cast your vote (and even add your own trend if we missed anything). You can drop us a line in the inbox, too, with your thoughts.

We’ll see where we all stand at the end of the year.

Today’s top retail reads.

Future view: The State of Fashion 2022 breaks down the 10 themes to watch next year. Spoiler alert: We’re still going to be talking about social commerce and the metaverse. (McKinsey/Business of Fashion)

Just dropped: The latest “wellness” trend? IV drips. (Axios)

For the ages: From a 29-year-old heading up one of the fastest-growing Amazon rollup companies in the country to a cofounder looking to create the next Shein, here are 30 (under 30) entrepreneurs to watch. (Forbes)

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• How Supergreat aims to stand out in the livestream shopping space
• Why malls and retailers still believe in Santa
• A unionization redo vote for Amazon workers in Alabama will be “even higher profile the second time around”

Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?

1. Chipotle has already sold out of its cilantro soap.
2. Bergdorf Goodman is auctioning off NFT versions of its most iconic holiday window displays.
3. Balenciaga designed a faux-fur scarf that looks like a dollar bill—with a nearly $3,000 price tag.
4. Subway opened a pop-up shop that only sells cookies.

Keep reading for the answer.